NOAA Storm Events · May 2021
Hail in May 2021: 1,383 NOAA reports across 34 states
NOAA logged 1,383 hail reports in May 2021, in 471 counties across 34 states. Texas had the most (518). The largest stone was 5.5 inches (a softball), near Sayers in Bexar County, Texas, on May 3, 2021. The worst day was May 3, 2021, with 206 reports in 10 states.
- Where
- 471 counties in 34 states; Texas had 38% of the reports
- Largest stone
- 5.5 inches, a softball, in Bexar County, TX (near Sayers), on May 3, 2021
- Worst day
- May 3, 2021: 206 reports in 10 states, 15% of the month
- Days with hail
- 30 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 3, 2021 was the worst day with 206 reports. A day with hail averaged 46.
| May 1 | 0 |
|---|---|
| May 2 | 37 |
| May 3 | 206 |
| May 4 | 43 |
| May 5 | 15 |
| May 6 | 15 |
| May 7 | 25 |
| May 8 | 40 |
| May 9 | 60 |
| May 10 | 105 |
| May 11 | 24 |
| May 12 | 1 |
| May 13 | 27 |
| May 14 | 66 |
| May 15 | 35 |
| May 16 | 75 |
| May 17 | 58 |
| May 18 | 21 |
| May 19 | 6 |
| May 20 | 18 |
| May 21 | 6 |
| May 22 | 18 |
| May 23 | 39 |
| May 24 | 26 |
| May 25 | 39 |
| May 26 | 163 |
| May 27 | 51 |
| May 28 | 67 |
| May 29 | 47 |
| May 30 | 20 |
| May 31 | 30 |
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 | 518 |
|---|---|
| KS | 232 |
| CO | 109 |
| NE | 92 |
| OK | 74 |
| NM | 72 |
| AR | 39 |
| NC | 35 |
| WI | 26 |
| SC | 23 |
| # | State | Reports | Share | Largest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | 518 | 37.5% | 5.5 in |
| 2 | Kansas | 232 | 16.8% | 4 in |
| 3 | Colorado | 109 | 7.9% | 3.25 in |
| 4 | Nebraska | 92 | 6.7% | 3 in |
| 5 | Oklahoma | 74 | 5.4% | 3.61 in |
| 6 | New Mexico | 72 | 5.2% | 3 in |
| 7 | Arkansas | 39 | 2.8% | 2.75 in |
| 8 | North Carolina | 35 | 2.5% | 2 in |
| 9 | Wisconsin | 26 | 1.9% | 1.5 in |
| 10 | South Carolina | 23 | 1.7% | 2 in |
| # | County | Reports | Largest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ellis County, KS | 32 | 4 in |
| 2 | Bexar County, TX | 31 | 5.5 in |
| 3 | Randall County, TX | 21 | 2.75 in |
| 4 | El Paso County, CO | 19 | 2 in |
| 5 | Hood County, TX | 19 | 1.75 in |
| 6 | Parker County, TX | 17 | 2 in |
| 7 | Cheyenne County, NE | 14 | 3 in |
| 8 | Grayson County, TX | 14 | 1.5 in |
| 9 | Sherman County, KS | 14 | 2.5 in |
| 10 | Cimarron County, OK | 13 | 2.75 in |
County names link to the full hail history where we have published that county. The CSV below lists all 471 counties and all 34 states.
How May 2021 compares
| Compared with | Reports | May 2021 was |
|---|---|---|
| April 2021 | 1,040 | +343 (+33%) |
| May 2020 | 1,489 | -106 (-7%) |
| the average May in the other 12 years | 2,171 | -788 (-36%) |
May 2021 was the 12th busiest May of the 13 in the record and the 33rd 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.