NOAA Storm Events · May 2026
Hail in May 2026: 1,036 NOAA reports across 30 states
NOAA logged 1,036 hail reports in May 2026, in 385 counties across 30 states. Texas had the most (226). The largest stone was 4.5 inches (a softball), near Lanham in Hamilton County, Texas, on May 10, 2026. The worst day was May 8, 2026, with 147 reports in 7 states.
- Where
- 385 counties in 30 states; Texas had 22% of the reports
- Largest stone
- 4.5 inches, a softball, in Hamilton County, TX (near Lanham), on May 10, 2026
- Worst day
- May 8, 2026: 147 reports in 7 states, 14% 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 8, 2026 was the worst day with 147 reports. A day with hail averaged 35.
| May 1 | 8 |
|---|---|
| May 2 | 0 |
| May 3 | 16 |
| May 4 | 33 |
| May 5 | 6 |
| May 6 | 39 |
| May 7 | 3 |
| May 8 | 147 |
| May 9 | 48 |
| May 10 | 81 |
| May 11 | 3 |
| May 12 | 2 |
| May 13 | 16 |
| May 14 | 5 |
| May 15 | 26 |
| May 16 | 110 |
| May 17 | 74 |
| May 18 | 97 |
| May 19 | 22 |
| May 20 | 14 |
| May 21 | 36 |
| May 22 | 19 |
| May 23 | 21 |
| May 24 | 37 |
| May 25 | 9 |
| May 26 | 26 |
| May 27 | 20 |
| May 28 | 21 |
| May 29 | 10 |
| May 30 | 50 |
| May 31 | 37 |
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 | 226 |
|---|---|
| OK | 144 |
| KS | 124 |
| NE | 90 |
| MO | 66 |
| SD | 59 |
| IA | 58 |
| CO | 42 |
| IL | 38 |
| MN | 25 |
| # | State | Reports | Share | Largest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | 226 | 21.8% | 4.5 in |
| 2 | Oklahoma | 144 | 13.9% | 2.75 in |
| 3 | Kansas | 124 | 12.0% | 2.75 in |
| 4 | Nebraska | 90 | 8.7% | 3.5 in |
| 5 | Missouri | 66 | 6.4% | 3 in |
| 6 | South Dakota | 59 | 5.7% | 2 in |
| 7 | Iowa | 58 | 5.6% | 2.75 in |
| 8 | Colorado | 42 | 4.1% | 4.5 in |
| 9 | Illinois | 38 | 3.7% | 2 in |
| 10 | Minnesota | 25 | 2.4% | 1.75 in |
| # | County | Reports | Largest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grundy County, MO | 24 | 3 in |
| 2 | Sherman County, KS | 16 | 2.75 in |
| 3 | Rogers County, OK | 15 | 2.25 in |
| 4 | Madison County, IL | 14 | 2 in |
| 5 | Tulsa County, OK | 14 | 1.75 in |
| 6 | Washington County, CO | 14 | 4.5 in |
| 7 | Beckham County, OK | 13 | 2.75 in |
| 8 | Cleveland County, OK | 13 | 2.75 in |
| 9 | Kit Carson County, CO | 13 | 2.5 in |
| 10 | Marathon County, WI | 12 | 2 in |
County names link to the full hail history where we have published that county. The CSV below lists all 385 counties and all 30 states.
How May 2026 compares
| Compared with | Reports | May 2026 was |
|---|---|---|
| April 2026 | 2,148 | -1,112 (-52%) |
| May 2025 | 2,835 | -1,799 (-63%) |
| the average May in the other 12 years | 2,200 | -1,164 (-53%) |
May 2026 was the 13th busiest May of the 13 in the record and the 47th 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.