Hail history in Sacramento, CA
On average, NOAA recorded hail within 15 miles of the center of Sacramento on 0.2 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 Sacramento on 2 days since 2010. The largest hail reported was 0.88 in, in 2019. February has the most hail days, 1 since 2010. The most recent was March 20, 2019. NOAA also recorded high wind on 4 days, with gusts up to 81 mph.
Ranks #177 of 200 US cities for days with hail 1 inch or larger, 2016 to 2025.
- Hail days since 2010
- 2
- Largest hail
- 0.88 in
- Highest gust
- 81 mph
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center
Data through November 1, 2026
2 hail days within 15 miles since 2010, largest 0.88 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. 2 hail days in total; the most was 1 in 2018.
Hail days by month
Hail days by month since 2010: Jan 0, Feb 1, Mar 1, Apr 0, May 0, Jun 0, Jul 0, Aug 0, Sep 0, Oct 0, Nov 0, Dec 0.
Most recent hail days
| Date | Largest hail | Nearest report |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 20, 2019 | 0.88 in | 11.1 mi |
| Feb 26, 2018 | 0.5 in | 3.7 mi |
About this data
- Distances are from the center of Sacramento, 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.
4 high-wind days within 15 miles since 2010, strongest gust 81 mph
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center
Data through November 1, 2026
Most recent high-wind days
| Date | Highest gust | Nearest report |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 2026 | Not recorded | 8.6 mi |
| Sep 2, 2025 | 81 mph | 8.4 mi |
| Jan 9, 2023 | 54 mph | 11.2 mi |
| Jan 19, 2016 | 49 mph | 1.8 mi |
About this data
- Distances are from the center of Sacramento, 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 Sacramento
Estimated peak gusts
No day since October 1, 2021 had an estimated peak gust of 58 mph or more at Sacramento.
| Day | Estimated peak gust |
|---|---|
| Feb 4, 2024 | 50 mph or more |
| Jan 7, 2023 | 50 mph or more |
| Dec 31, 2022 | 50 mph or more |
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 Sacramento since 1950; the strongest was rated EF2.
| Day | Rating | Path length | Closest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 10, 2017 | EF0 | 0.42 miles | 4.1 miles |
| Feb 25, 2011 | EF0 | 0.35 miles | 9.3 miles |
| Apr 8, 2005 | EF0 | 0.1 miles | 7.1 miles |
| Feb 21, 2005 | EF0 | 0.3 miles | 3.6 miles |
| Feb 21, 2005 | EF0 | 0.1 miles | 1 miles |
| Feb 21, 2005 | EF0 | 0.1 miles | 3.5 miles |
| Apr 24, 1998 | EF0 | 0.1 miles | 6.4 miles |
| Feb 7, 1978 | EF2 | 1.9 miles | 9.2 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 Sacramento.
Modeled from NOAA’s best tracks for open, flat ground; not measurements. How we model hurricane winds
No NOAA radar hail estimate within 15 miles since 2020
Source: NOAA MRMS radar (MESH), from October 14, 2020. Estimates of the largest hail in each 1 km cell, not measurements.
Storms in Sacramento
NWS Sacramento's climate summary says thunderstorms in Sacramento are few and usually come in the late fall or the spring.1 A paper by an NWS Sacramento forecaster says Central Valley thunderstorms are most common in March and April.2
Notable storms
- September 2, 2025A downburst from decaying thunderstorms sent winds of up to 70 mph through Carmichael around 10 a.m., uprooting mature trees along a path 2.5 miles long and 1.5 miles wide.3,4
- January 8, 2023Winds around midnight downed trees and power lines across the metro area, with gusts of 73 mph at Sacramento International Airport and 68 mph at McClellan Airfield. SMUD reported more than 345,000 customers without power at the peak.5,6
- February 26, 2018Thunderstorms coated downtown and northern Sacramento, Natomas and nearby stretches of Interstate 5 with small hail during the afternoon commute. Hail piled 2 to 4 inches deep in parts of north Sacramento and Natomas, and snow plows were used to clear it in some areas. NOAA's Storm Events Database lists $100,000 in property damage.7
- January 11, 2017An EF0 tornado touched down in South Natomas just after midnight and tracked about 3/8 of a mile, an NWS survey found. It downed trees and fences, tore down two metal awnings and stripped limbs from numerous trees.8
- October 22, 2012An EF1 tornado with winds estimated at 90 to 100 mph touched down near Waterman and Grant Line roads in Elk Grove and cut a path about a mile long. It bent back a metal roof, snapped tree trunks several feet thick and lightly damaged dozens of homes.9,10
- September 19, 2004A slow-moving supercell over downtown Sacramento piled small hail several inches deep in one neighborhood, according to NWS Sacramento forecasters.11
Warnings and alerts
NWS Sacramento is the local National Weather Service office for the city and issues its forecasts.12 Sacramento Alert, run by the Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services with Yolo and Placer counties, sends alerts on severe weather, flooding and levee failures, and residents can add their phone numbers and email addresses through its opt-in portal.13
Sources
- 1. NWS Sacramento: Climate of Sacramento, California (NOAA Technical Memorandum NWS WR-272)
- 2. NWS Sacramento: The Northern Sacramento Valley Surface Moisture Convergence Zone (Western Region Technical Attachment 02-07)
- 3. CBS Sacramento: Downburst, not tornado, uproots dozens of trees in Carmichael, officials say
- 4. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Thunderstorm Wind, Sacramento County, September 2, 2025
- 5. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: High Wind, Southern Sacramento Valley, January 7 to 8, 2023
- 6. Sacramento Municipal Utility District: 70-mph winds cause extensive damage and outages in Sacramento region
- 7. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, Sacramento County, February 26, 2018
- 8. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Tornado, Sacramento County, January 11, 2017
- 9. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Tornado, Sacramento County, October 22, 2012
- 10. CBS Sacramento: Elk Grove Tornado Ran Underneath The Radar
- 11. NWS Sacramento: An Example of a Heavy Precipitation (HP) Supercell Producing Record Rainfall Rates in Downtown Sacramento, CA
- 12. National Weather Service: NWS Forecast for Sacramento, CA
- 13. Sacramento County Office of Emergency Services: Emergency Alerts Notification System
Free hail history
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Questions about hail in Sacramento
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center
Data through November 1, 2026
- How often does it hail in Sacramento?
- NOAA recorded hail within 15 miles of the center of Sacramento on 0.2 days a year on average from 2016 to 2025, 0.0 of them with hail 1 inch or larger. Since 2010 it recorded 2 hail days.
- When is hail season in Sacramento?
- February has the most hail days within 15 miles of the center of Sacramento, 1 since 2010, then March (1).
- What is the largest hail recorded in Sacramento?
- 0.88 in, in 2019: the largest hail NOAA recorded within 15 miles of the center of Sacramento since 2010.
- When did it last hail in Sacramento?
- NOAA's most recent hail report within 15 miles of the center of Sacramento is from March 20, 2019, with hail up to 0.88 in reported 11.1 miles from the center. Data through November 1, 2026.