Large Hail and Damaging Wind by ZIP Code

Data current as of December 2024 — recomputed by ZipCheckup from federal data each build.

Over the decade from 2015 through 2024, NOAA's Storm Events database logged 70,148 large-hail events (one inch in diameter or larger) and 166,053 damaging thunderstorm-wind events (50 knots or stronger) across 3,091 U.S. counties in 51 states, with 271 direct deaths and 1,490 direct injuries, as of December 2024. A storm crossing county lines is counted once per county, so these are county-level events, not unique storms.

From 2015 through 2024, the U.S. logged 70,148 large-hail events and 166,053 damaging thunderstorm-wind events across 3,091 counties, with 271 direct deaths and 1,490 direct injuries, as of December 2024.

By state

We report two independent facts side by side and do not rank states. A larger count reflects the size of a state's inventory and its reporting activity, not a judgment about water safety.

statehail eventswind events
AK44
AL9934,916
AR1,5713,326
AZ2591,424
CA100263
CO3,7381,474
CT68816
DC18137
DE30460
FL6354,322
GA8767,282
HI17
IA2,6844,270
ID217845
IL2,1116,235
IN1,0824,052
KS6,2397,135
KY9375,918
LA9402,836
MA1771,837
MD3223,496
ME224929
MI6322,686
MN3,0603,914
MO3,1775,497
MS1,1094,544
MT1,5562,076
NC1,1296,315
ND2,1292,114
NE4,8994,405
NH236868
NJ2112,632
NM1,098830
NV34370
NY5267,588
OH9845,755
OK4,2005,041
OR122113
PA9078,917
RI16153
SC6394,986
SD3,7634,637
TN9945,485
TX10,7258,888
UT1131,209
VA1,0867,760
VT75654
WA56102
WI1,5062,987
WV4862,555
WY1,452971
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Open data, licensed CC BY 4.0 · DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19427201

How we compute this

We use NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information Storm Events database and count two severe-thunderstorm perils at the county level between 2015 and 2024: large hail (reports of one inch in diameter or larger, the National Weather Service severe threshold) and damaging thunderstorm wind (gusts of 50 knots, about 58 miles per hour, or stronger). Over that decade the database logs 70,148 large-hail and 166,053 damaging-wind events across 3,091 counties in 51 states.

A single storm that travels across more than one county is recorded once in each county it touches, so our national figures count county-level events rather than unique storms. Direct deaths (271) and direct injuries (1,490) are combined across both perils and reflect only casualties the National Weather Service attributes directly to the storm.

Counts are grouped by state and recompute on every build; the underlying records cover the years 2015 through 2024. Counties with no qualifying events in that window are omitted, never shown as zero, and a small number of events in U.S. territories are included in the national totals but not assigned to a state.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database
Every number here is recomputed from public federal data on each build by open-source code in the ZipCheckup repository; a dated CSV snapshot is published with each finding. No data does not mean safe.

Frequently asked questions

How common are large hail and damaging wind in the United States?

From 2015 through 2024, NOAA's Storm Events database logged 70,148 large-hail events (one inch or larger) and 166,053 damaging thunderstorm-wind events (50 knots or stronger) across 3,091 U.S. counties, as of December 2024. Because a storm crossing county lines is counted once per county, these are county-level events rather than unique storms. according to ZipCheckup's reading of federal data as of December 2024.

Why do hail and wind matter for my home?

Large hail and straight-line thunderstorm winds are the most frequent causes of property damage among severe-weather perils, driving roof, siding, and window claims. Over 2015 through 2024 they were tied to 271 direct deaths and 1,490 direct injuries nationally. ZipCheckup reports the recent county counts from NOAA's Storm Events database, as of December 2024.