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 3 hail storms within 25 miles of Santa Cruz, CA. The largest reported hail in this window was pea-sized, which can fracture shingle mat and dent metal flashing on contact. 2024 was the most active year on record locally, with 2 documented hail events.
Check Hail History for a Specific Address in Santa Cruz| Severity | Count | What it means for roofs |
|---|---|---|
| Minor | 3 events | Pea-size, unlikely to damage modern shingles |
| Year | Reported Hail Events Within 25 mi |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 2 events |
| 2023 | 1 event |
2024 was the busiest hail year on record locally for Santa Cruz, with 2 documented events inside the 25-mile radius. Storm activity in Santa Cruz 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-03-30 | COYOTE, CA | Minor | 0.25" | Pea-sized hail and lightning reported on southbound US Highway 101 near Bailey Ave via social media. |
| 2024-03-30 | CHEMEKETA PARK, CA | Minor | 0.25" | Approximate location. Pea sized hail was reported in the Lexington Hills/Redwood Estates area. |
| 2023-03-29 | SCOTTS VLY, CA | Minor | 0.25" | Social media report of accumulating pea-sized hail in Scotts Valley. |
NOAA has recorded 9 high-wind events within 25 miles of Santa Cruz, CA in the past five years. Of those, 8 reached severe-thunderstorm thresholds (58+ mph). The highest measured gust was 96 mph.
| Severity | Count |
|---|---|
| Severe | 6 events |
| Significant | 2 events |
| Minor | 1 event |
| Date | Location | Gust (mph) | Severity | NOAA Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-12-25 | SANTA CRUZ, CA | 91 | Severe | The weather station at the O'Neill Sea Odyssey near Santa Cruz Harbor reported a gust of 91 mph. Damage to boats was reported within the harbor. |
| 2025-12-25 | REDWOOD GROVE, CA | 67 | Severe | A tree was reported down on all lanes of California Highway 9 at Douglas Avenue. |
| 2025-12-25 | HOLY CITY, CA | 90 | Severe | The PG&E station on Mount Umunhum reported a gust of 90 mph. |
| 2025-12-24 | PERMANENTE, CA | 67 | Severe | The PG&E station on Monte Bello Road West reported a gust of 67 mph. |
| 2025-10-13 | BUTANO PARK, CA | 96 | Severe | A strong thunderstorm cell touched down just south of Ano Nuevo State Park at 4:23 PM. Video from a farm near the location showed damage to structures, sparking speculation of a possible tornado. Subsequently, an NWS team conducted a storm survey at the site. The team identified damage consistent with straight line winds. Damage was noted from the coast, just south of A��o Nuevo State Park, eastward about 3/4 of a mile. This damage included, but not limited to, a hoop house visqueen cover being torn off, structural damage to two hoop houses, a large water storage tank being transported over a 1/4 mile, and moderately large diameter coastal cypress trees being snapped. There was one item seen transported counter to straight line wind flow and these were determined to have been caught up in very small scale temporary terrain driven rotation. There is no indication in the damage field of tornadic activity. While the radar signature did show rotation at elevation while approaching the coast, it appears to collapse as it comes ashore, lending itself to thunderstorm outflow and a straight line wind event. |
| 2024-04-04 | CAPITOLA, CA | 58 | Significant | A large pine tree was blown down near Soquel. |
| 2024-03-02 | ELLICOTT, CA | 75 | Severe | A NWS survey team found tree damage consistent with 70-80 mph straight line winds in the vicinity of Larkin Valley Road and Larkin Vista Lane. |
| 2024-02-19 | WILDWOOD, CA | 58 | Significant | A 3 foot diameter tree fell onto the roadway at California Route 236 and China Grade Road. |
| 2024-02-04 | EVERGREEN, CA | 23 | Minor | Three inch tree limbs were broken, and power lines were downed. |
NOAA has not recorded a quarter-size-or-larger hail storm within 25 miles of Santa Cruz in the past five years. Smaller hail can still cause cosmetic damage, and unreported storms may exist.
Santa Cruz averages roughly 1 reported hail event per year within a 25-mile radius. Significant storms (quarter-size or larger) account for 0 of the 3 events recorded over the last five years.
The largest documented hail near Santa Cruz in the last five years was pea-sized. Most Santa Cruz-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 CA 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 Santa Cruz. 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 Santa Cruz 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 ValidationSanta Cruz 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.