How big was the hail on October 2, 2023?

The maximum estimated stone size anywhere in the country that day was 1.00 inches, over Virginia Beach, VA. Sizes vary street to street inside a single swath, so a city's figure is the largest radar estimated anywhere within about 5 miles of it.

Where does this hail data come from?

NOAA MRMS radar, specifically the Maximum Estimated Size of Hail product, ingested directly from the public NOAA archive. It runs about a quarter of an inch against ground truth, which makes it good for deciding where to look and not a substitute for an inspection.

Does this mean roofs were damaged?

Radar measures stone size, not damage. Whether a particular roof was damaged depends on stone size, wind direction, roof age and material — only an inspection settles it. These figures tell you where it is worth looking.

How do I see the actual swath on a map?

A HailMate plan puts a whole state on a real interactive map, with this swath and three years of others already on it. From $79/mo, and the canvassing tools come with it.

United States · October 2, 2023

Hail map — October 2, 2023

Name: US hail map — October 2, 2023
Creator: HailMate

NOAA radar detected hail of an inch or more over 3 cities across 3 states on October 2, 2023. The largest stones — 1.00″, quarter size — fell over Virginia Beach, VA.

Hail swath map for Virginia Beach, VA on October 2, 2023 showing 1.00 inch hail. — Largest rendered swath of the day: Virginia Beach, VA — 1.00″ hail. Each city below has its own map for this storm.

States hit: 3
Cities hit: 3
Largest stone: 1.00″; quarter size
Impact rating: 3/10; from stone size

Sizes come from NOAA MRMS radar (MESH), which runs about ±0.25″ against ground truth. It is canvass-targeting quality, not claim evidence.

Roofing contractors

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Three years of hail swaths, filterable by stone size
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Homeowners

Did hail hit your address?

This page covers your area as a whole. Check your own address to see every storm on record for your roof — the date and the stone size for each one — and we'll email you the full report to keep.

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Free, and no account needed to look it up. If hail did hit, you can ask for a free inspection from a vetted local roofer.

States hit on October 2, 2023

Every state where NOAA radar put an inch or more of hail over a city that day, biggest stone first.

Virginia1 city · 1.00″South Dakota1 city · 1.00″New Mexico1 city · 1.00″

Hardest hit on October 2, 2023

Virginia Beach, VA1.00″ · quarter Rapid City, SD1.00″ · quarter Carlsbad, NM1.00″ · quarter

What people on the ground measured in the US on October 2, 2023

15 reports filed with the National Weather Service — 9 from trained spotters or officials. These are measured stones, not radar estimates, so they are the closest thing to proof that hail actually reached the ground.

2.75″ baseball size Emergency Mngr
Pecos, TX4:20 PM CDTReeves County
2.50″ hen egg size Trained Spotter
10 W Avalon, NM1:37 PM MDTEddy County
Relayed report from NMDOT employee, tennis ball size hail on US285. Time estimated from radar.
1.75″ golf ball size Public
9 NW Carlsbad, NM1:11 PM MDTEddy County
Golfball size hail (some bigger possible) along State Highway 137 near Rocky Arroyo crossing. Wind driven hail broke windshields, and fences were blown down. Time estimated from radar.
1.75″ golf ball size Trained Spotter
11 NW Carlsbad, NM1:36 PM MDTEddy County
Golf ball sized hail along US285. Time estimated from radar.
1.75″ golf ball size Park/Forest Srvc
5 W Whites City, NM5:39 PM MDTEddy County
Corrects previous report. Golf ball sized hail observed in Walnut Canyon in Carlsbad Caverns National Park.
1.75″ golf ball size Public
14 ENE Red Bluff, TX7:20 PM CDTLoving County
Hail observed at the Tornado Gas Plant.
1.50″ half dollar size NWS Employee
7 NNE Ellsworth AFB, SD8:56 PM CDTMeade County
1.25″ half dollar size NWS Employee
7 NNE Ellsworth AFB, SD8:53 PM CDTMeade County
1.00″ quarter size Emergency Mngr
Las Vegas, NM1:37 PM MDTSan Miguel County
Lots of nickel to quarter sized hail that accumulated to about 3 inches deep in some areas.
1.00″ quarter size Public
1 NE Las Vegas, NM1:45 PM MDTSan Miguel County
The Las Vegas Animal Care Shelter suffered hail damage to their property, knocking out a window and having crates and kennels damaged. No injuries, two or four legged reported.
1.00″ quarter size Trained Spotter
7 W Avalon, NM1:46 PM MDTEddy County
Quarter sized hail and wind gusts over 60 mph along US285 northwest of Carlsbad.
1.00″ quarter size Public
2 E San Antonio, NM1:50 PM MDTSan Miguel County
Copious amounts of nickel to quarter sized hail required NMDOT snow plows to be dispatched along Interstate 25.
1.00″ quarter size Trained Spotter
5 SW Hay Springs, NE7:25 PM CDTSheridan County
1.00″ quarter size Public
15 NNW Hay Springs, NE7:33 PM CDTSheridan County
1.00″ quarter size Trained Spotter
Argyle, SD7:57 PM CDTCuster County
Time estimated from radar.

Showing the 15 largest of 28 hail reports filed that day.

Reports come from the National Weather Service Local Storm Report feed, ingested every 15 minutes. A report records where the observer was, not the full extent of the swath — treat it as evidence about the storm, not about any one roof.

Other hail days

August 19, 202620 cities · 2.00″August 18, 20266 cities · 1.50″August 17, 20266 cities · 1.00″August 16, 202610 cities · 1.50″August 15, 20268 cities · 1.50″August 14, 202611 cities · 2.00″August 13, 202616 cities · 2.00″August 12, 202610 cities · 1.50″August 11, 202633 cities · 2.00″August 10, 202623 cities · 1.50″August 9, 202649 cities · 1.50″August 8, 20265 cities · 1.50″

Every state with hail on record →

FAQ

US hail on October 2, 2023

NOAA radar put hail of an inch or more over 3 cities across 3 states on October 2, 2023. The largest stones — 1.00 inches, quarter size — were over Virginia Beach, VA. Every state hit is listed on this page, and every city under it.

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