Data current as of 2026-10-16 · Sourced from NOAA Storm Events
Over the past five years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has recorded 54 hail storms within 25 miles of Downtown DC, DC. Of those, 54 produced hail at least quarter-size — the threshold most insurance carriers consider potentially damaging to asphalt shingles. The largest reported hail in this window was egg-sized, which can fracture shingle mat and dent metal flashing on contact. 2024 was the most active year on record locally, with 22 documented hail events.
Check Hail History for a Specific Address in Downtown DC| Severity | Count | What it means for roofs |
|---|---|---|
| Destructive | 2 events | Egg-size, expect mat fractures and gutter damage |
| Severe | 8 events | Ping pong-size, granule loss and bruising common |
| Significant | 44 events | Quarter-size, the standard insurance damage threshold |
| Year | Reported Hail Events Within 25 mi |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 5 events |
| 2025 | 3 events |
| 2024 | 22 events |
| 2023 | 13 events |
| 2022 | 11 events |
2024 was the busiest hail year on record locally for Downtown DC, with 22 documented events inside the 25-mile radius. Storm activity in Downtown DC typically peaks in spring and early summer, when the jet stream pushes Gulf moisture into the area and supercell thunderstorms become more frequent.
| Date | Location | Severity | Size | NOAA Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-14 | Ripley, MD | Significant | 1.25" | — |
| 2026-06-14 | PISGAH, MD | Significant | 1.25" | A trained spotter reported half dollar size hail near Ripley. |
| 2026-04-01 | Clifton, VA | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2026-04-01 | CLIFTON, VA | Significant | 1.00" | Quarter size hail was reported in Clifton. |
| 2026-04-01 | Clifton, VA | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2025-06-18 | ODENTON, MD | Significant | 1.00" | Quarter size hail was reported near Odenton. |
| 2025-06-18 | PIONEER CITY, MD | Significant | 1.25" | Half dollar size hail was reported on Reece Road near Wigle Road. |
| 2025-05-16 | BAILEYS XRDS, VA | Significant | 1.25" | Half dollar size hail was reported in Bailey's Crossroads. |
| 2024-08-29 | HERNDON, VA | Significant | 1.00" | Quarter size hail was reported in Herndon. |
| 2024-08-29 | BROAD RUN FARMS, VA | Destructive | 2.30" | There were numerous reports showing hail up to 2.30 inches in diameter measured in the Cascades area, including on Terrie Drive in Sterling. |
| 2024-08-29 | BROAD RUN FARMS, VA | Severe | 1.75" | There were multiple reports of golf ball size hail near Sterling Park. |
| 2024-08-29 | BROAD RUN FARMS, VA | Severe | 1.50" | Ping pong ball size hail was reported near the intersection of VA-1582 Algonkian Parkway and VA-1570 Countryside Boulevard. |
| 2024-08-29 | BROAD RUN FARMS, VA | Significant | 1.00" | Quarter size hail was reported in the 100 block of Cardinal Glen Circle. |
| 2024-08-29 | GERMANTOWN, MD | Severe | 1.50" | Ping pong ball was reported in Germantown. |
| 2024-08-29 | BROAD RUN FARMS, VA | Significant | 1.00" | Quarter size hail was reported near Cascades area of Sterling. |
| 2024-08-29 | STERLING, VA | Significant | 1.00" | Quarter size hail was reported near the intersection of Maries Road and VA-1794 Cascades Parkway. |
| 2024-08-29 | BROAD RUN FARMS, VA | Destructive | 2.50" | Hail of 2.50 inches in diameter was reported on Ridgetop Circle in Sterling. Numerous vehicles had their windshields broken. |
| 2024-06-30 | BRYANTOWN, MD | Significant | 1.25" | Half dollar size hail was reported along Billingsley Road. |
| 2024-04-15 | ARLINGTON, VA | Significant | 1.25" | Half dollar size hail was reported near the East Falls Church Metro Station. |
| 2024-04-15 | BAILEYS XRDS, VA | Severe | 1.50" | Ping pong ball size hail was reported in Seven Corners. |
NOAA has recorded 500 high-wind events within 25 miles of Downtown DC, DC in the past five years. Of those, 497 reached severe-thunderstorm thresholds (58+ mph). The highest measured gust was 90 mph.
| Severity | Count |
|---|---|
| Severe | 135 events |
| Significant | 362 events |
| Moderate | 3 events |
| Date | Location | Gust (mph) | Severity | NOAA Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-04 | Reagan National Aiirpor, VA | 64 | Severe | DCA also gusted to 64 mph. |
| 2026-09-04 | Ballston, VA | 71 | Severe | Sustained wind of 50 knots (58 MPH) with peak gust of 62 knots (71 MPH) at a personal weather station in Ballston (KVAARLIN3) |
| 2026-09-04 | 1 WSW Catholic Universi, DC | 62 | Significant | Wind gust of 62 mph measured on Lamont St NW (KDCWASHI300 PWS) |
| 2026-09-04 | Reagan National Aiirpor, VA | 59 | Significant | DCA gusted to 59 mph at 11:47 pm. |
| 2026-09-04 | Reagan National Arpt, VA | 64 | Severe | Measured wind gust of 64 mph at DCA. |
| 2026-09-04 | 1 NNW Tysons Corner, VA | 69 | Severe | Wind gust of 69 mph measured on Tyco Rd in Tysons (KVAVIENN164 PWS) |
| 2026-09-04 | 1 SW National Arboretum, DC | 63 | Significant | Wind gust of 63 mph measured on D St NE (KDCWASHI556 PWS) |
| 2026-07-28 | Riverdale, MD | 58 | Significant | A wind gust of 50 knots (58 MPH) was measured by a mesonet in Riverdale (AU722/KB3PHD). |
| 2026-07-28 | Riverdale, MD | 58 | Significant | A wind gust of 50 knots (58 MPH) was measured by a mesonet in Riverdale (AU722/KB3PHD). |
| 2026-07-05 | 2 NNW Olney, MD | 60 | Significant | Measured wind gust from a trained spotter at the intersection of MD-108 and Zion Rd. |
| 2026-06-22 | BETHEL, VA | 64 | Severe | Numerous trees and powerlines blew down in and around Dale City. |
| 2026-06-22 | WOODBRIDGE, VA | 64 | Severe | Numerous trees blew down in and around Woodbridge. |
| 2026-06-22 | SIDEBURN, VA | 90 | Severe | A severe thunderstorm produced a strong downburst one mile|northwest of Burke VA with peak winds estimated 90 MPH. While|other minor scattered tree damage was noted outside of the|microburst in the general area, the microburst affected the|communities around Lake Royal. Significant concentrated damage|began along Zion Road between the cross streets of Guinea Drive|and Hillard Lake Road. Tree damage continued along Bridgewood|Drive and Falmead Road before reaching Lake Royal. Through this|area, many, though not all, of the trees were snapped midway,|uprooted, or had large branches snapped off. Trees fell onto cars,|powerlines, roads, and homes with substantial damage. Damage was|unidirectionally pushed to the east northeast in the direction of|storm movement.||As the microburst crossed Lake Royal, the lack of trees and|roughness allowed the winds to accelerate and then blast the|townhomes on the east shore. Several townhomes on that row facing|the lake had significant portions of their roofs lifted off. Winds|were estimated to have peaked at 90 MPH.||On the south side of the lake along Guinea Drive, trees were|snapped onto the road and powerlines. A business park building was|noted to have some damage due to the roof being slightly lifted|temporarily.||Significant tree damage continued to the community on the east|side of Lake Royal with similar tree damage along Lakepoint Drive|west of Guinea Road. Trees and branches were again snapped onto|cars and homes, and townhome fences were pushed down on many|properties. East of Guinea Road, winds lessened and tree damage|became isolated. One further point of note was Burke Road near|Peppercorn Drive where a few trees were downed, one onto a bus|stand and street light.||Throughout the survey, damage was pushed to the northeast in the|direction of storm movement. NWS Doppler Weather Radar KLWX in|Sterling, VA, as well as FAA Terminal Doppler Radars from TDCA|and TADW, displayed thunderstorm downburst signatures at the Burke|location at the time, with no evidence of rotation indicating the|storm being tornadic. Severe straight line thunderstorm downburst|wind gusts can sometimes produce damage equivalent to damage from|EF0 and EF1 tornadoes.||Severe thunderstorms can produce wind gusts equal to EF0 and EF1|tornadoes.||The National Weather Service would like to thanks Fairfax County|Department of Emergency Management and Security for their|assistance. |
| 2026-06-22 | Reagan National Arpt, VA | 56 | Significant | — |
| 2026-06-22 | ST CHARLES, MD | 60 | Significant | A large tree blew down onto a home in the 400 block of University Drive. |
| 2026-06-22 | MATTAWOMAN, MD | 64 | Severe | There were numerous reports of wind damage in Waldorf. |
| 2026-06-22 | NOTTINGHAM, MD | 60 | Significant | One tree blew down at the intersection of Croom Road and Brooks Church Road due to thunderstorm winds. |
| 2026-06-22 | ST CHARLES, MD | 64 | Severe | Trees blew down, resulting in structural damage to an apartment complex near the Smallwood Village Center. |
| 2026-06-22 | ANACOSTIA, DC | 60 | Significant | One tree blew down due to thunderstorm winds at the intersection of Suitland Road Southeast and Southern Avenue Southeast. |
| 2026-06-22 | Thomas Stone High Schoo, MD | 56 | Significant | — |
The most recent quarter-size-or-larger hail storm recorded by NOAA within 25 miles of Downtown DC was on June 14, 2026. HailCheck refreshes from the NOAA Storm Events database daily, so newer events appear here as they are reported.
Downtown DC averages roughly 11 reported hail events per year within a 25-mile radius. Significant storms (quarter-size or larger) account for 54 of the 54 events recorded over the last five years.
The largest documented hail near Downtown DC in the last five years was egg-sized. Most Downtown DC-area hail falls in the marble-to-quarter range, with destructive storms (egg-size or larger) appearing roughly once every few years.
Most homeowners insurance policies in DC cover hail damage to roofs, siding, and gutters under the dwelling and other-structures coverage. Coverage typically requires the damage to be tied to a verifiable storm date — which is where the NOAA hail history above (and a HAAG-style test square validation) becomes important for the claim file.
Use the HailCheck address search to enter any street address in or near Downtown DC. HailCheck returns every NOAA hail event within a configurable radius, along with severity bands, dates, and storm narratives for Pro members.
If your property in or near Downtown DC took on hail during one of the storms above, the standard process for documenting damage is a 10×10 foot test square inspection. A HAAG-trained reviewer counts impact indicators — granule displacement, mat fractures, and bruising — within the marked square and produces a PASS or FAIL document for the claim file.
HailCheck offers a $99 photo-based HAAG-style test square validation. You submit photos from the field, our reviewer evaluates the impact indicators and cross-references the NOAA storm dates listed above, and a written PASS/FAIL determination is returned within one business day. We do not send anyone to the roof — the validation is built around the photos you submit.
Learn About $99 HAAG-Style ValidationDowntown DC sits east of the traditional hail alley, where hail events are less frequent than the central plains but tend to be associated with strong squall lines and tropical systems. Local roof systems are less commonly hardened for hail, which can mean even moderate impacts produce claim-worthy damage.