10 Most Destructive Hail Storms of the Last Decade

By Sam Stebbins  •  June 10, 2026
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Photo by Hans on Pixabay

In nearly every form, precipitation can pose existential risks to life and property. Each year over the last decade, severe flooding events in the U.S. – often triggered by heavy rainfall – cause an average of $4.6 billion in damage and about 13 fatalities, according to Climate Central’s Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters database. Over the same time period, major winter storms which typically bring heavy snow, cause an annual average of $5.1 billion in damage and 61 fatalities. And in many parts of the country – even those where flooding or extreme winter storms are unlikely – hail is also a threat with potentially catastrophic consequences. 

Hail is a type of precipitation that falls in the form of solid ice. Hail is typically created in thunderstorms when updrafts carry rain drops higher into the atmosphere, causing them to freeze. The resulting hailstones can range in size from a fraction of an inch in diameter to several inches. Generally, the larger the hailstone, the greater the danger – not only because of their greater mass, but also due to the speed at which they fall to Earth. 

According to the National Severe Storms Laboratory, hailstones of less than 1 inch in diameter typically hit the ground between 9 and 25 miles per hour. At 4 inches, hail can fall up to 72 mph – and while rare, hailstones with diameters exceeding 4 inches can reach speeds of more than 100 mph. While there are only a handful of known fatalities caused by hail in U.S. history, a single hail storm can cause billions of dollars in property damage. 

Using data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Climate Crisis 247 identified the most destructive hail storms in the last decade. We ranked all hail storm events between 2016 and 2025 on total estimated property damage associated with the event. Damage totals only include the monetary value of destroyed property within a single state. All supplemental data is also from NOAA. 

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10. November 4, 2016; El Paso and Horizon City, Texas

  • Total estimated hail damage: $300.0 million
  • Reported hail size: Golf Ball (approx. 1.75 inches in diameter)
  • Impacted counties include: El Paso and Hudspeth Counties
  • Incident details: $200 million in vehicle damage and $100 million in damage to homes

9. April 11, 2016; Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro area, Texas

  • Total estimated hail damage: $344.5 million
  • Reported hail size: Grapefruit (approx. 4.5 inches in diameter)
  • Impacted counties include: Collin, Denton, Rockwall, Wise, Rains, Montague, Hunt, and Young Counties
  • Incident details: 80% of the city of Wylie suffered hail damaged

8. March 24, 2021; Flower Mound and Saginaw, Texas

  • Total estimated hail damage: $462.6 million
  • Reported hail size: Tennis Ball (approx. 2.5-3,0 inches in diameter)
  • Impacted counties include: Denton, Tarrant, Van Zandt, and Mills Counties
  • Incident details: Hail storms also produced tornadoes 

7. April 28, 2021; Fort Worth, Texas

  • Total estimated hail damage: $500.0 million
  • Reported hail size: Tennis Ball (approx. 2.5-3.25 inches in diameter)
  • Impacted counties include: Tarrant and Denton Counties
  • Incident details: Storm system included tornadoes and flooding and spread into Oklahoma, causing a combined $3.7 billion in property damage 

6. September 24, 2023; Austin, Georgetown, and Round Rock, Texas

  • Total estimated hail damage: $600.0 million
  • Reported hail size: Baseball (approx. 2.75 inches in diameter)
  • Impacted counties include: Williamson and Travis Counties
  • Incident details: Round Rock School District reported $70 million in damage to 62 facilities

5. March 17, 2016; Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro area, Texas

  • Total estimated hail damage: $601.5 million
  • Reported hail size: Tennis Ball (approx. 2.5 inches in diameter)
  • Impacted counties include: Tarrant, Wise, Denton, Collin, Hunt, and Parker Counties
  • Incident details: Damage concentrated in Tarrant County, where golf ball-sized hail covered the ground at Texas Christian University and killed animals at the Fort Worth Zoo

4. March 23, 2016; Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro area, Texas

  • Total estimated hail damage: $750.2 million
  • Reported hail size: Golf Ball (approx. 1.75 inches in diameter)
  • Impacted counties include: Collin, Denton, Tarrant, Hopkins, and Grayson Counties
  • Incident details: Damage concentrated in Collin County, particularly in and around the city of Plano, Texas

3. May 19, 2023; Allen, Texas

  • Total estimated hail damage: $1.3 billion
  • Reported hail size: Tennis Ball (approx. 2.5 inches in diameter)
  • Impacted counties include: Collin County
  • Incident details: Damage was largely concentrated in the city of Allen, though the cities of Frisco, Luca, and Plano were also impacted 

2. April 12, 2016; San Antonio, Texas

  • Total estimated hail damage: $1.4 billion
  • Reported hail size: Grapefruit (approx. 4.5 inches in diameter)
  • Impacted counties include: Bexar County
  • Incident details: An estimated 136,000 vehicles and 125,000 homes were either damaged or destroyed 

1. May 8, 2017; Denver metro area, Colorado

  • Total estimated hail damage: $2.3 billion
  • Reported hail size: Baseball (approx. 2.75 inches in diameter)
  • Impacted counties include: Jefferson County
  • Incident details: Hail storm led to more than 150,000 auto insurance and 50,000 homeowner insurance claims 


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