Hail history in Santa Cruz, CA
On average, NOAA recorded hail within 15 miles of the center of Santa Cruz on 1.1 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 Santa Cruz on 12 days since 2010. The largest hail reported was 1.0 in, in 2010. 1 of those days had hail of 1 inch or larger. March has the most hail days, 6 since 2010. The most recent was March 30, 2024. NOAA also recorded high wind on 6 days, with gusts up to 91 mph.
Ranks #177 of 200 US cities for days with hail 1 inch or larger, 2016 to 2025.
- Hail days since 2010
- 12
- Largest hail
- 1.0 in
- Highest gust
- 91 mph
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center
Data through November 1, 2026
12 hail days within 15 miles since 2010, largest 1.0 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. 12 hail days in total; the most was 3 in 2018.
Hail days by month
Hail days by month since 2010: Jan 4, Feb 1, Mar 6, Apr 1, 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 30, 2024 | 0.25 in | 13.5 mi |
| Mar 29, 2023 | 0.25 in | 5.2 mi |
| Mar 10, 2021 | 0.25 in | 5.2 mi |
| Mar 26, 2020 | 0.25 in | 4.5 mi |
| Jan 16, 2020 | 0.25 in | 0.9 mi |
| Feb 15, 2019 | 0.25 in | 13.6 mi |
| Apr 16, 2018 | 0.25 in | 14.8 mi |
| Mar 17, 2018 | 0.25 in | 6.1 mi |
| Mar 2, 2018 | 0.25 in | 5.2 mi |
| Jan 23, 2017 | 0.25 in | 0.4 mi |
About this data
- Distances are from the center of Santa Cruz, 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.
6 high-wind days within 15 miles since 2010, strongest gust 91 mph
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center
Data through November 1, 2026
Most recent high-wind days
| Date | Highest gust | Nearest report |
|---|---|---|
| Feb 17, 2026 | Not recorded | 7.1 mi |
| Dec 24, 2025 | 91 mph | 2.2 mi |
| Apr 4, 2024 | 58 mph | 6.1 mi |
| Mar 2, 2024 | 75 mph | 11.5 mi |
| Feb 19, 2024 | 58 mph | 14.9 mi |
| Aug 15, 2020 | 46 mph | 7.2 mi |
About this data
- Distances are from the center of Santa Cruz, 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 Santa Cruz
Estimated peak gusts
No day since October 1, 2021 had an estimated peak gust of 58 mph or more at Santa Cruz.
| Day | Estimated peak gust |
|---|---|
| Feb 4, 2024 | 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 5 tornadoes whose path came within 10 miles of Santa Cruz since 1950; the strongest was rated EF1.
| Day | Rating | Path length | Closest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 14, 2024 | EF1 | 0.31 miles | 5 miles |
| Jan 6, 2019 | EF0 | 0.54 miles | 1.5 miles |
| Jan 6, 2019 | EF0 | 0.07 miles | 1 miles |
| Dec 5, 1998 | EF0 | 1 miles | 0.9 miles |
| Feb 3, 1986 | EF0 | 0.2 miles | 7.5 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 Santa Cruz.
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 Santa Cruz
An NWS Monterey study found that tornadoes and severe hail occur only very infrequently in coastal central California.1 NWS San Francisco Bay Area says two waterspouts came ashore in Santa Cruz as EF-0 tornadoes on January 6, 2019.2
Notable storms
- December 25, 2025A weather station near Santa Cruz Harbor measured a 91 mph gust at 3:30 a.m., and boats in the harbor were damaged. The National Weather Service said it did not believe a tornado touched down.3,4
- December 14, 2024A brief EF1 tornado with peak winds of 90 mph touched down in Scotts Valley at 1:39 p.m. and followed Mount Hermon Road for about 0.3 miles. An NWS survey found downed trees and power poles and numerous overturned vehicles, and five people, including a firefighter, were injured.5
- March 2, 2024An NWS survey found tree damage consistent with 70 to 80 mph straight-line winds near Larkin Valley Road and Larkin Vista Lane.6,7
- January 5, 2023High surf broke the Capitola Wharf in half, and a section collapsed into the ocean. Swells and rain runoff flooded Capitola Village, which officials evacuated, and Santa Cruz County reported heavy damage to Seacliff Pier.8,9
- December 20, 2001A storm cell near Watsonville produced an upper-F1 tornado and golf-ball-sized hail just after 4 p.m. The tornado knocked down a line of utility poles and several eucalyptus trees more than 25 meters tall.1
Warnings and alerts
NWS San Francisco Bay Area, based in Monterey, issues tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings for Santa Cruz County.2,6 CruzAware, launched by Santa Cruz County and Santa Cruz Regional 9-1-1, replaced CodeRED, and accounts without a home or work location do not get its geo-targeted weather alerts, such as flooding.10,11
Sources
- 1. NWS Monterey (San Francisco Bay Area): Examination of a Cool-Season Monterey Bay Area Severe Weather Event Using the Weather Event Simulator (WES)
- 2. NWS San Francisco Bay Area: Waterspouts & Tornadoes January 6, 2019
- 3. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Thunderstorm Wind, Santa Cruz County, December 25, 2025
- 4. KSBW: Santa Cruz harbor residents assess storm damage
- 5. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Tornado, Santa Cruz County, December 14, 2024
- 6. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Thunderstorm Wind, Santa Cruz County, March 2, 2024
- 7. NOAA SPC: Storm Prediction Center 20240302's Storm Reports
- 8. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: High Surf, Northern Monterey Bay, January 5, 2023
- 9. NBC Bay Area: Santa Cruz County Sustains 'Significant Damage' During Storm
- 10. Santa Cruz Regional 9-1-1: Santa Cruz County Alerts
- 11. County of Santa Cruz: CruzAware Frequently Asked Questions
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Questions about hail in Santa Cruz
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center
Data through November 1, 2026
- How often does it hail in Santa Cruz?
- NOAA recorded hail within 15 miles of the center of Santa Cruz on 1.1 days a year on average from 2016 to 2025, 0.0 of them with hail 1 inch or larger. Since 2010 it recorded 12 hail days.
- When is hail season in Santa Cruz?
- March has the most hail days within 15 miles of the center of Santa Cruz, 6 since 2010, then January (4) and February (1).
- What is the largest hail recorded in Santa Cruz?
- 1.0 in, in 2010: the largest hail NOAA recorded within 15 miles of the center of Santa Cruz since 2010.
- When did it last hail in Santa Cruz?
- NOAA's most recent hail report within 15 miles of the center of Santa Cruz is from March 30, 2024, with hail up to 0.25 in reported 13.5 miles from the center. Data through November 1, 2026.