Hail history in Kennewick, WA
On average, NOAA recorded hail within 15 miles of the center of Kennewick on 0.2 days a year from 2016 to 2025, 0.1 of them with hail 1 inch or larger. NOAA recorded hail within 15 miles of the center of Kennewick on 4 days since 2010. The largest hail reported was 1.0 in, in 2017. 3 of those days had hail of 1 inch or larger. May has the most hail days, 2 since 2010. The most recent was May 4, 2017. NOAA also recorded high wind on 10 days, with gusts up to 68 mph.
Ranks #168 of 200 US cities for days with hail 1 inch or larger, 2016 to 2025.
- Hail days since 2010
- 4
- Largest hail
- 1.0 in
- Highest gust
- 68 mph
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center
Data through November 1, 2026
4 hail days within 15 miles since 2010, largest 1.0 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. 4 hail days in total; the most was 2 in 2012.
Hail days by month
Hail days by month since 2010: Jan 0, Feb 0, Mar 0, Apr 0, May 2, Jun 0, Jul 2, Aug 0, Sep 0, Oct 0, Nov 0, Dec 0.
Most recent hail days
| Date | Largest hail | Nearest report |
|---|---|---|
| May 4, 2017 | 1.0 in | 13.7 mi |
| May 21, 2016 | 0.75 in | 0.3 mi |
| Jul 20, 2012 | 1.0 in | 7.7 mi |
| Jul 13, 2012 | 1.0 in | 0.3 mi |
About this data
- Distances are from the center of Kennewick, 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.
10 high-wind days within 15 miles since 2010, strongest gust 68 mph
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center
Data through November 1, 2026
Most recent high-wind days
| Date | Highest gust | Nearest report |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 17, 2020 | 61 mph | 6.1 mi |
| May 30, 2020 | 60 mph | 2.7 mi |
| Aug 12, 2014 | 63 mph | 4.2 mi |
| Sep 15, 2013 | 68 mph | 0.3 mi |
| Sep 5, 2013 | 60 mph | 8.4 mi |
| Aug 25, 2013 | 64 mph | 0.3 mi |
| Aug 9, 2013 | 58 mph | 12.5 mi |
| Jul 13, 2012 | 60 mph | 0.3 mi |
| Apr 23, 2012 | 62 mph | 5.7 mi |
| May 14, 2011 | 60 mph | 8.9 mi |
About this data
- Distances are from the center of Kennewick, 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 Kennewick
Estimated peak gusts
7 days since October 1, 2021 had an estimated peak gust of 58 mph or more at Kennewick.
| Day | Estimated peak gust |
|---|---|
| May 13, 2026 | 50 mph or more |
| Mar 11, 2026 | 58 mph or more |
| Mar 8, 2026 | 50 mph or more |
| Dec 18, 2025 | 58 mph or more |
| Dec 17, 2025 | 58 mph or more |
| Dec 10, 2025 | 50 mph or more |
| Feb 25, 2025 | 50 mph or more |
| Dec 26, 2024 | 50 mph or more |
Show all 18Show fewer
| Day | Estimated peak gust |
|---|---|
| Nov 17, 2024 | 50 mph or more |
| Feb 25, 2024 | 50 mph or more |
| Jan 9, 2024 | 50 mph or more |
| Feb 20, 2023 | 58 mph or more |
| Dec 27, 2022 | 58 mph or more |
| Nov 27, 2022 | 50 mph or more |
| Nov 4, 2022 | 58 mph or more |
| Apr 4, 2022 | 50 mph or more |
| Jan 7, 2022 | 58 mph or more |
| Dec 11, 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 2 tornadoes whose path came within 10 miles of Kennewick since 1950; the strongest was rated EF0.
| Day | Rating | Path length | Closest |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 2016 | EF0 | 0.15 miles | 0.3 miles |
| May 9, 1956 | EF0 | 10.2 miles | 4.4 miles |
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center. Ratings before 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hurricanes and tropical storms
No hurricane or tropical storm in NOAA's records brought modeled tropical-storm-force winds (39 mph) to Kennewick.
Modeled from NOAA’s best tracks for open, flat ground; not measurements. How we model hurricane winds
2 radar hail days within 15 miles since 2020, largest 0.75 in or more
Source: NOAA MRMS radar (MESH), from October 14, 2020. Estimates of the largest hail in each 1 km cell, not measurements.
0 days with radar hail 1 inch or larger, 0 at 2 inches or larger, within 15 miles of Kennewick’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 |
|---|---|
| May 28, 2026 | 0.75 in or more |
| May 26, 2021 | 0.75 in or more |
Storms in Kennewick
Within 124 nautical miles of the Pendleton, Oregon, radar, an area that takes in Kennewick, NOAA's Storm Prediction Center found a primary severe season of April 11 to August 15 for 1980 to 2006.1 The Western Regional Climate Center says a few damaging hailstorms are reported each summer in the farm areas of Washington's Central Basin, which runs north from the confluence of the Snake and Columbia rivers.2
Notable storms
- May 21, 2016On the night of May 21, 2016, a brief EF0 tornado touched down near the Kennewick Vista airport. The same storm brought some local flash flooding to downtown Kennewick, with trees down and 0.75-inch hail reported near the tornado.3
- September 15, 2013A cluster of severe storms on September 15, 2013, raised blowing dust ahead of its gust front and reached 77 mph at a Hanford weather station and 62 mph near the Kennewick Vista airport.4,5
- December 17, 2012On December 17, 2012, a strong Pacific storm hit the Tri-Cities hardest in the region, with gusts of 76 mph at the Richland airport, 70 mph at the Pasco airport and 63 mph 3 miles west-northwest of Kennewick. Wind blew shingles off a roof 4 miles northeast of Kennewick, and NOAA's Storm Events Database lists $560,000 in property damage in the Lower Columbia Basin.6
- May 19, 2006Downbursts on May 19, 2006, hit the Burbank area with winds estimated at 90 mph that destroyed a large storage building and grain bin and flipped a tractor-trailer onto a dump truck. An estimated 81 mph gust in Burbank blew the roof off a warehouse.7,8
- July 7, 2002On July 7, 2002, a 76 mph thunderstorm gust flipped two small airplanes at the Tri-Cities Airport in Pasco, and 84 mph was measured 10 miles north-northeast of Pasco. Hail severely damaged thousands of acres of crops in Pasco, and NOAA's storm records list about $770,000 in property damage in the area.9,10,11
Warnings and alerts
Benton County Emergency Management notifies residents of natural disasters and other significant events through CodeRED, a free sign-up service that sends texts, emails or phone calls.12
Sources
- 1. NOAA Storm Prediction Center: PDT Severe Weather Climatology
- 2. Western Regional Climate Center: Climate of Washington
- 3. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Tornado, Benton County, May 21, 2016
- 4. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Thunderstorm Wind, Benton County, September 15, 2013 (Hanford)
- 5. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Thunderstorm Wind, Benton County, September 15, 2013 (Kennewick)
- 6. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: High Wind, Lower Columbia Basin, December 17, 2012
- 7. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Thunderstorm Wind, Walla Walla County, May 19, 2006 (5 E Burbank)
- 8. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Thunderstorm Wind, Walla Walla County, May 19, 2006 (Burbank)
- 9. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Thunderstorm Wind, Franklin County, July 7, 2002
- 10. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Thunderstorm Wind, Franklin County, July 7, 2002 (10 NNE Pasco)
- 11. NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: Hail, Franklin County, July 7, 2002
- 12. Benton County Emergency Services: Code Red
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Questions about hail in Kennewick
Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center
Data through November 1, 2026
- How often does it hail in Kennewick?
- NOAA recorded hail within 15 miles of the center of Kennewick on 0.2 days a year on average from 2016 to 2025, 0.1 of them with hail 1 inch or larger. Since 2010 it recorded 4 hail days.
- When is hail season in Kennewick?
- May has the most hail days within 15 miles of the center of Kennewick, 2 since 2010, then July (2).
- What is the largest hail recorded in Kennewick?
- 1.0 in, in 2017: the largest hail NOAA recorded within 15 miles of the center of Kennewick since 2010.
- When did it last hail in Kennewick?
- NOAA's most recent hail report within 15 miles of the center of Kennewick is from May 4, 2017, with hail up to 1.0 in reported 13.7 miles from the center. Data through November 1, 2026.