NOAA Storm Events · May 2017
Hail in May 2017: 2,321 NOAA reports across 43 states
NOAA logged 2,321 hail reports in May 2017, in 811 counties across 43 states. Texas had the most (424). The largest stone was 4.5 inches (a softball), near Obregon in Coleman County, Texas, on May 19, 2017. The worst day was May 27, 2017, with 354 reports in 13 states.
- Where
- 811 counties in 43 states; Texas had 18% of the reports
- Largest stone
- 4.5 inches, a softball, in Coleman County, TX (near Obregon), on May 19, 2017
- Worst day
- May 27, 2017: 354 reports in 13 states, 15% of the month
- Days with hail
- 31 of 31 days had at least one report
- under 1 in
- 1 to 1.74 in
- 1.75 to 2.74 in
- 2.75 in and up
Day by day
May 27, 2017 was the worst day with 354 reports. A day with hail averaged 75.
| May 1 | 2 |
|---|---|
| May 2 | 25 |
| May 3 | 103 |
| May 4 | 21 |
| May 5 | 14 |
| May 6 | 10 |
| May 7 | 6 |
| May 8 | 70 |
| May 9 | 68 |
| May 10 | 99 |
| May 11 | 116 |
| May 12 | 9 |
| May 13 | 4 |
| May 14 | 17 |
| May 15 | 181 |
| May 16 | 188 |
| May 17 | 89 |
| May 18 | 245 |
| May 19 | 140 |
| May 20 | 42 |
| May 21 | 25 |
| May 22 | 50 |
| May 23 | 27 |
| May 24 | 8 |
| May 25 | 33 |
| May 26 | 85 |
| May 27 | 354 |
| May 28 | 68 |
| May 29 | 23 |
| May 30 | 63 |
| May 31 | 136 |
Where it hit hardest
Ranked by NOAA hail reports. A report is one spotter or sensor entry for one county and storm, so counts follow where people live as well as where hail fell.
| TX | 424 |
|---|---|
| KS | 291 |
| OK | 273 |
| MO | 193 |
| CO | 139 |
| IA | 107 |
| NM | 83 |
| VA | 81 |
| NY | 66 |
| WI | 59 |
| # | State | Reports | Share | Largest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | 424 | 18.3% | 4.5 in |
| 2 | Kansas | 291 | 12.5% | 3 in |
| 3 | Oklahoma | 273 | 11.8% | 4.25 in |
| 4 | Missouri | 193 | 8.3% | 4.25 in |
| 5 | Colorado | 139 | 6.0% | 3 in |
| 6 | Iowa | 107 | 4.6% | 2.5 in |
| 7 | New Mexico | 83 | 3.6% | 2 in |
| 8 | Virginia | 81 | 3.5% | 3 in |
| 9 | New York | 66 | 2.8% | 2.5 in |
| 10 | Wisconsin | 59 | 2.5% | 3 in |
| # | County | Reports | Largest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sherman County, KS | 26 | 2.75 in |
| 2 | Hutchinson County, TX | 20 | 2.75 in |
| 3 | Jefferson County, CO | 19 | 2.75 in |
| 4 | Pueblo County, CO | 19 | 1.75 in |
| 5 | Greene County, MO | 17 | 1.75 in |
| 6 | Newton County, MO | 17 | 1.75 in |
| 7 | Beaver County, OK | 15 | 3.5 in |
| 8 | Hampden County, MA | 15 | 1.25 in |
| 9 | Chaves County, NM | 14 | 2 in |
| 10 | Tom Green County, TX | 14 | 2 in |
County names link to the full hail history where we have published that county. The CSV below lists all 811 counties and all 43 states.
How May 2017 compares
| Compared with | Reports | May 2017 was |
|---|---|---|
| April 2017 | 1,723 | +598 (+35%) |
| May 2016 | 2,576 | -255 (-10%) |
| the average May in the other 12 years | 2,093 | +228 (+11%) |
May 2017 was the 6th busiest May of the 13 in the record and the 9th busiest of all 150 months.
| 2014 | 2307 |
|---|---|
| 2015 | 1477 |
| 2016 | 2576 |
| 2017 | 2321 |
| 2018 | 2347 |
| 2019 | 2370 |
| 2020 | 1489 |
| 2021 | 1383 |
| 2022 | 2283 |
| 2023 | 1769 |
| 2024 | 3244 |
| 2025 | 2835 |
| 2026 | 1036 |
Every May in the record, 2014 to 2026. Months after June 2026 are not in NOAA's file yet.
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Download the data
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, hail rows at county level, data through June 2026. Reports are preliminary and unverified: they show that hail was reported in a county, not that a given roof was damaged. Method: how we count. More: State of Hail by year · county hail history · press.
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, public domain. Counts and tables on this page are free to reuse with credit to PickARoofer under CC BY 4.0.