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 78 hail storms within 25 miles of South Riding, VA. Of those, 74 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 29 documented hail events.
Check Hail History for a Specific Address in South Riding| Severity | Count | What it means for roofs |
|---|---|---|
| Destructive | 2 events | Egg-size, expect mat fractures and gutter damage |
| Severe | 10 events | Ping pong-size, granule loss and bruising common |
| Significant | 62 events | Quarter-size, the standard insurance damage threshold |
| Moderate | 4 events | Marble-size, possible cosmetic damage |
| Year | Reported Hail Events Within 25 mi |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 13 events |
| 2025 | 2 events |
| 2024 | 29 events |
| 2023 | 24 events |
| 2022 | 10 events |
2024 was the busiest hail year on record locally for South Riding, with 29 documented events inside the 25-mile radius. Storm activity in South Riding 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-10 | 1 E Bluemont, VA | Moderate | 0.88" | — |
| 2026-06-12 | THOROUGHFARE, VA | Moderate | 0.75" | A trained spotter reported penny size hail near Trevino and Championship Drive. |
| 2026-06-12 | WATERFALL, VA | Significant | 1.00" | Quarter size hail was reported north of Haymarket. |
| 2026-06-12 | 1 SW Woolsey, VA | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2026-06-12 | 2 SSW Woolsey, VA | Moderate | 0.75" | Trained spotter reported penny-size hail near Trevino and Championship Drive. |
| 2026-05-27 | GAINESVILLE, VA | Significant | 1.00" | Quarter size hail was reported in Gainesville. |
| 2026-05-27 | Gainesville, VA | Significant | 1.00" | Quarter size hail reported in Gainesville. |
| 2026-04-01 | 2 NW Manassas, VA | Moderate | 0.75" | — |
| 2026-04-01 | WEST GATE OF LOMOND, VA | Significant | 1.00" | Quarter size hail was reported in the City of Manassas. |
| 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 | 2 NW Manassas Park, VA | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2026-04-01 | Clifton, VA | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2025-05-16 | BAILEYS XRDS, VA | Significant | 1.25" | Half dollar size hail was reported in Bailey's Crossroads. |
| 2025-05-05 | WHEATLAND, VA | Significant | 1.00" | Quarter size hail was reported near Purcellville. |
| 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. |
NOAA has recorded 500 high-wind events within 25 miles of South Riding, VA in the past five years. Of those, 495 reached severe-thunderstorm thresholds (58+ mph). The highest measured gust was 92 mph.
| Severity | Count |
|---|---|
| Severe | 151 events |
| Significant | 344 events |
| Moderate | 5 events |
| Date | Location | Gust (mph) | Severity | NOAA Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-04 | 1 SSE Arcola, VA | 62 | Significant | Elaine E. Thompson Elementary School (NGA65) gusted to 62 mph at 11:30 pm. |
| 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 NNW Tysons Corner, VA | 69 | Severe | Wind gust of 69 mph measured on Tyco Rd in Tysons (KVAVIENN164 PWS) |
| 2026-06-22 | ADEN, VA | 64 | Severe | Numerous trees and powerlines blew down in and around Aden. |
| 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. |
| 2026-06-12 | HALFWAY, VA | 66 | Severe | A wind gust of 57 knots (66 MPH) was measured by the Virginia Tech mesonet in Middleburg. |
| 2026-06-12 | SUNNY BANK, VA | 70 | Severe | Several large trees blew down along Route 50 near Middleburg. |
| 2026-06-12 | HAYMARKET, VA | 60 | Significant | A large tree, power lines, and multiple tree branches fell at Catharpin Road and Fallen Oaks Place due to thunderstorm winds. |
| 2026-06-12 | BETHEL, VA | 60 | Significant | A tree blew down near Bear Wallow Road. |
| 2026-06-12 | 1 S Middleburg, VA | 66 | Severe | Virginia Tech mesonet in Middleburg |
| 2026-06-12 | PENDER, VA | 60 | Significant | A tree blew down at Alder Woods Drive and Joseph Seiwick Drive. |
| 2026-06-12 | Dulles Intl Airport, VA | 67 | Severe | — |
| 2026-06-12 | PENDER, VA | 60 | Significant | A tree blew down at Vale Road and Vale Station Road. |
| 2026-06-12 | (IAD)DULLES INTL ARP, VA | 67 | Severe | A wind gust of 58 knots (67 MPH) was measured by the ASOS at Washington Dulles International Airport (KIAD). |
| 2026-06-12 | WEST GATE OF LOMOND, VA | 60 | Significant | A tree blew down near Lomand Drive and Urbanna Road. |
| 2026-06-12 | POTOMAC, MD | 60 | Significant | A trained spotter reported a downed tree blocking the road at Ormond Road and Counselman Road. |
| 2026-06-11 | ANTIOCH, VA | 60 | Significant | A thunderstorm wind gust blew a person in an inflatable kayak out into Silver Lake. They were rescued in critical condition. |
| 2026-06-11 | WARRENTON, VA | 60 | Significant | There was a smattering of trees down into power lines and across roads in Warrenton. |
The most recent quarter-size-or-larger hail storm recorded by NOAA within 25 miles of South Riding was on June 12, 2026. HailCheck refreshes from the NOAA Storm Events database daily, so newer events appear here as they are reported.
South Riding averages roughly 16 reported hail events per year within a 25-mile radius. Significant storms (quarter-size or larger) account for 74 of the 78 events recorded over the last five years.
The largest documented hail near South Riding in the last five years was egg-sized. Most South Riding-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 VA 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 South Riding. 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 South Riding 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 ValidationSouth Riding 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.