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 33 hail storms within 25 miles of Winchester, KY. 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 baseball-sized or larger, which can fracture shingle mat and dent metal flashing on contact. 2023 was the most active year on record locally, with 12 documented hail events.
Check Hail History for a Specific Address in Winchester| Severity | Count | What it means for roofs |
|---|---|---|
| Catastrophic | 1 event | Baseball+ size, structural roof damage likely |
| Destructive | 2 events | Egg-size, expect mat fractures and gutter damage |
| Severe | 7 events | Ping pong-size, granule loss and bruising common |
| Significant | 20 events | Quarter-size, the standard insurance damage threshold |
| Moderate | 3 events | Marble-size, possible cosmetic damage |
| Year | Reported Hail Events Within 25 mi |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 5 events |
| 2025 | 4 events |
| 2024 | 3 events |
| 2023 | 12 events |
| 2022 | 9 events |
2023 was the busiest hail year on record locally for Winchester, with 12 documented events inside the 25-mile radius. Storm activity in Winchester 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-22 | 1 E Means, KY | Moderate | 0.75" | Report from mPING: Dime (0.75 in.). |
| 2026-08-22 | 1 E Lucky Stop, KY | Significant | 1.00" | Picture on social media shows approximately 1 inch hail near Lucky Stop. |
| 2026-02-19 | VILEY, KY | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2026-02-19 | SOUTH ELKHORN, KY | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2026-02-19 | LEXINGTON, KY | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2025-09-05 | KINGSTON, KY | Severe | 1.50" | — |
| 2025-04-30 | SPROUT SPGS, KY | Moderate | 0.88" | Social media report showed nickel sized hail near the Estill and Powell county line in Spout Springs. |
| 2025-04-03 | CADENTOWN, KY | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2025-04-03 | LEXINGTON, KY | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2024-08-17 | UPPER SPENCER, KY | Significant | 1.00" | NWS Employee observed 1 inch hail at their house, just north of Jeffersonville and west of the community of Hope. |
| 2024-02-28 | SOUTH ELKHORN, KY | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2024-02-28 | WINCHESTER, KY | Significant | 1.25" | — |
| 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. |
| 2023-06-25 | VALLEY VIEW, KY | Destructive | 2.75" | Baseball sized hail was observed in northwestern Madison County. |
| 2023-06-25 | RICHMOND, KY | Destructive | 2.50" | Tennis ball sized hail was observed northwest of Richmond. |
| 2023-06-25 | REEDS CROSSING, KY | Significant | 1.00" | Quarter sized hail was observed east of Richmond. |
| 2023-06-25 | RICHMOND, KY | Severe | 1.50" | Ping pong ball sized hail was observed just north of Richmond. |
| 2023-06-25 | WHITE HALL, KY | Severe | 1.50" | Ping pong ball sized hail was observed north of Richmond. |
NOAA has recorded 296 high-wind events within 25 miles of Winchester, KY in the past five years. Of those, 293 reached severe-thunderstorm thresholds (58+ mph). The highest measured gust was 110 mph.
| Severity | Count |
|---|---|
| Destructive | 1 event |
| Severe | 23 events |
| Significant | 269 events |
| Moderate | 3 events |
| Date | Location | Gust (mph) | Severity | NOAA Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-11 | 1 W Stanton, KY | 43 | Moderate | Powell County Mesonet site STAN measured a 43 mph thunderstorm wind gust at 5:35 PM. |
| 2026-08-11 | Carlisle, KY | 81 | Severe | Nicholas County Kentucky Mesonet. |
| 2026-08-11 | 1 WNW Preston, KY | 40 | Moderate | Mesonet station PRST Owingsville 4 S measured a 40mph thunderstorm wind gust. |
| 2026-08-11 | 2 N Prewitt, KY | 62 | Significant | AWOS station KIOB Mount Sterling Apt measured a 62 mph wind gust. |
| 2026-06-27 | 1 W Stanton, KY | 44 | Moderate | Measured at Powell County KY Mesonet station. |
| 2026-06-26 | 1 W Stanton, KY | 51 | Significant | Powell County, KY Mesonet. |
| 2026-06-21 | CARLISLE, KY | 58 | Significant | A few trees were down in the Carlisle area. |
| 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 | BLACK BRIDGE, KY | 58 | Significant | There was a tree down off of KY 39 at Black Bridge Lane. |
| 2026-06-18 | SIDVILLE, KY | 58 | Significant | There were multiple trees down across Escondida Road. |
| 2026-04-28 | (LEX)BLU GRS FLD LEX, KY | 63 | Significant | There were three large trees snapped along Bowman Mill Road. |
| 2026-03-16 | CLAY CITY, KY | 58 | Significant | Powell County dispatch reported a tree blown down along the road near the intersection of Pompeii Road and Woody Ware Road. |
| 2026-03-16 | KNOWLTON, KY | 58 | Significant | Powell County dispatch reported a tree blown down in the 5800 block of Furnace Road. |
| 2025-09-05 | WHITE HALL, KY | 58 | Significant | There were trees down on Three Forks Road and Boone Trail Road. |
| 2025-07-17 | WHITE HALL, KY | 58 | Significant | Multiple trees were blown down along Clay Lane. |
| 2025-06-26 | LEXINGTON, KY | 58 | Significant | A tree was blown down on the roadway near the intersection of Mason Headley Road and Versailles Road. |
| 2025-06-26 | VILEY, KY | 58 | Significant | A few trees and several tree limbs were blown down by strong winds along Mercer Road. Several section of chain link fence were also blown over. |
| 2025-06-26 | DONERAIL, KY | 58 | Significant | Trees were blown down along Newtown Pike. |
| 2025-06-18 | GREENDALE, KY | 60 | Significant | Trees were blown down by strong thunderstorm wind gusts near Georgetown Road in Lexington. |
The most recent quarter-size-or-larger hail storm recorded by NOAA within 25 miles of Winchester was on August 22, 2026. HailCheck refreshes from the NOAA Storm Events database daily, so newer events appear here as they are reported.
Winchester averages roughly 7 reported hail events per year within a 25-mile radius. Significant storms (quarter-size or larger) account for 30 of the 33 events recorded over the last five years.
The largest documented hail near Winchester in the last five years was baseball-sized or larger. Most Winchester-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 Winchester. 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 Winchester 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 ValidationWinchester 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.