Hail history in Pittsburgh, PA
On average, NOAA recorded hail within 15 miles of the center of Pittsburgh on 3.8 days a year from 2016 to 2025, 2.4 of them with hail 1 inch or larger. NOAA recorded hail within 15 miles of the center of Pittsburgh on 64 days since 2010. The largest hail reported was 2.0 in, in 2024. 44 of those days had hail of 1 inch or larger. August has the most hail days, 15 since 2010. The most recent was September 3, 2026. NOAA also recorded high wind on 181 days, with gusts up to 90 mph.
Ranks #38 of 200 US cities for days with hail 1 inch or larger, 2016 to 2025.
- Hail days since 2010
- 64
- Largest hail
- 2.0 in
- Highest gust
- 90 mph
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center
Data through November 1, 2026
64 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. 64 hail days in total; the most was 7 in 2013.
Hail days by month
Hail days by month since 2010: Jan 0, Feb 0, Mar 5, Apr 7, May 10, Jun 13, Jul 8, Aug 15, Sep 4, Oct 1, Nov 0, Dec 1.
Most recent hail days
| Date | Largest hail | Nearest report |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 3, 2026 | 1.5 in | 6.6 mi |
| May 13, 2026 | 1.0 in | 13.3 mi |
| Mar 7, 2026 | 1.0 in | 12.5 mi |
| Apr 2, 2025 | 1.75 in | 5.7 mi |
| Mar 16, 2025 | 1.25 in | 0.7 mi |
| Aug 29, 2024 | 1.0 in | 9.7 mi |
| Aug 17, 2024 | 0.75 in | 6.6 mi |
| Aug 6, 2024 | 0.75 in | 14.6 mi |
| May 25, 2024 | 2.0 in | 6.5 mi |
| May 11, 2024 | 0.75 in | 9.7 mi |
About this data
- Distances are from the center of Pittsburgh, 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.
181 high-wind days within 15 miles since 2010, strongest gust 90 mph
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center
Data through November 1, 2026
Most recent high-wind days
| Date | Highest gust | Nearest report |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 16, 2026 | Not recorded | 10.7 mi |
| Sep 12, 2026 | Not recorded | 4.2 mi |
| Sep 3, 2026 | 75 mph | 1.6 mi |
| Aug 22, 2026 | Not recorded | 12.6 mi |
| Aug 16, 2026 | Not recorded | 4.2 mi |
| Aug 10, 2026 | Not recorded | 10.4 mi |
| Aug 7, 2026 | Not recorded | 2.8 mi |
| Jul 18, 2026 | Not recorded | 12.6 mi |
| Jul 4, 2026 | Not recorded | 5.5 mi |
| Jun 14, 2026 | 60 mph | 4.8 mi |
About this data
- Distances are from the center of Pittsburgh, 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 Pittsburgh
Estimated peak gusts
2 days since October 1, 2021 had an estimated peak gust of 58 mph or more at Pittsburgh.
| Day | Estimated peak gust |
|---|---|
| Mar 13, 2026 | 58 mph or more |
| Dec 29, 2024 | 50 mph or more |
| Nov 20, 2024 | 50 mph or more |
| Apr 1, 2023 | 58 mph or more |
| Jul 20, 2022 | 50 mph or more |
| Feb 17, 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 17 tornadoes whose path came within 10 miles of Pittsburgh since 1950; the strongest was rated EF3.
| Day | Rating | Path length | Closest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 20, 2024 | EF0 | 1 miles | 4 miles |
| Jun 26, 2024 | EF1 | 11.54 miles | 9.5 miles |
| May 17, 2024 | EF1 | 1.88 miles | 3.4 miles |
| May 17, 2024 | Not rated | 0.61 miles | 6.1 miles |
| Oct 21, 2021 | EF1 | 4.7 miles | 8.5 miles |
| Oct 21, 2021 | EF0 | 0.54 miles | 8.1 miles |
| Sep 27, 2012 | EF0 | 0.3 miles | 7.7 miles |
| Aug 9, 2007 | EF0 | 0.49 miles | 0.8 miles |
Show all 17Show fewer
| Day | Rating | Path length | Closest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 12, 2003 | EF0 | 5.5 miles | 2.9 miles |
| Jun 2, 1998 | EF1 | 32 miles | 1.7 miles |
| Jun 21, 1981 | EF1 | 0.1 miles | 5.1 miles |
| Oct 3, 1979 | EF1 | 1.9 miles | 4.2 miles |
| Jul 7, 1977 | EF0 | 0.1 miles | 9.2 miles |
| Apr 25, 1976 | EF0 | 0.1 miles | 0.7 miles |
| Jun 4, 1975 | EF2 | 45.3 miles | 0 miles |
| Aug 3, 1963 | EF3 | 0.1 miles | 9.7 miles |
| May 12, 1956 | EF2 | 0.7 miles | 7.4 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 Pittsburgh.
| Storm | Modeled peak gust | Sustained | Closest pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandy (2012) | 57 mph | 47 mph | 20 miles |
Modeled from NOAA’s best tracks for open, flat ground; not measurements. How we model hurricane winds
42 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.
19 days with radar hail 1 inch or larger, 0 at 2 inches or larger, within 15 miles of Pittsburgh’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 3, 2026 | 1.75 in or more |
| Sep 2, 2026 | 1.25 in or more |
| Aug 22, 2026 | 0.75 in or more |
| Aug 15, 2026 | 1.5 in or more |
| Aug 10, 2026 | 0.75 in or more |
| Aug 8, 2026 | 0.75 in or more |
Storms in Pittsburgh
Around the Pittsburgh radar, NOAA's Storm Prediction Center records from 1980 to 2006 show a primary severe season of April 5 to September 2, peaking in July.1 Damaging wind dominates those records, with 10,434 wind reports against 3,650 hail reports.1
Notable storms
- May 25, 2024Hail up to 2 inches fell at Imperial in Allegheny County, with hail of 1.5 to 1.75 inches reported at Cliff Mine, Gayly and Neville Island.2,3,4,5
- April 8, 2020Early on April 8, 2020, storms brought wind gusts over 70 mph to a wide area, and winds tore off part of a church roof in New Kensington.6
- August 9, 2007A microburst with winds estimated at 85 mph hit the Uptown section of Pittsburgh from Fifth Street to Moultrie Street, collapsing walls and tearing roofs off several buildings.7
- May 31, 2002A macroburst with winds estimated as high as 105 mph cut an approximately 10-mile damage path from Homestead through West Mifflin, Duquesne and McKeesport, and a pavilion collapse at an amusement park in West Mifflin killed one person and injured 47. NOAA's storm records list about $10 million in property damage in the area.8
- June 30, 1998A microburst with winds up to 85 mph crossed Allegheny County from northwest to southeast. In the North Hills area, trees and power lines fell across a swath 1 to 2 miles wide and nearly 5 miles long. NOAA's storm records list 10 injuries and about $41 million in property damage.9
- June 2, 1998An F1 tornado touched down 5 miles northwest of Carnegie and tracked about 32 miles east-southeast across the southern and eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh into Westmoreland County. Mount Washington took most of the damage, with roofs blown off and brick walls torn down, and over 1,000 structures reported damage. NOAA's storm records list 50 injuries and about $13 million in property damage.10
Warnings and alerts
Allegheny County's free notification system, Allegheny Alerts, sends severe weather notices by email, text or phone call.11
Sources
- 1. NOAA Storm Prediction Center: PBZ Severe Weather Climatology
- 2. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, Allegheny County, May 25, 2024
- 3. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, Cliff Mine, May 25, 2024
- 4. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, Gayly, May 25, 2024
- 5. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, Neville Island, May 25, 2024
- 6. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Thunderstorm Wind, Westmoreland County, April 8, 2020
- 7. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Thunderstorm Wind, Allegheny County, August 9, 2007
- 8. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Thunderstorm Wind, Allegheny County, May 31, 2002
- 9. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Thunderstorm Wind, Allegheny County, June 30, 1998
- 10. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Tornado, Allegheny County, June 2, 1998
- 11. Allegheny County: Stay Connected with Allegheny County
Free hail history
See the hail history near your property.
Enter a street address to see every day since 2010 with NOAA hail and wind reports within 10 miles.
Get a hail report for your whole portfolio.
Send us your properties and we’ll pull the NOAA hail history for every address. Then Cloudbreak watches each one, and you hear from us when a storm tracks toward it.
Questions about hail in Pittsburgh
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center
Data through November 1, 2026
- How often does it hail in Pittsburgh?
- NOAA recorded hail within 15 miles of the center of Pittsburgh on 3.8 days a year on average from 2016 to 2025, 2.4 of them with hail 1 inch or larger. Since 2010 it recorded 64 hail days.
- When is hail season in Pittsburgh?
- August has the most hail days within 15 miles of the center of Pittsburgh, 15 since 2010, then June (13) and May (10).
- What is the largest hail recorded in Pittsburgh?
- 2.0 in, in 2024: the largest hail NOAA recorded within 15 miles of the center of Pittsburgh since 2010.
- When did it last hail in Pittsburgh?
- NOAA's most recent hail report within 15 miles of the center of Pittsburgh is from September 3, 2026, with hail up to 1.5 in reported 6.6 miles from the center. Data through November 1, 2026.