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 38 hail storms within 25 miles of Independence, KY. Of those, 21 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. 2025 was the most active year on record locally, with 14 documented hail events.
Check Hail History for a Specific Address in Independence| Severity | Count | What it means for roofs |
|---|---|---|
| Destructive | 2 events | Egg-size, expect mat fractures and gutter damage |
| Severe | 2 events | Ping pong-size, granule loss and bruising common |
| Significant | 17 events | Quarter-size, the standard insurance damage threshold |
| Moderate | 17 events | Marble-size, possible cosmetic damage |
| Year | Reported Hail Events Within 25 mi |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 events |
| 2025 | 14 events |
| 2024 | 10 events |
| 2023 | 6 events |
| 2022 | 6 events |
2025 was the busiest hail year on record locally for Independence, with 14 documented events inside the 25-mile radius. Storm activity in Independence 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-11 | Foster, KY | Moderate | 0.50" | — |
| 2026-03-04 | Sharonville, OH | Destructive | 2.20" | Event total. |
| 2025-05-02 | AMELIA, OH | Moderate | 0.75" | — |
| 2025-04-30 | ERLANGER, KY | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2025-04-19 | BATAVIA, OH | Moderate | 0.88" | — |
| 2025-04-14 | RISING SUN, IN | Moderate | 0.75" | — |
| 2025-04-14 | INDEPENDENCE, KY | Significant | 1.25" | — |
| 2025-04-14 | UNION, KY | Significant | 1.25" | — |
| 2025-04-14 | HUEYS CORNER, KY | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2025-04-14 | INDEPENDENCE, KY | Moderate | 0.88" | — |
| 2025-04-14 | BETHEL, OH | Moderate | 0.75" | — |
| 2025-04-14 | HAWTHORNE, KY | Moderate | 0.75" | — |
| 2025-04-14 | FOSTER, KY | Moderate | 0.88" | — |
| 2025-04-14 | ALEXANDRIA, KY | Moderate | 0.88" | — |
| 2025-03-30 | DELHI, OH | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2025-02-27 | UNION, KY | Moderate | 0.75" | — |
| 2024-04-12 | UNION, KY | Moderate | 0.88" | — |
| 2024-04-02 | MIAMITOWN ARPT, OH | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2024-04-02 | WHITE WATER PARK, OH | Moderate | 0.88" | — |
| 2024-04-02 | COVINGTON, KY | Significant | 1.00" | — |
NOAA has recorded 232 high-wind events within 25 miles of Independence, KY in the past five years. Of those, 231 reached severe-thunderstorm thresholds (58+ mph). The highest measured gust was 81 mph.
| Severity | Count |
|---|---|
| Severe | 9 events |
| Significant | 222 events |
| Moderate | 1 event |
| Date | Location | Gust (mph) | Severity | NOAA Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-05 | 2 SE Hebron, KY | 51 | Significant | ASOS station KCVG Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. |
| 2026-09-04 | 2 SE Hebron, KY | 52 | Significant | — |
| 2026-08-12 | 2 SE Hebron, KY | 48 | Significant | ASOS station KCVG Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. |
| 2026-08-11 | 2 SE Hebron, KY | 59 | Significant | ASOS station KCVG Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. |
| 2026-08-11 | 2 W Turpin Hills, OH | 68 | Severe | ASOS station KLUK Cincinnati Lunken Field. |
| 2026-08-11 | 1 S Wilder, KY | 56 | Significant | Mesonet station HHTS Alexandria 5 NW. |
| 2026-08-11 | 2 W Turpin Hills, OH | 48 | Significant | ASOS station KLUK Cincinnati Lunken Field. |
| 2026-08-11 | 2 W Turpin Hills, OH | 48 | Significant | ASOS station KLUK Cincinnati Lunken Field. |
| 2026-08-09 | 2 W Turpin Hills, OH | 48 | Significant | ASOS station KLUK Cincinnati Lunken Field. |
| 2026-07-27 | 2 W Turpin Hills, OH | 46 | Significant | ASOS station KLUK Cincinnati Lunken Field. |
| 2026-07-21 | 2 SE Hebron, KY | 53 | Significant | ASOS station KCVG Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. |
| 2026-07-21 | 2 W Turpin Hills, OH | 55 | Significant | ASOS station KLUK Cincinnati Lunken Field. |
| 2026-07-21 | 2 W Batavia, OH | 46 | Significant | AWOS station KI69 Clermont County Airport. |
| 2026-06-18 | WILLIAMSTOWN, KY | 58 | Significant | Several trees and large tree limbs were downed on Cynthiana Road. |
| 2026-06-18 | WILLIAMSTOWN, KY | 69 | Severe | Several trees and power lines were downed. Several homes also had minor damage. |
| 2026-06-18 | FALMOUTH, KY | 81 | Severe | The National Weather Service conducted a damage survey across portions of Pendleton County. The survey team noted extensive tree damage across the southern half of the county. Some of the more significant damage occurred near several neighborhoods south of Falmouth, where numerous trees were uprooted/snapped at the base, along with structural damage to several homes and outbuildings. Most of the observed damage from these buildings was a loss of roofing material, but there were a couple of outbuildings that had collapsed walls that led to a complete failure of the structure.|This type of damage is consistent with winds of 80-85 mph. There was additional tree damage in western portions of the county, as well as southeastern portions near McKinneysburg. When overlaying all of this damage with radar imagery, the likely cause of this damage was from straight-line winds as an enhanced surge in the winds created a bowing segment feature on radar, with the apex of this bow moving through the southern half of Pendleton County. |
| 2026-06-18 | 2 SE Hebron, KY | 60 | Significant | ASOS station KCVG Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. |
| 2026-06-18 | BATAVIA CLRMNT CO AR, OH | 52 | Significant | A large tree was downed on Cedar Grove Court near Clough Pike and Taylor Road. |
| 2026-06-18 | NORWOOD, OH | 58 | Significant | Some shingles were blown off of a roof on Roe Street. |
| 2026-06-17 | (CVG)GTR CIN ARPT, KY | 60 | Significant | — |
The most recent quarter-size-or-larger hail storm recorded by NOAA within 25 miles of Independence was on March 4, 2026. HailCheck refreshes from the NOAA Storm Events database daily, so newer events appear here as they are reported.
Independence averages roughly 8 reported hail events per year within a 25-mile radius. Significant storms (quarter-size or larger) account for 21 of the 38 events recorded over the last five years.
The largest documented hail near Independence in the last five years was egg-sized. Most Independence-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 KY 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 Independence. 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 Independence 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 ValidationIndependence 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.