How to Find the Date of a Hail Storm at Your Address (Free NOAA Records)
Why the Date Matters
Hail damage is often found long after the storm. A roofer spots bruised shingles during an inspection for something else, or a neighbor's roof replacement prompts a closer look. By then, most homeowners cannot remember which storm it was, and Central Texas can see more than one hail event in a season.
Knowing when hail fell near your home helps in two practical ways. It lets you match damage to a real weather event instead of guessing, and it gives your insurance company a specific date to work from if you decide to file. How a date is used in a claim is between you and your insurer; this guide only covers how to find the weather record.
Source 1: NOAA Storm Events Database
The Storm Events Database is run by NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI). It is the public archive of National Weather Service Storm Data, the official record of significant weather events in the United States.
- Coverage: records from January 1950 onward.
- Search by address: the map search accepts a city, ZIP code or street address and selects the county it falls in. You can then filter by event type, choose Hail, and set a date range.
- Detail: each event lists the date, time, location and reported hail size, often with a short narrative.
- Certified copies: you can generate a PDF report of your results, and NCEI says certified reports can be requested from its orders team.
The catch is timing. When we checked on October 12, 2026, the database held data through June 2026. Anything more recent will not appear yet, so for a storm in the last few months, use the next source.
Source 2: SPC Daily Storm Reports
NOAA's Storm Prediction Center publishes a daily page of tornado, hail and wind reports. Each page covers reports received from 1200 UTC one day to 1159 UTC the next (about 7 a.m. to 7 a.m. Central during daylight time), and you can pull up past dates by entering the date.
The hail list shows the time, location, county and size, recorded in hundredths of an inch (175 means 1.75 inches). The page states plainly: "All Reports Are Considered Preliminary." Treat them as a strong lead, not a final record.
For scale, the National Weather Service treats hail of 1 inch (quarter size) or larger as severe. Reports below that size are still worth noting when you are matching dates.
Source 3: Radar Hail Signatures
Hail does not always land where someone is watching. NCEI's Severe Weather Data Inventory fills some of that gap with radar data, including NEXRAD hail signatures, searchable by location and time frame.
NCEI is careful about what this means: much of the data "represents probable conditions for an event rather than a confirmed occurrence," and a gap in the data does not prove there was no severe weather. Treat radar hail signatures as supporting evidence that points to a date, alongside ground reports and what is found on the roof.
A Step-by-Step Lookup
- Estimate a window. When did you last know the roof was fine? When did you first notice dents on gutters, vents, cars or patio furniture? That gives you a start and end date.
- Search the Storm Events Database for your county, event type Hail, across that window. Write down every date with hail near your area and the sizes reported.
- Check SPC daily reports for any part of your window more recent than the database covers.
- Use radar signatures to see which of those storms likely tracked over your street, not just your county.
- Compare with the evidence. Fresh dents on soft metals and damage to items you know were new at a certain time help separate one storm from another.
- Keep copies. Save screenshots or PDF reports with the source and date you retrieved them, together with dated photos of the damage.
For a worked example of reading these records for a real storm, see our write-up of the September 11, 2026 Schertz hail storm.
What the Records Cannot Tell You
- Whether your roof was damaged. A hail report nearby does not mean hail hit your house, and a quiet record does not mean it missed.
- Exact hail size on your street. Reported sizes are point observations. Hail a few miles away can be larger or smaller.
- Which storm caused older damage. If several storms hit in one season, records narrow the list but a physical inspection is what ties damage to a storm.
That last point is where a roofer comes in. During a storm damage inspection, we document what we find with dated photos and measurements so you have a clear record of the roof's condition to share with your insurer. We are roofers, not adjusters or attorneys: decisions about coverage and claims stay between you and your insurance company.
Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database and user guide (accessed October 12, 2026); NOAA Storm Prediction Center, Storm Reports; NCEI Severe Weather Data Inventory; National Weather Service severe thunderstorm criteria (NWS Jackson, KY).
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I look up hail history by address for free?
Yes. NOAA’s Storm Events Database lets you search by address, city or ZIP code and filter for hail, and the Storm Prediction Center posts daily hail reports. Both are free.
Why can’t I find last month’s storm in the Storm Events Database?
The database runs several months behind. On October 12, 2026 it held data through June 2026. For recent storms, check the Storm Prediction Center’s daily storm reports.
Are SPC hail reports official?
They are preliminary. The Storm Prediction Center labels all of its daily reports as preliminary; the finalized National Weather Service record later appears in the Storm Events Database.
What size hail is considered severe?
The National Weather Service uses hail 1 inch in diameter (about the size of a quarter) or larger as a severe thunderstorm criterion.
Does a hail report near me prove my roof was damaged?
No. Records show that hail was reported or likely in an area. Whether your roof was damaged can only be confirmed by inspecting it.
