Hail history in Cincinnati, OH
On average, NOAA recorded hail within 15 miles of the center of Cincinnati on 4.0 days a year from 2016 to 2025, 2.6 of them with hail 1 inch or larger. NOAA recorded hail within 15 miles of the center of Cincinnati on 75 days since 2010. The largest hail reported was 2.5 in, in 2015. 49 of those days had hail of 1 inch or larger. July has the most hail days, 16 since 2010. The most recent was April 30, 2025. NOAA also recorded high wind on 174 days, with gusts up to 100 mph.
Ranks #33 of 200 US cities for days with hail 1 inch or larger, 2016 to 2025.
- Hail days since 2010
- 75
- Largest hail
- 2.5 in
- Highest gust
- 100 mph
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center
Data through November 1, 2026
75 hail days within 15 miles since 2010, largest 2.5 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. 75 hail days in total; the most was 13 in 2012.
Hail days by month
Hail days by month since 2010: Jan 1, Feb 1, Mar 9, Apr 15, May 15, Jun 8, Jul 16, Aug 4, Sep 2, Oct 3, Nov 0, Dec 1.
Most recent hail days
| Date | Largest hail | Nearest report |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 30, 2025 | 1.0 in | 11.4 mi |
| Apr 14, 2025 | 1.25 in | 12.7 mi |
| Mar 30, 2025 | 1.0 in | 8.5 mi |
| Apr 2, 2024 | 1.0 in | 4.9 mi |
| Jul 24, 2023 | 1.0 in | 4.1 mi |
| Jul 15, 2023 | 0.88 in | 13.7 mi |
| Jul 2, 2023 | 1.25 in | 3.6 mi |
| Mar 1, 2023 | 0.88 in | 1.4 mi |
| Jul 5, 2022 | 1.0 in | 13.1 mi |
| May 21, 2022 | 0.88 in | 15.0 mi |
About this data
- Distances are from the center of Cincinnati, 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.
174 high-wind days within 15 miles since 2010, strongest gust 100 mph
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center
Data through November 1, 2026
Most recent high-wind days
| Date | Highest gust | Nearest report |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 5, 2026 | Not recorded | 9.8 mi |
| Aug 12, 2026 | Not recorded | 12.3 mi |
| Aug 11, 2026 | 68 mph | 3.6 mi |
| Aug 7, 2026 | Not recorded | 7.6 mi |
| Jul 27, 2026 | Not recorded | 1.0 mi |
| Jul 21, 2026 | Not recorded | 1.9 mi |
| Jul 4, 2026 | Not recorded | 4.9 mi |
| Jun 17, 2026 | 60 mph | 6.9 mi |
| Mar 22, 2026 | 58 mph | 5.1 mi |
| Dec 28, 2025 | 60 mph | 4.2 mi |
About this data
- Distances are from the center of Cincinnati, 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 Cincinnati
Estimated peak gusts
No day since October 1, 2021 had an estimated peak gust of 58 mph or more at Cincinnati.
| Day | Estimated peak gust |
|---|---|
| Mar 3, 2023 | 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 16 tornadoes whose path came within 10 miles of Cincinnati since 1950; the strongest was rated EF5.
| Day | Rating | Path length | Closest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 19, 2025 | EF1 | 3.15 miles | 9.6 miles |
| Apr 8, 2020 | EF0 | 3.3 miles | 9.3 miles |
| Apr 8, 2020 | EF0 | 6.2 miles | 5.7 miles |
| Mar 1, 2017 | EF0 | 1.05 miles | 7.8 miles |
| Jul 13, 2016 | EF0 | 0.71 miles | 4.8 miles |
| Jun 3, 2008 | EF0 | 1.85 miles | 5.8 miles |
| Apr 8, 1999 | EF4 | 10 miles | 9.6 miles |
| Nov 19, 1981 | EF1 | 0.5 miles | 6.7 miles |
Show all 16Show fewer
| Day | Rating | Path length | Closest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2, 1980 | EF1 | 6.2 miles | 6.3 miles |
| Sep 30, 1977 | EF1 | 0.5 miles | 8.7 miles |
| Sep 11, 1975 | EF1 | 4.1 miles | 7.1 miles |
| Apr 3, 1974 | EF4 | 19.8 miles | 3.1 miles |
| Apr 3, 1974 | EF5 | 20.8 miles | 8.6 miles |
| Aug 9, 1969 | EF3 | 22.2 miles | 5 miles |
| Jul 11, 1958 | EF2 | 0.1 miles | 3.6 miles |
| May 2, 1954 | EF1 | 0.1 miles | 5.8 miles |
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center. Ratings before 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hurricanes and tropical storms
1 storm in NOAA's records brought modeled tropical-storm-force winds (39 mph or more) to Cincinnati.
| Storm | Modeled peak gust | Sustained | Closest pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ike (2008) | 57 mph | 46 mph | 147 miles |
Modeled from NOAA’s best tracks for open, flat ground; not measurements. How we model hurricane winds
32 radar hail days within 15 miles since 2020, largest 1.75 in or more
Source: NOAA MRMS radar (MESH), from October 14, 2020. Estimates of the largest hail in each 1 km cell, not measurements.
14 days with radar hail 1 inch or larger, 0 at 2 inches or larger, within 15 miles of Cincinnati’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 |
|---|---|
| Sep 19, 2026 | 0.75 in or more |
| Sep 5, 2026 | 1.0 in or more |
| Sep 4, 2026 | 0.75 in or more |
| Aug 11, 2026 | 0.75 in or more |
| Aug 7, 2026 | 0.75 in or more |
| Aug 6, 2026 | 0.75 in or more |
Storms in Cincinnati
NWS Wilmington's 1950 to 2004 severe weather climatology for southwest Ohio, north-central Kentucky and southeast Indiana found severe hail most common from April through June, with a small second peak in November.1 In the same study, 67% of damaging wind events came between 2 and 9 PM.1
Notable storms
- March 19, 2025Late on March 19, 2025, an EF1 tornado tracked about 3 miles in Boone County, Kentucky, from near Burlington across Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. It damaged the roofs and walls of industrial buildings, and flying debris damaged about a dozen parked cars.2
- July 13, 2016Straight-line winds estimated at up to 100 mph damaged two brick apartment buildings in East Westwood, blowing off much of one roof, then downed large tree limbs and damaged a chimney and part of a church roof in Clifton.3
- September 14, 2008The remnants of Hurricane Ike brought winds of 40 to 50 mph for several hours, with a 61 mph gust at Lunken Airport, and over 700,000 Duke Energy customers in the Cincinnati area lost power. NOAA's storm records list about $96.6 million in property damage in Hamilton County.4,5
- April 19, 2002Hail up to 1 inch damaged homes, cars and buildings from Montgomery and Blue Ash through Symmes Township and Loveland to Goshen and southern Warren County. NOAA's storm records list about $10 million in property damage in the area.6,7,8
- April 9, 1999Around 5 AM on April 9, 1999, a tornado that briefly reached F4 strength struck Blue Ash and Symmes Township in northeastern Hamilton County and killed 4 people. NWS surveys found more than 100 homes destroyed and hundreds more damaged, and NWS Wilmington put total damage at more than $25 million.9
- April 3, 1974On the evening of April 3, 1974, an F5 tornado that formed near Rising Sun, Indiana, around 5:30 PM crossed northern Kentucky and the Ohio River and caused severe damage in Sayler Park and other neighborhoods west of Cincinnati.10
Warnings and alerts
Warnings for Cincinnati and Hamilton County come from the National Weather Service office in Wilmington, Ohio.11,6 Hamilton County's emergency management agency runs Alert Hamilton County (Alert HC), which sends National Weather Service watches and warnings by text and email, with phone calls for tornado and flood warnings.12
Sources
- 1. NWS Wilmington, OH: A Severe Weather Climatology for the Wilmington, OH WFO County Warning Area (1950-2004)
- 2. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Tornado, Boone County, March 19, 2025
- 3. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Thunderstorm Wind, Hamilton County, July 13, 2016
- 4. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: High Wind, Hamilton County, September 14, 2008
- 5. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: High Wind, Kenton County, September 14, 2008
- 6. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, Hamilton County, April 19, 2002
- 7. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, Clermont County, April 19, 2002
- 8. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, Warren County, April 19, 2002
- 9. NWS Wilmington, OH: The Blue Ash Tornado: 25 Years Later
- 10. NWS Wilmington, OH: The Super Outbreak of April 3-4, 1974
- 11. National Weather Service: NWS Forecast Office Wilmington, OH
- 12. Hamilton County, Ohio: Alert HC
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Questions about hail in Cincinnati
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center
Data through November 1, 2026
- How often does it hail in Cincinnati?
- NOAA recorded hail within 15 miles of the center of Cincinnati on 4.0 days a year on average from 2016 to 2025, 2.6 of them with hail 1 inch or larger. Since 2010 it recorded 75 hail days.
- When is hail season in Cincinnati?
- July has the most hail days within 15 miles of the center of Cincinnati, 16 since 2010, then April (15) and May (15).
- What is the largest hail recorded in Cincinnati?
- 2.5 in, in 2015: the largest hail NOAA recorded within 15 miles of the center of Cincinnati since 2010.
- When did it last hail in Cincinnati?
- NOAA's most recent hail report within 15 miles of the center of Cincinnati is from April 30, 2025, with hail up to 1.0 in reported 11.4 miles from the center. Data through November 1, 2026.