Hail history in Boston, MA
On average, NOAA recorded hail within 15 miles of the center of Boston on 1.3 days a year from 2016 to 2025, 0.6 of them with hail 1 inch or larger. NOAA recorded hail within 15 miles of the center of Boston on 32 days since 2010. The largest hail reported was 2.0 in, in 2015. 15 of those days had hail of 1 inch or larger. June has the most hail days, 10 since 2010. The most recent was August 14, 2025. NOAA also recorded high wind on 98 days, with gusts up to 81 mph.
Ranks #140 of 200 US cities for days with hail 1 inch or larger, 2016 to 2025.
- Hail days since 2010
- 32
- Largest hail
- 2.0 in
- Highest gust
- 81 mph
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center
Data through November 1, 2026
32 hail days within 15 miles since 2010, largest 2.0 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. 32 hail days in total; the most was 5 in 2012.
Hail days by month
Hail days by month since 2010: Jan 0, Feb 0, Mar 0, Apr 0, May 3, Jun 10, Jul 6, Aug 9, Sep 3, Oct 1, Nov 0, Dec 0.
Most recent hail days
| Date | Largest hail | Nearest report |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 14, 2025 | 1.5 in | 14.4 mi |
| Aug 15, 2024 | 1.0 in | 13.7 mi |
| Jul 7, 2021 | 1.0 in | 9.5 mi |
| Aug 23, 2020 | 1.0 in | 7.9 mi |
| Jul 30, 2020 | 0.75 in | 9.5 mi |
| Jun 28, 2020 | 1.0 in | 5.6 mi |
| Jun 30, 2019 | 0.75 in | 9.6 mi |
| Jun 22, 2019 | 0.75 in | 13.3 mi |
| Sep 29, 2017 | 1.0 in | 9.5 mi |
| Aug 2, 2017 | 0.75 in | 10.6 mi |
About this data
- Distances are from the center of Boston, 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.
98 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Jul 16, 2026 | Not recorded | 9.5 mi |
| May 19, 2026 | Not recorded | 8.1 mi |
| Sep 6, 2025 | 58 mph | 11.4 mi |
| Aug 14, 2025 | 58 mph | 12.4 mi |
| Jul 25, 2025 | 58 mph | 3.0 mi |
| Jul 20, 2025 | 58 mph | 2.8 mi |
| May 3, 2025 | 58 mph | 12.7 mi |
| Jul 15, 2024 | 58 mph | 11.7 mi |
| Jun 20, 2024 | 58 mph | 12.7 mi |
| Jun 14, 2024 | 58 mph | 6.3 mi |
About this data
- Distances are from the center of Boston, 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 Boston
Estimated peak gusts
No day since October 1, 2021 had an estimated peak gust of 58 mph or more at Boston.
| Day | Estimated peak gust |
|---|---|
| Dec 19, 2025 | 50 mph or more |
| Dec 18, 2023 | 50 mph or more |
| Jan 17, 2022 | 50 mph or more |
| Oct 26, 2021 | 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 3 tornadoes whose path came within 10 miles of Boston since 1950; the strongest was rated EF2.
| Day | Rating | Path length | Closest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 28, 2014 | EF2 | 1.93 miles | 4.1 miles |
| Aug 9, 1972 | EF1 | 4.9 miles | 7.8 miles |
| Nov 7, 1971 | EF1 | 0.1 miles | 9.3 miles |
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center. Ratings before 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hurricanes and tropical storms
32 storms in NOAA's records brought modeled tropical-storm-force winds (39 mph or more) to Boston.
| Storm | Modeled peak gust | Sustained | Closest pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wanda (2021) | 67 mph | 55 mph | 106 miles |
| Sandy (2012) | 51 mph | 42 mph | 267 miles |
| Irene (2011) | 58 mph | 47 mph | 102 miles |
| Noel (2007) | 65 mph | 53 mph | 169 miles |
| Floyd (1999) | 54 mph | 44 mph | 29 miles |
| Bertha (1996) | 62 mph | 51 mph | 19 miles |
| Bob (1991) | 75 mph | 61 mph | 15 miles |
| Gloria (1985) | 77 mph | 63 mph | 64 miles |
Show all 32Show fewer
| Storm | Modeled peak gust | Sustained | Closest pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gerda (1969) | 54 mph | 44 mph | 117 miles |
| Esther (1961) | 59 mph | 48 mph | 46 miles |
| Unnamed storm, 1961 | 66 mph | 54 mph | 30 miles |
| Donna (1960) | 77 mph | 62 mph | 24 miles |
| Edna (1954) | 63 mph | 51 mph | 56 miles |
| Carol (1954) | 102 mph | 83 mph | 32 miles |
| 1944 Great Atlantic hurricane | 68 mph | 55 mph | 16 miles |
| 1938 New England hurricane | 84 mph | 69 mph | 101 miles |
| Unnamed storm, 1916 | 51 mph | 42 mph | 14 miles |
| Unnamed storm, 1916 | 53 mph | 43 mph | 21 miles |
| Unnamed storm, 1896 | 58 mph | 47 mph | 20 miles |
| Unnamed storm, 1894 | 61 mph | 50 mph | 32 miles |
| 1893 Sea Islands hurricane | 52 mph | 42 mph | 82 miles |
| Unnamed storm, 1893 | 51 mph | 42 mph | 110 miles |
| Unnamed storm, 1888 | 58 mph | 47 mph | 114 miles |
| Unnamed storm, 1888 | 52 mph | 42 mph | 75 miles |
| Unnamed storm, 1885 | 50 mph | 40 mph | 103 miles |
| Unnamed storm, 1878 | 58 mph | 47 mph | 34 miles |
| Unnamed storm, 1874 | 71 mph | 58 mph | 39 miles |
| Unnamed storm, 1869 | 72 mph | 59 mph | 37 miles |
| Unnamed storm, 1869 | 96 mph | 78 mph | 14 miles |
| Unnamed storm, 1861 | 53 mph | 43 mph | 10 miles |
| Unnamed storm, 1861 | 57 mph | 46 mph | 32 miles |
| Unnamed storm, 1858 | 72 mph | 58 mph | 25 miles |
Modeled from NOAA’s best tracks for open, flat ground; not measurements. How we model hurricane winds
9 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 Boston’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 |
|---|---|
| Aug 14, 2025 | 1.5 in or more |
| Aug 15, 2024 | 1.0 in or more |
| Jul 15, 2024 | 1.0 in or more |
| Jun 14, 2024 | 0.75 in or more |
| Sep 9, 2023 | 0.75 in or more |
| Jul 21, 2023 | 0.75 in or more |
Storms in Boston
In the Storm Prediction Center's 1980 to 2006 climatology for the Boston-area radar at Taunton, damaging wind reports outnumbered hail reports 3,443 to 1,279.1 July is the busiest month in that record, averaging 61 severe reports a year, ahead of June with 44.1
Notable storms
- October 27, 2021A nor'easter brought gusts to 59 mph at Logan Airport and Carson Beach on the morning of October 27 and downed numerous trees across metro Boston. State emergency management put damage in Suffolk County at $567,914, mostly from debris removal, emergency work and damage to buildings and their contents.2
- August 4, 2015Hail up to 2 inches fell in Boston, the largest hail recorded in Suffolk County since records began in 1950.3
- July 28, 2014A brief EF2 tornado touched down in Chelsea and moved north through the center of Revere, the first tornado in Suffolk County since modern records began in 1950. It damaged 64 structures, 13 of which inspectors deemed uninhabitable, and injured 2 people. NOAA's storm records list $4 million in property damage.4
- July 18, 2012Storms dropped hail up to 1.75 inches across in Everett and 1.25-inch hail in Revere. Later, a microburst with winds estimated at 70 knots (81 mph) downed numerous trees across about a square mile of eastern Arlington, damaging houses, cars and traffic signals. NOAA's storm records list $350,000 in property damage there.5,6,7
- June 6, 2010A macroburst swept much of the Boston metro area with 60 to 70 mph winds and pockets up to 80 mph. Logan Airport recorded a 68 mph gust, and 30 to 40 streets were closed by downed trees and wires in Lynn.8,9
- July 11, 2006Storms on the North Shore dropped hail as large as 3 inches, which NOAA's records call the second largest hailstones reported in Massachusetts. Wet microbursts with gusts as high as 90 mph then hit Marblehead Neck, causing tree damage and minor structural damage.10,11
Warnings and alerts
AlertBoston is the city's opt-in emergency alert system, sending severe weather and other alerts by phone, text and email in 11 languages.12
Sources
- 1. NOAA Storm Prediction Center: BOX Severe Weather Climatology
- 2. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: High Wind, Suffolk County, October 26 to 27, 2021
- 3. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Thunderstorm Wind, Suffolk County, August 4, 2015
- 4. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Tornado, Suffolk County, July 28, 2014 (Chelsea to Revere)
- 5. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, Middlesex County, July 18, 2012 (Everett)
- 6. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, Suffolk County, July 18, 2012 (Revere)
- 7. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Thunderstorm Wind, Middlesex County, July 18, 2012 (Arlington)
- 8. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Thunderstorm Wind, Suffolk County, June 6, 2010
- 9. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Thunderstorm Wind, Essex County, June 6, 2010
- 10. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, Essex County, July 11, 2006
- 11. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Thunderstorm Wind, Essex County, July 11, 2006
- 12. City of Boston: AlertBoston
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Questions about hail in Boston
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center
Data through November 1, 2026
- How often does it hail in Boston?
- NOAA recorded hail within 15 miles of the center of Boston on 1.3 days a year on average from 2016 to 2025, 0.6 of them with hail 1 inch or larger. Since 2010 it recorded 32 hail days.
- When is hail season in Boston?
- June has the most hail days within 15 miles of the center of Boston, 10 since 2010, then August (9) and July (6).
- What is the largest hail recorded in Boston?
- 2.0 in, in 2015: the largest hail NOAA recorded within 15 miles of the center of Boston since 2010.
- When did it last hail in Boston?
- NOAA's most recent hail report within 15 miles of the center of Boston is from August 14, 2025, with hail up to 1.5 in reported 14.4 miles from the center. Data through November 1, 2026.