Hail history in Merced, CA
On average, NOAA recorded hail within 15 miles of the center of Merced on 0.1 days a year from 2016 to 2025, 0.0 of them with hail 1 inch or larger. NOAA recorded hail within 15 miles of the center of Merced on 3 days since 2010. The largest hail reported was 1.75 in, in 2012. 2 of those days had hail of 1 inch or larger. May has the most hail days, 2 since 2010. The most recent was May 26, 2019. NOAA also recorded high wind on 1 day.
Ranks #177 of 200 US cities for days with hail 1 inch or larger, 2016 to 2025.
- Hail days since 2010
- 3
- Largest hail
- 1.75 in
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center
Data through November 1, 2026
3 hail days within 15 miles since 2010, largest 1.75 in
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center
Data through November 1, 2026
Hail days by year
Bar chart of hail days per year, 2010 to 2026. 3 hail days in total; the most was 1 in 2012.
Hail days by month
Hail days by month since 2010: Jan 0, Feb 0, Mar 0, Apr 1, May 2, Jun 0, Jul 0, Aug 0, Sep 0, Oct 0, Nov 0, Dec 0.
Most recent hail days
| Date | Largest hail | Nearest report |
|---|---|---|
| May 26, 2019 | 0.75 in | 7.6 mi |
| May 7, 2015 | 1.0 in | 14.5 mi |
| Apr 12, 2012 | 1.75 in | 7.6 mi |
About this data
- Distances are from the center of Merced, not from any one property. Look up a street address below for a single building.
- Reports come from trained spotters and the public, so they cluster near towns and roads.
- No report does not mean no hail. Hail can fall where no one is there to report it.
- This is not a damage or insurance assessment.
1 high-wind day within 15 miles since 2010
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center
Data through November 1, 2026
Most recent high-wind days
| Date | Highest gust | Nearest report |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 21, 2026 | Not recorded | 10.1 mi |
About this data
- Distances are from the center of Merced, not from any one property. Look up a street address below for a single building.
- Reports come from trained spotters and the public, so they cluster near towns and roads.
- No report does not mean no hail. Hail can fall where no one is there to report it.
- Wind speed is the highest reported gust; some reports have no speed.
- This is not a damage or insurance assessment.
Gusts, tornadoes and hurricanes in Merced
Estimated peak gusts
No day since October 1, 2021 had an estimated peak gust of 58 mph or more at Merced.
Estimates: the highest gust of each storm day in NOAA’s hourly 2.5 km wind analysis (URMA), which fills in between weather stations. Analyses like this smooth out short thunderstorm gusts, so they are best for widespread wind (hurricanes, winter storms, high wind days); for thunderstorm wind, NOAA’s wind reports are the better record. Not a measurement at any building.
Tornadoes within 10 miles
NOAA recorded 8 tornadoes whose path came within 10 miles of Merced since 1950; the strongest was rated EF1.
| Day | Rating | Path length | Closest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 21, 2026 | Not rated | 10 miles | |
| Feb 9, 2009 | EF0 | 0.1 miles | 10 miles |
| Mar 28, 2006 | EF0 | 0.1 miles | 3.3 miles |
| Mar 28, 2006 | EF0 | 0.2 miles | 0.8 miles |
| Mar 28, 2006 | EF0 | 0.2 miles | 8.9 miles |
| Dec 16, 2002 | EF0 | 1 miles | 3.5 miles |
| Dec 16, 2002 | EF1 | 1.3 miles | 2.5 miles |
| Nov 22, 1996 | EF1 | 0.2 miles | 1.7 miles |
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center. Ratings before 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hurricanes and tropical storms
No hurricane or tropical storm in NOAA's records brought modeled tropical-storm-force winds (39 mph) to Merced.
Modeled from NOAA’s best tracks for open, flat ground; not measurements. How we model hurricane winds
10 radar hail days within 15 miles since 2020, largest 1.5 in or more
Source: NOAA MRMS radar (MESH), from October 14, 2020. Estimates of the largest hail in each 1 km cell, not measurements.
4 days with radar hail 1 inch or larger, 0 at 2 inches or larger, within 15 miles of Merced’s center.
Biggest radar hail days
- 0.75 in+
- 1.0 in+
- 1.5 in+
- 2.0 in+
- 2.5 in+
- 3.0 in+
Most recent radar hail days
| Date | Largest radar estimate |
|---|---|
| Apr 9, 2026 | 0.75 in or more |
| Sep 27, 2024 | 0.75 in or more |
| Aug 26, 2023 | 0.75 in or more |
| May 15, 2023 | 1.0 in or more |
| Mar 29, 2023 | 0.75 in or more |
| Oct 12, 2022 | 1.5 in or more |
Storms in Merced
NWS Hanford, the forecast office for Merced, describes severe weather across its San Joaquin Valley area as scarce.1,2 An NWS Hanford study of 42 storms that produced hail 1 inch or larger in its area, going back to 2004, found April was the most frequent month for severe hail, with 18.1
Notable storms
- April 21, 2026NWS Hanford rated a tornado about 3 miles west of Atwater EF-1, with estimated peak winds of 110 mph along a half-mile path. Storms that afternoon also brought down many trees and branches near Ballico and Cressey along the Merced River bottom.3,4
- January 9, 2023Two to 3 inches of rain fell around Merced from midday January 9 into early January 10, and Bear Creek overflowed and crested at a record 26.2 feet that morning. Planada was fully evacuated along with parts of Merced, and floodwater covered State Route 99 and 16th Street in Merced. NOAA's storm records list $10 million in property damage.5,6
- April 12, 2012Trained spotters reported copious accumulating large hail just north of Merced, and 1.75-inch hail in Atwater piled several inches deep on area roads. NOAA's storm records say agricultural and crop damage from the April 11 to 13 hail storms approached $100 million across Kings, Tulare, Fresno and Merced counties.7,8
- March 28, 2006Thunderstorms produced three brief F0 tornadoes around Merced and Atwater that afternoon. One near the southeast edge of Merced lifted corrugated roofing up and over nearby power lines, and another just west of Atwater damaged the roofs of small structures and tossed equipment and trash cans.9,10
- December 16, 2002An F1 tornado touched down northwest of Merced around midday and left a damage path about 1.25 miles long and 45 yards wide, tearing off roofing and damaging light structures. NOAA's storm records list $400,000 in property damage.11,12
Warnings and alerts
Warnings for Merced come from the NWS San Joaquin Valley office in Hanford.2 MCALERTS, Merced County's free emergency notification system, is provided by the County Office of Emergency Services and sends alerts by text, phone call or email to people who register.13
Sources
- 1. American Meteorological Society (NWS Hanford author): Sounding Characteristics and Dual-Pol Signatures of Severe Hail Events across Central California
- 2. NWS San Joaquin Valley/Hanford: Merced CA point forecast
- 3. Merced Sun-Star: Tornado near Atwater tossed sheet metal, caused no injuries, weather service says
- 4. NOAA SPC: Storm Prediction Center 20260421's Storm Reports
- 5. NWS Hanford: Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena, January 2023
- 6. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Flood, Merced County, January 9, 2023
- 7. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, Merced County, April 12, 2012
- 8. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, Merced County, April 12, 2012
- 9. NWS Hanford: Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena, March 2006
- 10. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Tornado, Merced County, March 28, 2006
- 11. NWS Hanford: Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena, December 2002
- 12. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Tornado, Merced County, December 16, 2002
- 13. Merced County: Merced County Emergency Notification System: MCALERTS
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Questions about hail in Merced
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center
Data through November 1, 2026
- How often does it hail in Merced?
- NOAA recorded hail within 15 miles of the center of Merced on 0.1 days a year on average from 2016 to 2025, 0.0 of them with hail 1 inch or larger. Since 2010 it recorded 3 hail days.
- When is hail season in Merced?
- May has the most hail days within 15 miles of the center of Merced, 2 since 2010, then April (1).
- What is the largest hail recorded in Merced?
- 1.75 in, in 2012: the largest hail NOAA recorded within 15 miles of the center of Merced since 2010.
- When did it last hail in Merced?
- NOAA's most recent hail report within 15 miles of the center of Merced is from May 26, 2019, with hail up to 0.75 in reported 7.6 miles from the center. Data through November 1, 2026.