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 42 hail storms within 25 miles of Lexington-Fayette, KY. Of those, 38 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 baseball-sized or larger, which can fracture shingle mat and dent metal flashing on contact. 2022 was the most active year on record locally, with 15 documented hail events.
Check Hail History for a Specific Address in Lexington-Fayette| Severity | Count | What it means for roofs |
|---|---|---|
| Catastrophic | 1 event | Baseball+ size, structural roof damage likely |
| Destructive | 5 events | Egg-size, expect mat fractures and gutter damage |
| Severe | 5 events | Ping pong-size, granule loss and bruising common |
| Significant | 27 events | Quarter-size, the standard insurance damage threshold |
| Moderate | 4 events | Marble-size, possible cosmetic damage |
| Year | Reported Hail Events Within 25 mi |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 4 events |
| 2025 | 8 events |
| 2024 | 3 events |
| 2023 | 12 events |
| 2022 | 15 events |
2022 was the busiest hail year on record locally for Lexington-Fayette, with 15 documented events inside the 25-mile radius. Storm activity in Lexington-Fayette 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-19 | VILEY, KY | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2026-02-19 | LITTLE TEXAS, KY | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2026-02-19 | SOUTH ELKHORN, KY | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2026-02-19 | LEXINGTON, KY | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2025-05-16 | LAWRENCEBURG, KY | Moderate | 0.75" | — |
| 2025-05-16 | LAWRENCEBURG, KY | Moderate | 0.88" | — |
| 2025-04-30 | BONITA, KY | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2025-04-29 | STAMPING GROUND, KY | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2025-04-29 | SLICKWAY, KY | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2025-04-03 | MC AFEE, KY | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2025-04-03 | CADENTOWN, KY | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2025-04-03 | LEXINGTON, KY | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2024-02-28 | SOUTH ELKHORN, KY | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2024-02-28 | LAWRENCEBURG, KY | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2024-02-28 | WINCHESTER, KY | Significant | 1.25" | — |
| 2023-08-07 | WHITE SULPHER, KY | Significant | 1.00" | This was an mPing report. |
| 2023-08-07 | ELSINORE, KY | Significant | 1.00" | This was an mPing report. |
| 2023-07-18 | NICHOLASVILLE, KY | Significant | 1.00" | Quarter sized hail was observed near Nicholasville. |
| 2023-06-25 | BRANNON, KY | Significant | 1.00" | Quarter sized hail was observed in northern Jessamine County. |
| 2023-06-25 | UNION CITY, KY | Significant | 1.00" | Quarter sized hail observed northeast of Richmond. |
NOAA has recorded 180 high-wind events within 25 miles of Lexington-Fayette, KY in the past five years. Of those, 180 reached severe-thunderstorm thresholds (58+ mph). The highest measured gust was 110 mph.
| Severity | Count |
|---|---|
| Destructive | 1 event |
| Severe | 19 events |
| Significant | 160 events |
| Date | Location | Gust (mph) | Severity | NOAA Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-28 | 1 WSW Frankfort, KY | 61 | Significant | Personal weather station in Frankfort gusted to 61 mph. |
| 2026-06-21 | CYNTHIANA, KY | 61 | Significant | There were several trees down and minor roof damage to homes on Ammerman Pike. |
| 2026-06-21 | CONNERSVILLE, KY | 60 | Significant | There were multiple trees down near the 200 block of United Lane. |
| 2026-06-18 | NICHOLASVILLE, KY | 58 | Significant | There was a tree down on a car. |
| 2026-06-18 | NICHOLASVILLE, KY | 58 | Significant | A tree fell on a house. |
| 2026-06-18 | KEENE, KY | 58 | Significant | There was a tree down on power lines and blocking the roadway. |
| 2026-06-18 | VINEYARD, KY | 58 | Significant | A tree fell and was blocking one lane. |
| 2026-06-18 | BLACK BRIDGE, KY | 58 | Significant | There was a tree down off of KY 39 at Black Bridge Lane. |
| 2026-06-18 | LITTLE HICKMAN, KY | 58 | Significant | There was a tree on Fort Bramlett Road. |
| 2026-06-18 | DIXON TOWN, KY | 58 | Significant | There was a tree down on Keene Versailles road near Clear Creek. |
| 2026-06-18 | BONITA, KY | 58 | Significant | There were multiple reports of tree limbs and power lines down north of US-60. |
| 2026-06-18 | GEORGETOWN, KY | 58 | Significant | A tree blocked the Mojave Trail and Wanda Lee Trail intersection. |
| 2026-06-18 | SIDVILLE, KY | 58 | Significant | There were multiple trees down across Escondida Road. |
| 2026-06-18 | CONNERSVILLE, KY | 63 | Significant | There were multiple trees down near the 200 block of United Lane. |
| 2026-04-28 | DOUBLE CULVERT, KY | 58 | Significant | There was a tree down on power lines near the 400 block of Double Culvert Road. |
| 2026-04-28 | (LEX)BLU GRS FLD LEX, KY | 63 | Significant | There were three large trees snapped along Bowman Mill Road. |
| 2026-04-28 | WHITE SULPHER, KY | 58 | Significant | There was a tree down blocking the right lane of US 460 at Fishers Mill Road. |
| 2026-04-28 | MIDWAY, KY | 63 | Significant | Large trees snapped and were uprooted in the Midway cemetery. |
| 2026-04-28 | BROADWELL, KY | 58 | Significant | Several large trees fell with one falling across a fence line. |
| 2026-03-16 | GREAT CROSSING, KY | 60 | Significant | Multiple trees were blown down on Stamping Ground Road near Great Crossing High School. |
The most recent quarter-size-or-larger hail storm recorded by NOAA within 25 miles of Lexington-Fayette was on February 19, 2026. HailCheck refreshes from the NOAA Storm Events database daily, so newer events appear here as they are reported.
Lexington-Fayette averages roughly 8 reported hail events per year within a 25-mile radius. Significant storms (quarter-size or larger) account for 38 of the 42 events recorded over the last five years.
The largest documented hail near Lexington-Fayette in the last five years was baseball-sized or larger. Most Lexington-Fayette-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 Lexington-Fayette. 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 Lexington-Fayette 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 ValidationLexington-Fayette 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.