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 48 hail storms within 25 miles of Washington Heights, NY. Of those, 30 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 ping pong ball-sized, which can fracture shingle mat and dent metal flashing on contact. 2026 was the most active year on record locally, with 14 documented hail events.
Check Hail History for a Specific Address in Washington Heights| Severity | Count | What it means for roofs |
|---|---|---|
| Severe | 3 events | Ping pong-size, granule loss and bruising common |
| Significant | 27 events | Quarter-size, the standard insurance damage threshold |
| Moderate | 17 events | Marble-size, possible cosmetic damage |
| Minor | 1 event | Pea-size, unlikely to damage modern shingles |
| Year | Reported Hail Events Within 25 mi |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 14 events |
| 2025 | 1 event |
| 2024 | 4 events |
| 2023 | 10 events |
| 2022 | 7 events |
| 2021 | 12 events |
2026 was the busiest hail year on record locally for Washington Heights, with 14 documented events inside the 25-mile radius. Storm activity in Washington Heights 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-07 | 1 SSW Pearl River, NY | Significant | 1.00" | Corrected previous LSR report from River Vale, NJ. |
| 2026-08-07 | River Vale, NJ | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2026-08-07 | 1 NW Pearl River, NY | Moderate | 0.88" | — |
| 2026-08-07 | 1 S Bardonia, NY | Moderate | 0.50" | Report from mPING: Half-inch (0.50 in.). |
| 2026-07-27 | 1 SE Chestnut Ridge, NY | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2026-07-27 | Franklin Lakes, NJ | Significant | 1.00" | Social media report with image. |
| 2026-07-21 | 1 N Saddle Brook, NJ | Moderate | 0.88" | Nickel size hail. |
| 2026-07-15 | Orange, NJ | Moderate | 0.75" | Dime size hail. |
| 2026-05-20 | 1 N White Plains, NY | Moderate | 0.75" | — |
| 2026-03-06 | 1 SE Boonton, NJ | Significant | 1.01" | CO-OP Observer station BOON4 0.9 SE Boonton. |
| 2026-03-06 | Whippany, NJ | Significant | 1.17" | Mesonet station FW7566 Whippany. |
| 2026-03-06 | 1 SW Towaco, NJ | Significant | 1.27" | Mesonet station FW2458 Montville. |
| 2026-03-06 | Lincoln Park, NJ | Significant | 1.06" | Mesonet station LNPN4 Lincoln Park. |
| 2026-03-03 | Caldwell Airport, NJ | Minor | 0.02" | ASOS station KCDW Caldwell. |
| 2025-07-03 | GREAT KILLS, NY | Significant | 1.00" | Photo shared by NYC Emergency Management of quarter sized hail in Huguenot. |
| 2024-08-03 | SPRING VLY ARPT, NY | Significant | 1.00" | One inch hail reported near April Court. |
| 2024-08-03 | UPPER NYACK, NY | Significant | 1.00" | Public reports 1 inch hail near Radcliff Drive in Upper Nyack NY. |
| 2024-05-23 | CROTON ON HUDSON, NY | Severe | 1.50" | Public reports 1.5 inch hail. |
| 2024-04-29 | NEW CITY, NY | Significant | 1.00" | Video showing hail with a few up to the size of quarters. |
| 2023-09-08 | GREAT KILLS, NY | Significant | 1.25" | Half dollar sized hail reported in Annadale on Staten Island. |
NOAA has recorded 250 high-wind events within 25 miles of Washington Heights, NY in the past five years. Of those, 250 reached severe-thunderstorm thresholds (58+ mph). The highest measured gust was 75 mph.
| Severity | Count |
|---|---|
| Severe | 30 events |
| Significant | 220 events |
| Date | Location | Gust (mph) | Severity | NOAA Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-15 | 2 N Tompkinsville, NY | 61 | Significant | Mesonet station ROBN4 Robbins Reef, NJ. |
| 2026-07-05 | 2 N Glen Cove, NY | 75 | Severe | Corrects previous tstm wnd gst report from 2 N Glen Cove. Wxflow Station at Bayville. |
| 2026-07-05 | 1 W Briarcliff Manor, NY | 58 | Significant | Recorded at Tappan Zee Light WxFlow station. |
| 2026-07-04 | 2 NW Westerleigh, NY | 68 | Severe | Mesonet station MHRN6 2 SE Elizabeth. |
| 2026-07-04 | 1 ENE Bayonne, NJ | 67 | Severe | Mesonet station XBYO Bayonne. |
| 2026-07-04 | 1 SSW Flatbush, NY | 59 | Significant | Mesonet station BKLN Brooklyn College. |
| 2026-07-03 | 1 SSW Westerleigh, NY | 58 | Significant | Mesonet station STAT College of Staten Island. |
| 2026-07-03 | Newark Airport, NJ | 71 | Severe | ASOS station KEWR Newark Liberty Airport. |
| 2026-07-03 | 1 SW Linden, NJ | 58 | Significant | AWOS station KLDJ Linden Airport. |
| 2026-06-22 | CASTLETON CORNERS, NY | 58 | Significant | Two trees down near Westerleigh on Staten Island. |
| 2026-06-22 | FRESH POND, NY | 58 | Significant | Twelve trees down across Queens. |
| 2026-06-22 | NEW YORK, NY | 58 | Significant | Five trees down across Brooklyn. |
| 2026-06-22 | WESTCHESTER, NY | 58 | Significant | Two trees down across the Bronx. |
| 2026-06-18 | Teterboro Airport, NJ | 58 | Significant | ASOS station KTEB Teterboro Airport. |
| 2026-06-12 | MAYWOOD, NJ | 58 | Significant | Several trees reported down across the city in Hackensack. |
| 2026-06-12 | MAYWOOD, NJ | 58 | Significant | Multiple reports and photos of large trees down on Poplar and Fairmount Avenue near Summit Avenue. Several on homes causing damage. |
| 2026-06-12 | NORTH ARLINGTON, NJ | 58 | Significant | Tree down on Prospect Ave and Arlington Blvd. There are also power lines down in the same area. |
| 2026-06-12 | WOODHAVEN, NY | 58 | Significant | Tree snapped in on 73rd Place near Metropolitan Avenue. |
| 2026-06-12 | NYC/La Guardia, NY | 69 | Severe | ASOS station KLGA NYC/La Guardia. |
| 2026-06-12 | NEW YORK, NY | 58 | Significant | Three large tree limbs broken. |
The most recent quarter-size-or-larger hail storm recorded by NOAA within 25 miles of Washington Heights was on August 7, 2026. HailCheck refreshes from the NOAA Storm Events database daily, so newer events appear here as they are reported.
Washington Heights averages roughly 10 reported hail events per year within a 25-mile radius. Significant storms (quarter-size or larger) account for 30 of the 48 events recorded over the last five years.
The largest documented hail near Washington Heights in the last five years was ping pong ball-sized. Most Washington Heights-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 NY 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 Washington Heights. 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 Washington Heights 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 ValidationWashington Heights 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.