Hail history in Philadelphia, PA
On average, NOAA recorded hail within 15 miles of the center of Philadelphia on 2.9 days a year from 2016 to 2025, 1.9 of them with hail 1 inch or larger. NOAA recorded hail within 15 miles of the center of Philadelphia on 41 days since 2010. The largest hail reported was 2.5 in, in 2022. 25 of those days had hail of 1 inch or larger. June has the most hail days, 11 since 2010. The most recent was May 20, 2026. NOAA also recorded high wind on 210 days, with gusts up to 109 mph.
Ranks #54 of 200 US cities for days with hail 1 inch or larger, 2016 to 2025.
- Hail days since 2010
- 41
- Largest hail
- 2.5 in
- Highest gust
- 109 mph
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center
Data through November 1, 2026
41 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. 41 hail days in total; the most was 7 in 2019.
Hail days by month
Hail days by month since 2010: Jan 0, Feb 1, Mar 0, Apr 6, May 7, Jun 11, Jul 8, Aug 7, Sep 1, Oct 0, Nov 0, Dec 0.
Most recent hail days
| Date | Largest hail | Nearest report |
|---|---|---|
| May 20, 2026 | 1.0 in | 13.9 mi |
| May 3, 2025 | 1.0 in | 5.6 mi |
| Apr 3, 2025 | 1.0 in | 10.9 mi |
| Sep 9, 2023 | 1.0 in | 12.7 mi |
| Jun 25, 2023 | 0.88 in | 8.6 mi |
| Jun 16, 2023 | 1.0 in | 5.8 mi |
| Jun 6, 2023 | 1.75 in | 14.2 mi |
| Apr 22, 2023 | 1.0 in | 10.6 mi |
| Apr 15, 2023 | 0.75 in | 13.5 mi |
| May 20, 2022 | 2.5 in | 4.2 mi |
About this data
- Distances are from the center of Philadelphia, 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.
210 high-wind days within 15 miles since 2010, strongest gust 109 mph
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center
Data through November 1, 2026
Most recent high-wind days
| Date | Highest gust | Nearest report |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2026 | Not recorded | 13.9 mi |
| Aug 20, 2026 | Not recorded | 4.1 mi |
| Jul 21, 2026 | Not recorded | 7.9 mi |
| Jul 11, 2026 | 60 mph | 4.9 mi |
| Jul 4, 2026 | Not recorded | 7.9 mi |
| Jul 3, 2026 | Not recorded | 7.6 mi |
| Jun 22, 2026 | Not recorded | 2.7 mi |
| Jun 14, 2026 | Not recorded | 5.5 mi |
| Jun 11, 2026 | Not recorded | 4.6 mi |
| Jun 6, 2026 | Not recorded | 2.3 mi |
About this data
- Distances are from the center of Philadelphia, 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 Philadelphia
Estimated peak gusts
No day since October 1, 2021 had an estimated peak gust of 58 mph or more at Philadelphia.
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 Philadelphia since 1950; the strongest was rated EF2.
| Day | Rating | Path length | Closest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 1, 2023 | EF1 | 6 miles | 7 miles |
| Sep 1, 2021 | EF2 | 8.28 miles | 8.7 miles |
| Jul 29, 2021 | EF0 | 0.44 miles | 7.3 miles |
| Sep 4, 2012 | EF0 | 0.16 miles | 9.2 miles |
| May 18, 2011 | EF0 | 0.12 miles | 8.4 miles |
| Sep 28, 2004 | EF0 | 2.5 miles | 8.6 miles |
| Sep 22, 2003 | EF1 | 0.8 miles | 7.3 miles |
| Feb 12, 1999 | EF1 | 0.5 miles | 8.6 miles |
Show all 16Show fewer
| Day | Rating | Path length | Closest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 18, 1999 | EF0 | 0.2 miles | 4.5 miles |
| May 31, 1998 | EF2 | 5.6 miles | 9.4 miles |
| Aug 3, 1991 | EF1 | 5 miles | 3.7 miles |
| Jun 9, 1989 | EF2 | 2 miles | 4.1 miles |
| Jul 31, 1985 | EF1 | 1.5 miles | 5.5 miles |
| Jun 7, 1978 | EF1 | 0.5 miles | 7.2 miles |
| Jul 14, 1958 | EF1 | 48.5 miles | 8.2 miles |
| Jul 14, 1958 | EF2 | 9.8 miles | 5.3 miles |
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center. Ratings before 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hurricanes and tropical storms
21 storms in NOAA's records brought modeled tropical-storm-force winds (39 mph or more) to Philadelphia.
| Storm | Modeled peak gust | Sustained | Closest pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isaias (2020) | 60 mph | 49 mph | 22 miles |
| Sandy (2012) | 76 mph | 62 mph | 24 miles |
| Irene (2011) | 58 mph | 47 mph | 48 miles |
| Bertha (1996) | 49 mph | 40 mph | 21 miles |
| Belle (1976) | 49 mph | 40 mph | 86 miles |
| Donna (1960) | 49 mph | 40 mph | 88 miles |
| Hazel (1954) | 57 mph | 46 mph | 110 miles |
| Carol (1954) | 49 mph | 40 mph | 129 miles |
Show all 21Show fewer
| Storm | Modeled peak gust | Sustained | Closest pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Able (1952) | 58 mph | 47 mph | 38 miles |
| 1944 Great Atlantic hurricane | 52 mph | 42 mph | 98 miles |
| 1938 New England hurricane | 57 mph | 46 mph | 118 miles |
| Unnamed storm, 1934 | 48 mph | 39 mph | 94 miles |
| Unnamed storm, 1929 | 55 mph | 45 mph | 55 miles |
| Unnamed storm, 1915 | 52 mph | 43 mph | 25 miles |
| Unnamed storm, 1903 | 72 mph | 59 mph | 11 miles |
| Unnamed storm, 1899 | 57 mph | 46 mph | 33 miles |
| Unnamed storm, 1894 | 51 mph | 41 mph | 74 miles |
| 1893 Sea Islands hurricane | 64 mph | 52 mph | 42 miles |
| Unnamed storm, 1893 | 53 mph | 43 mph | 65 miles |
| Unnamed storm, 1879 | 48 mph | 39 mph | 96 miles |
| Unnamed storm, 1878 | 83 mph | 68 mph | 62 miles |
Modeled from NOAA’s best tracks for open, flat ground; not measurements. How we model hurricane winds
34 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.
12 days with radar hail 1 inch or larger, 0 at 2 inches or larger, within 15 miles of Philadelphia’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 7, 2026 | 0.75 in or more |
| Jul 27, 2026 | 0.75 in or more |
| Jul 11, 2026 | 0.75 in or more |
| Jul 3, 2026 | 0.75 in or more |
| Jun 22, 2026 | 1.0 in or more |
| Jun 11, 2026 | 0.75 in or more |
Storms in Philadelphia
Within 124 nautical miles of the Philadelphia radar, NOAA's Storm Prediction Center counted an average of 39 days a year with damaging-wind reports and 18 with large-hail reports from 1980 to 2006.1 The same records put the area's primary severe season at May 8 to September 6, with July averaging the most reports.1
Notable storms
- September 1, 2021The remnants of Ida produced an EF2 tornado with peak winds estimated at 130 mph on an 8-mile path from Fort Washington through Upper Dublin to Horsham, and one person was killed when a tree fell on a home. The Schuylkill River at Philadelphia crested at 16.35 feet, a major flood level, on September 2.2,3
- August 4, 2020During Tropical Storm Isaias, an EF2 tornado began in Northeast Philadelphia near Knights Road and tracked about 20 miles to the Doylestown area, with peak winds estimated at 115 mph. Winds near 100 mph tore roofs, siding and awnings off many Northeast Philadelphia homes and tossed or flipped a few cars. Six people had minor injuries.4,5
- June 3, 2020A derecho crossed southeastern Pennsylvania just before midday, with gusts of 60 to 70 mph common and 71 mph in the Holmesburg section of Philadelphia. Falling trees killed three people in Montgomery County.6
- June 23, 2015A squall line with gusts estimated as high as 85 mph hit Delaware County and Gloucester, Camden and Burlington counties in New Jersey, and about twenty homes and buildings were condemned in the city of Chester. NOAA's storm records list about $34 million in property damage in the area.7,8
- June 24, 2010Storms knocked down numerous trees in the southern half of Philadelphia, with 184 calls of downed trees, and a 75 mph gust at Philadelphia International Airport was the third highest ever recorded there.9,10
- March 29, 2009A Skywarn spotter reported 1.75-inch hail in Northeast Philadelphia, and smaller hail fell in Center City.11
Warnings and alerts
The National Weather Service office in Mount Holly, New Jersey, handles watches and warnings for Philadelphia and the rest of eastern and southeastern Pennsylvania.12 Texting ReadyPhila to 888-777 signs a phone up for the City's ReadyPhiladelphia emergency and severe weather text alerts, and alerts can be targeted to up to five Philadelphia addresses.13
Sources
- 1. NOAA Storm Prediction Center: DIX Severe Weather Climatology
- 2. NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly: September 1: Remnants of Ida
- 3. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Tornado, Montgomery County, September 1, 2021
- 4. NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly: Philadelphia and Bucks County Pennsylvania Tornado, Public Information Statement
- 5. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Tornado, Philadelphia County, August 4, 2020
- 6. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Thunderstorm Wind, Montgomery County, June 3, 2020
- 7. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Thunderstorm Wind, Delaware County, June 23, 2015
- 8. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Thunderstorm Wind, Gloucester County, June 23, 2015
- 9. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Thunderstorm Wind, Philadelphia County, June 24, 2010
- 10. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Thunderstorm Wind, Philadelphia International Airport, June 24, 2010
- 11. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, Philadelphia County, March 29, 2009
- 12. NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly: NWS Philadelphia/Mount Holly NJ Forecast Office Info
- 13. City of Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management: ReadyPhiladelphia
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Questions about hail in Philadelphia
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center
Data through November 1, 2026
- How often does it hail in Philadelphia?
- NOAA recorded hail within 15 miles of the center of Philadelphia on 2.9 days a year on average from 2016 to 2025, 1.9 of them with hail 1 inch or larger. Since 2010 it recorded 41 hail days.
- When is hail season in Philadelphia?
- June has the most hail days within 15 miles of the center of Philadelphia, 11 since 2010, then July (8) and May (7).
- What is the largest hail recorded in Philadelphia?
- 2.5 in, in 2022: the largest hail NOAA recorded within 15 miles of the center of Philadelphia since 2010.
- When did it last hail in Philadelphia?
- NOAA's most recent hail report within 15 miles of the center of Philadelphia is from May 20, 2026, with hail up to 1.0 in reported 13.9 miles from the center. Data through November 1, 2026.