Hail and tornadoes in Santa Clara County, CA
Since December 2020, radar estimated hail somewhere in Santa Clara County, CA on 4 days. The biggest estimate: 1 in or larger (quarter), on Sat, Oct 25, 2025. Hail was reported to the National Weather Service inside the county on 0 days.
Still loading: radar estimates go back to Wed, Oct 14, 2020, and the earlier years are being added.
Radar estimates are NOAA's MESH: the largest hail the radar estimates aloft, on cells about 0.7 mile across, shown as the lower bound of a size band (“1.5+”). They often run larger than what reached the ground, and they aren't evidence of damage at any address.
Hail on record since 1955
NOAA's Storm Events database lists 35 hail reports in Santa Clara County, CA on 18 days, 0 of them 2 inches or larger. The largest: 1 in, near Gilroy, on Wed, Oct 10, 2012.
By decade: 2010s: 20 · 2020s: 15
Tornadoes since 1950
5 tornadoes have touched Santa Clara County, CA since 1950, none of them rated F3/EF3 or stronger. They killed 0 and injured 2.
Every one
- Sat, Apr 14, 2007 · EF0 · 0.2 mi long, 30 yd wide · near Gilroy
- Tue, May 5, 1998 · F2 · 0.6 mi long, 100 yd wide · near Sunnyvale · 1 injury
- Tue, May 5, 1998 · F1 · 0.3 mi long, 75 yd wide · near Los Altos · 1 injury
- Fri, Feb 6, 1998 · F0 · 0.1 mi long, 30 yd wide · near Sunnyvale
- Mon, Dec 8, 1997 · F0 · 0.2 mi long, 100 yd wide · near San Jose
By decade: 1990s: 4 · 2000s: 1
Still loading: NOAA's record goes back to 1950, and 1995 onward is in so far.
Every hail day since December 2020
- Sat, Oct 25, 2025
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 1 in or larger (quarter)
No hail reported in the county.
- Thu, Aug 17, 2023
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 0.75 in or larger (penny)
No hail reported in the county.
- Wed, Aug 16, 2023
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 0.75 in or larger (penny)
No hail reported in the county.
- Mon, Aug 14, 2023
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 1 in or larger (quarter)
No hail reported in the county.
Radar estimates and reports are for anywhere inside the county's boundary. Radar estimates come from NOAA's MRMS estimated hail size (MESH), the largest hail the radar estimates aloft on a ~1 km grid. They often run larger than the hail that reached the ground, and they aren't an observation at any address. Reports are what people reported to the National Weather Service. Neither is proof of damage or an official record for an insurance claim. From NOAA's Storm Events Database (NCEI), which records tornadoes from 1950, hail and thunderstorm wind from 1955, and every kind of storm from 1996. A tornado that crossed county lines is counted in each county it touched. Recent months are added as NCEI publishes them, a few months behind. Damage is in the dollars of its year and is often an estimate.