Hail in Houston since 2016
The Storm Prediction Center logged 239 hail reports in Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, Brazoria, Galveston, Waller, Liberty, Chambers and Austin counties from January 1, 2016 to September 27, 2026, on 71 different days. The largest was 2.75 inches, at 2 NW Dickinson on May 31, 2024. The busiest day was May 9, 2019, with 17 reports.
Hail reports by year
2024 had the most reports (58). The 2026 count runs through September 27, 2026. Report counts rise and fall with how many people were watching and reporting, not only with how much hail fell.
Which months bring hail to Houston
May, April and March account for 73% of the reports.
How big the hail was
| Reported size | For scale, the NWS compares it to | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.00 to 1.74 in | quarter, half dollar, ping pong ball | 180 | 75.3% |
| 1.75 to 2.49 in | golf ball, hen egg | 49 | 20.5% |
| 2.50 to 3.99 in | tennis ball, baseball, teacup | 10 | 4.2% |
| 4.00 in and up | softball or larger | 0 | 0.0% |
The largest hail reported
| Date | Size | Place | NWS comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| March 16, 2024 3:59 am CDT | 2.75 in | 1 SE Needville, Fort Bend Co. | Report from mPING: Baseball (2.75 in.). (HGX) |
| May 31, 2024 7:10 am CDT | 2.75 in | 2 NW Dickinson, Galveston Co. | NWS forecasters collected numerous hailstones around the forecast office. The largest piece of hail was measured at 2.75 inches. (HGX) |
| January 8, 2016 7:12 pm CST | 2.50 in | Bellaire, Harris Co. | (HGX) |
| May 9, 2019 8:24 pm CDT | 2.50 in | Cinco Ranch, Fort Bend Co. | (HGX) |
| May 9, 2019 8:31 pm CDT | 2.50 in | 1 W Gessner Grove, Harris Co. | (HGX) |
| May 9, 2019 9:56 pm CDT | 2.50 in | 3 WSW Cinco Ranch, Fort Bend Co. | (HGX) |
| March 15, 2024 3:17 pm CDT | 2.50 in | 1 WNW Bellville, Austin Co. | Tennis ball sized hail was reported. (HGX) |
| March 16, 2024 2:59 am CDT | 2.50 in | 1 NNE Needville, Fort Bend Co. | Corrects previous hail report from 1 NNE Needville. Social media photos showed widespread hail near the intersection of Hwy 36 and School St in Needville... with a meas (HGX) |
| March 16, 2024 3:03 am CDT | 2.50 in | Needville, Fort Bend Co. | Local law enforcement reported hail damage to homes across Needville. Hail size was estimated based on nearby photos received near time of the damage. (HGX) |
| March 16, 2024 5:12 am CDT | 2.50 in | 1 NNE Needville, Fort Bend Co. | Social media photos showed widespread hail near the intersection of Hwy 36 and School St in Needville... with a measured maximum diameter of 2.5 inches. (HGX) |
The days with the most hail reports
| Date | Reports | Largest | Counties with reports |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 9, 2019 | 17 | 2.50 in | Austin, Fort Bend, Harris and Waller |
| March 15, 2024 | 14 | 2.50 in | Austin, Brazoria, Fort Bend and Harris |
| June 23, 2023 | 13 | 2.00 in | Harris |
| April 24, 2020 | 10 | 1.75 in | Harris and Montgomery |
| May 28, 2024 | 10 | 1.75 in | Harris |
| April 5, 2023 | 9 | 2.00 in | Fort Bend, Harris and Montgomery |
| March 21, 2024 | 9 | 1.75 in | Harris and Liberty |
| May 1, 2026 | 9 | 1.50 in | Brazoria, Fort Bend and Harris |
| April 18, 2020 | 8 | 1.75 in | Austin, Harris and Liberty |
| April 19, 2020 | 8 | 1.75 in | Harris and Waller |
Storm dates in Houston with their own page
Every local date since January 1, 2021 with 5 or more spotter hail reports in the metro. Each page lists the reports and what radar recorded.
2026
- May 1, 2026 9 reports, up to 1.50 in
2025
- May 2, 2025 5 reports, up to 1.25 in
2024
- March 15, 2024 14 reports, up to 2.50 in
- March 16, 2024 6 reports, up to 2.75 in
- March 21, 2024 9 reports, up to 1.75 in
- May 28, 2024 10 reports, up to 1.75 in
- May 31, 2024 5 reports, up to 2.75 in
2023
- April 5, 2023 9 reports, up to 2.00 in
- June 23, 2023 13 reports, up to 2.00 in
2021
- January 6, 2021 5 reports, up to 1.00 in
- June 15, 2021 7 reports, up to 1.00 in
Check your own address in Houston
Enter the address and the date of the storm. The free check counts NOAA radar hail signatures within 1, 3 and 5 miles and finds the nearest spotter report.
Counts are Storm Prediction Center hail reports from January 1, 2016 to September 27, 2026 whose coordinates fall inside Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, Brazoria, Galveston, Waller, Liberty, Chambers and Austin counties. The daily logs are preliminary, and a storm nobody reported is missing from them. Radar signatures, which do not depend on anyone watching, appear on each storm-date page and in the address report. How these pages are built.