Hail history in Roanoke, VA
On average, NOAA recorded hail within 15 miles of the center of Roanoke on 3.1 days a year from 2016 to 2025, 2.3 of them with hail 1 inch or larger. NOAA recorded hail within 15 miles of the center of Roanoke on 61 days since 2010. The largest hail reported was 2.0 in, in 2019. 47 of those days had hail of 1 inch or larger. May has the most hail days, 15 since 2010. The most recent was June 11, 2026. NOAA also recorded high wind on 178 days, with gusts up to 81 mph.
Ranks #40 of 200 US cities for days with hail 1 inch or larger, 2016 to 2025.
- Hail days since 2010
- 61
- Largest hail
- 2.0 in
- Highest gust
- 81 mph
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center
Data through November 1, 2026
61 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. 61 hail days in total; the most was 11 in 2011.
Hail days by month
Hail days by month since 2010: Jan 0, Feb 0, Mar 1, Apr 4, May 15, Jun 13, Jul 13, Aug 9, Sep 6, Oct 0, Nov 0, Dec 0.
Most recent hail days
| Date | Largest hail | Nearest report |
|---|---|---|
| Jun 11, 2026 | 1.0 in | 9.3 mi |
| Apr 1, 2026 | 1.0 in | 6.5 mi |
| Jul 18, 2025 | 1.0 in | 6.5 mi |
| May 8, 2025 | 1.0 in | 7.5 mi |
| May 22, 2024 | 1.0 in | 8.7 mi |
| Sep 7, 2023 | 1.0 in | 4.3 mi |
| Jul 23, 2023 | 0.88 in | 3.2 mi |
| Jul 14, 2023 | 0.88 in | 4.0 mi |
| Aug 9, 2022 | 1.0 in | 4.3 mi |
| May 3, 2022 | 1.0 in | 11.6 mi |
About this data
- Distances are from the center of Roanoke, 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.
178 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 21, 2026 | Not recorded | 7.9 mi |
| Sep 11, 2026 | Not recorded | 6.6 mi |
| Aug 14, 2026 | Not recorded | 10.2 mi |
| Aug 10, 2026 | 60 mph | 0.9 mi |
| Aug 9, 2026 | Not recorded | 14.4 mi |
| Aug 8, 2026 | Not recorded | 10.0 mi |
| Jul 28, 2026 | Not recorded | 3.6 mi |
| Jul 26, 2026 | Not recorded | 8.9 mi |
| Jul 18, 2026 | Not recorded | 3.5 mi |
| Jul 17, 2026 | Not recorded | 4.2 mi |
About this data
- Distances are from the center of Roanoke, 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 Roanoke
Estimated peak gusts
No day since October 1, 2021 had an estimated peak gust of 58 mph or more at Roanoke.
| Day | Estimated peak gust |
|---|---|
| Mar 16, 2026 | 50 mph or more |
| Feb 16, 2025 | 50 mph or more |
| Apr 1, 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 6 tornadoes whose path came within 10 miles of Roanoke since 1950; the strongest was rated EF2.
| Day | Rating | Path length | Closest |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 26, 2024 | EF1 | 2 miles | 4.2 miles |
| Jun 3, 2008 | EF0 | 1.62 miles | 2 miles |
| Aug 4, 2003 | EF1 | 0.5 miles | 3.6 miles |
| Apr 3, 1974 | EF2 | 6.5 miles | 2.3 miles |
| Jun 11, 1955 | EF1 | 0.1 miles | 9.9 miles |
| May 17, 1953 | EF2 | 1 miles | 5.9 miles |
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center. Ratings before 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hurricanes and tropical storms
2 storms in NOAA's records brought modeled tropical-storm-force winds (39 mph or more) to Roanoke.
| Storm | Modeled peak gust | Sustained | Closest pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonnie (1998) | 58 mph | 47 mph | 227 miles |
| 1893 Sea Islands hurricane | 53 mph | 43 mph | 35 miles |
Modeled from NOAA’s best tracks for open, flat ground; not measurements. How we model hurricane winds
40 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.
9 days with radar hail 1 inch or larger, 0 at 2 inches or larger, within 15 miles of Roanoke’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 21, 2026 | 1.25 in or more |
| Jul 4, 2026 | 0.75 in or more |
| Jun 22, 2026 | 0.75 in or more |
| Jun 12, 2026 | 0.75 in or more |
| Jun 11, 2026 | 1.0 in or more |
| Apr 1, 2026 | 0.75 in or more |
Storms in Roanoke
May is the peak month for severe hail in the NWS Blacksburg warning area, with 37% of reports from 1950 to 2005, while damaging winds peak in July.1 NOAA's Storm Prediction Center puts the primary severe weather season around the Roanoke radar at April 3 to August 28.2
Notable storms
- June 28, 2025On June 28, 2025, thunderstorms produced a measured 73 mph gust at Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport and blew down power lines along Kentucky Avenue in Roanoke County.3,4
- August 1, 2019On August 1, 2019, storms dropped hail up to 2 inches across parts of southwest Roanoke, including Grandin Court, and some cars were damaged. Hail of 1 to 1.25 inches fell in Salem and near Sugar Loaf.5,6,7
- August 1, 2012On August 1, 2012, a supercell drifted across Roanoke, dropping hail up to golf ball size, 1.75 inches, and a Salem car dealership reported $1,500 to $2,200 in damage to each of its 300 cars. NOAA's storm records list about $1.75 million in property damage in the area.8,9
- June 29, 2012In the June 29, 2012, derecho, Roanoke Regional Airport measured an 81 mph gust, a house in the city lost its roof, and hundreds, if not thousands, of trees fell across Roanoke County. NOAA's Storm Events Database lists $750,000 in property damage in Roanoke and $600,000 in Roanoke County.10,11
- May 22, 2004On May 22, 2004, storms over the Roanoke Valley dropped hail up to teacup size, with 3-inch hail reported at Vinton.12
- April 4, 1974Before dawn on April 4, 1974, during the Super Outbreak, a tornado touched down in Roanoke near the Lynchburg Turnpike. It unroofed apartments, peeled roofs off homes and snapped large trees, and the Roanoke airport measured a gust of 60 knots (69 mph). NWS Blacksburg puts damage at $500,000 to $700,000 in 1974 dollars.13
Warnings and alerts
Severe thunderstorm warnings for Roanoke and the Roanoke Valley come from the National Weather Service office in Blacksburg, Virginia.14,10 Star City Alerts, the City of Roanoke's official emergency notification system, sends free address-based weather and emergency alerts by text, email or voice message.15
Sources
- 1. NWS Blacksburg: A Severe Weather Climatology for the WFO Blacksburg, Virginia, County Warning Area
- 2. NOAA Storm Prediction Center: FCX Severe Weather Climatology
- 3. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Thunderstorm Wind, Roanoke County, June 28, 2025
- 4. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Thunderstorm Wind, Roanoke County, June 28, 2025 (Kentucky Avenue)
- 5. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, Roanoke, August 1, 2019
- 6. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, Salem, August 1, 2019
- 7. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, Roanoke County, August 1, 2019
- 8. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, Roanoke County, August 1, 2012
- 9. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, Salem, August 1, 2012
- 10. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Thunderstorm Wind, Roanoke, June 29, 2012
- 11. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Thunderstorm Wind, Roanoke County, June 29, 2012
- 12. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, Roanoke County, May 22, 2004
- 13. NWS Blacksburg: Blue Ridge Barometer, Summer 2024
- 14. NWS Blacksburg: NWS Forecast Office Blacksburg, VA
- 15. City of Roanoke: Star City Alerts
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Questions about hail in Roanoke
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center
Data through November 1, 2026
- How often does it hail in Roanoke?
- NOAA recorded hail within 15 miles of the center of Roanoke on 3.1 days a year on average from 2016 to 2025, 2.3 of them with hail 1 inch or larger. Since 2010 it recorded 61 hail days.
- When is hail season in Roanoke?
- May has the most hail days within 15 miles of the center of Roanoke, 15 since 2010, then June (13) and July (13).
- What is the largest hail recorded in Roanoke?
- 2.0 in, in 2019: the largest hail NOAA recorded within 15 miles of the center of Roanoke since 2010.
- When did it last hail in Roanoke?
- NOAA's most recent hail report within 15 miles of the center of Roanoke is from June 11, 2026, with hail up to 1.0 in reported 9.3 miles from the center. Data through November 1, 2026.