Wake County, North Carolina: hail history 2014–2026
Wake County ranks #1 of 20 North Carolina counties for hail: 152.9 reports per 1,000 square miles, 131 reports in all. Hail reached 1 inch on 30 days and 1.75 inches on 7. Record: 2.75 inches (a baseball), May 13, 2019 near Williams Xrds.
- 131reports
- 30days, 1 in+
- 7days, 1.75 in+
- 2.75 inlargest stone
Hail since my roof went on: Wake County
Year by year
| Year | Reports | Days 1 in+ | Days 1.75 in+ | Largest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 in |
| 2015 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1.25 in |
| 2016 | 24 | 7 | 2 | 1.75 in |
| 2017 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2.75 in |
| 2019 | 28 | 2 | 2 | 2.75 in |
| 2020 | 34 | 3 | 1 | 2.25 in |
| 2021 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 in |
| 2022 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 1.25 in |
| 2023 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 1.75 in |
| 2025 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1.5 in |
2020 was the busiest year (34 reports) and 2018 the quietest (0). 10 reports a year in 2014 to 2019 against 12 in 2020 to 2025: close to flat. Days with 1-inch stones average 2.5 per full year. NOAA puts reported hail damage at $110 million over the period.
Wake County: reports by month
| Jan | 0 |
|---|---|
| Feb | 4 |
| Mar | 5 |
| Apr | 18 |
| May | 56 |
| Jun | 8 |
| Jul | 4 |
| Aug | 4 |
| Sep | 32 |
| Oct | 0 |
| Nov | 0 |
| Dec | 0 |
May dominates the calendar: 56 of 131 reports, 43%. April to June alone bring 63%. 9 of 131 reports fell outside April to September.
Largest stone: 2.75 inches
Reported hail locations, Wake County
- 761 to 1.74 in
- 201.75 to 2.74 in, golf ball to tennis ball
- 22.75 in and up, baseball
Largest plotted stone: 2.75 in. Bigger dots are bigger stones.
98 reports of 1 inch or larger have coordinates. Each dot is a reported location, not a storm path.
Sources: NOAA, Census county outlineWake County’s ten biggest hail days
| Date | Size | Reports | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 13, 2019 | 2.75 in, a baseball | 11 | Williams Xrds · $100 million damage |
| September 1, 2017 | 2.75 in, a baseball | 3 | Fuquay Spgs · $10 million damage |
| September 25, 2020 | 2.25 in, a hen egg | 24 | Newhill |
| May 31, 2019 | 2 in, a hen egg | 17 | Apex |
| May 2, 2016 | 1.75 in, a golf ball | 11 | Cary |
| April 14, 2023 | 1.75 in, a golf ball | 8 | Apex |
| May 3, 2016 | 1.75 in, a golf ball | 2 | Apex |
| April 22, 2025 | 1.5 in, a ping-pong ball | 3 | Morrisville |
| February 24, 2016 | 1.5 in, a ping-pong ball | 1 | Brookhaven |
| May 6, 2022 | 1.25 in, a half dollar | 4 | Cary |
“Hail up to 2.75 inches in diameter fell along a swath from 2 miles west-southwest of Fuquay-Varina to 3 miles north of Angier. Damage estimates have been estimated.”
NWS report, September 1, 2017
“It produced a swath of large hail across western Wake County before starting to weaken over far northwest Wake County.”
NWS report, September 25, 2020
Tornadoes and wind in Wake County
7 tornadoes on record in Wake County; the strongest listed is EF2, 10.22 miles long, near Knightdale Wndll Arp. Top gust: 86 mph near Neuse.
| Date | Rating | Path length | Width | Near |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 13, 2019 | EF2 | 10.22 mi | 385 yd | Knightdale Wndll Arp |
| December 10, 2023 | EF1 | 1.88 mi | 250 yd | Mc Cullers |
| August 3, 2024 | EF1 | 1.5 mi | 30 yd | Varina |
| April 15, 2018 | EF1 | 0.74 mi | 100 yd | Knightdale Wndll Arp |
| July 23, 2019 | EF0 | 1.24 mi | 175 yd | Willow Spgs |
| March 29, 2014 | EF0 | 0.18 mi | 145 yd | South Raleigh Arpt |
| March 29, 2014 | EF0 | 0.12 mi | 75 yd | Williams Xrds |
| Date | Gust | Near |
|---|---|---|
| January 11, 2014 | 86 mph | Neuse |
| January 11, 2014 | 86 mph | Brookhaven |
| January 11, 2014 | 86 mph | Forestville |
| January 11, 2014 | 86 mph | (Rdu)Raleigh-Durham |
| January 11, 2014 | 86 mph | (Rdu)Raleigh-Durham |
| January 11, 2014 | 86 mph | Wilbon |
Homes in Wake County
Median build year in Wake County: 1999. 52.2% of 481,999 homes predate 2000. Houses permitted since 2014: 97,296, or 201.9 per 1,000 homes. Busiest year: 2024.
| pre-1940 | 1.9% |
|---|---|
| 1940s | 0.9% |
| 1950s | 2.7% |
| 1960s | 4.8% |
| 1970s | 8.4% |
| 1980s | 14.3% |
| 1990s | 19.2% |
| 2000s | 24.1% |
| 2010s | 20.9% |
| 2020+ | 2.8% |
| Year | Houses | All units |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 6,158 | 10,125 |
| 2015 | 6,796 | 10,089 |
| 2016 | 6,987 | 11,050 |
| 2017 | 7,913 | 11,335 |
| 2018 | 7,947 | 12,664 |
| 2019 | 7,585 | 9,751 |
| 2020 | 8,337 | 12,598 |
| 2021 | 9,566 | 16,988 |
| 2022 | 8,881 | 18,471 |
| 2023 | 9,114 | 17,389 |
| 2024 | 9,620 | 15,248 |
| 2025 | 8,392 | 13,806 |
Quick answers
How many hail reports has Wake County had?
NOAA logged 131 hail reports in Wake County, North Carolina, from 2014 to 2025.
How many days had hail of 1 inch or larger in Wake County?
30 days, including 7 days with hail of 1.75 inches or larger. The National Weather Service calls hail of 1 inch or larger severe.
What was the largest hail reported in Wake County?
2.75 inches (a baseball), reported on May 13, 2019.
Which month has the most hail in Wake County?
May has the most reports, 43% of the 131 in the record.
Does a hail day in the record mean my roof was damaged?
A counted day only means a spotter reported hail somewhere in the area. An inspection is the only way to know whether a roof was hit.
Next steps for Wake County
Wake County cities we cover
Cite this page
Data version: NOAA Storm Events hail data, 2014 to June 2026, loaded October 6, 2026. All dataset versions. Download the table as CSV. Free to quote with credit under CC BY 4.0.
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.