About the data

Last updated October 9, 2026. Storm reports refresh every morning.

Storm reports

• 2010 through 2025: final Storm Data. The NOAA Storm Prediction Center's severe weather database (SVRGIS), built from NOAA's official Storm Data publication after National Weather Service offices review each report. We use hail and wind reports from January 1, 2010 through the latest finalized date, currently December 28, 2025.
• Since then: preliminary reports. The Storm Prediction Center's daily filtered storm reports, updated through the day. These are labeled preliminary: they can be corrected, merged or removed when NOAA finalizes them, usually months later.

What we include

• Hail 1 inch (quarter size) or larger. That's the National Weather Service's severe-hail threshold and the smallest size in the daily reports, so we use it for every year to keep counts comparable. (Final Storm Data also lists smaller hail, which we leave out.)
• Damaging wind: measured or estimated gusts of 58 mph (50 knots) or more, and wind-damage reports with no speed. Speeds are converted from knots to mph.
• Tornadoes aren't included.

Dates and times

We show every report in Central Standard Time (UTC−6) all year, the convention NOAA uses for storm reports. A report's date is its CST date, so an overnight storm can fall on a different calendar day than local time. Daily reports cover 7 AM to 7 AM CDT (12:00 to 12:00 UTC); we re-assign each report to its own CST date.

Distances

Each report has a latitude and longitude, often only to the nearest hundredth of a degree (about 0.7 mile) and usually describing a spot near a town or road rather than the exact place hail fell. Addresses are located with the U.S. Census Bureau geocoder (OpenStreetMap services as a fallback); a ZIP code search uses the ZIP code's center (Census ZCTA). Distances are straight-line miles.

Storm dates and ZIP lists

A storm date is a CST date with at least one qualifying report in the radius. For recent storm dates, a ZIP code is listed when its center lies within 5 miles of a hail report 1 inch or larger; we show the largest such report and how far it was. Owner-occupied home counts come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates (table B25003) by ZIP Code Tabulation Area.

What the data can't tell you

• Reports are points where someone saw hail or wind. Hail swaths can be miles wide, or a few hundred yards; a report 2 miles away doesn't mean hail fell on a given roof.
• Many storms are never reported, especially at night and in rural areas. No reports doesn't mean no hail.
• Hail size is usually estimated by eye.
• Only an on-site inspection can tell whether a property was damaged.

Sources

• NOAA Storm Prediction Center, Severe Weather Database files and daily storm reports. Public domain.
• U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 Gazetteer files (ZIP Code Tabulation Areas and counties) and American Community Survey 5-year estimates. Public domain.
• Place names: GeoNames, CC BY 4.0.
• Maps: U.S. Geological Survey, The National Map. Public domain.

Aeonis Storm is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by NOAA, the National Weather Service or the Census Bureau. Spotted an error? Tell us.