Hail and tornadoes in Catawba County, NC
Since December 2020, radar estimated hail somewhere in Catawba County, NC on 33 days. The biggest estimate: 1.5 in or larger (ping-pong ball), on Wed, Jul 9, 2025. Hail was reported to the National Weather Service inside the county on 4 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 147 hail reports in Catawba County, NC on 103 days, 6 of them 2 inches or larger. The largest: 4.5 in, near Newton, on Wed, Jun 3, 1998.
By decade: 1990s: 32 · 2000s: 53 · 2010s: 53 · 2020s: 9
Tornadoes since 1950
10 tornadoes have touched Catawba County, NC since 1950, none of them rated F3/EF3 or stronger. They killed 1 and injured 4.
Strongest
- Tue, Oct 26, 2010 · EF2 · 2.53 mi long, 100 yd wide · near Claremont
- Tue, Jan 9, 2024 · EF1 · 7.52 mi long, 250 yd wide · near Bandy · 1 death, 4 injuries
- Mon, Aug 7, 2023 · EF1 · 13.45 mi long, 550 yd wide · near Claremont
- Mon, Oct 23, 2017 · EF1 · 3.87 mi long, 1,300 yd wide · near Longview
- Fri, Jul 10, 2026 · EF0 · 0.77 mi long, 150 yd wide · near Plateau
Most recent
- Fri, Jul 10, 2026 · EF0 · 0.77 mi long, 150 yd wide · near Plateau
- Tue, Jan 9, 2024 · EF1 · 7.52 mi long, 250 yd wide · near Bandy · 1 death, 4 injuries
- Mon, Aug 7, 2023 · EF1 · 13.45 mi long, 550 yd wide · near Claremont
- Mon, Oct 23, 2017 · EF1 · 3.87 mi long, 1,300 yd wide · near Longview
- Mon, Oct 23, 2017 · EF0 · 1.65 mi long, 100 yd wide · near Plateau
- Mon, May 1, 2017 · EF0 · 2.67 mi long, 50 yd wide · near Duan
- Tue, Oct 26, 2010 · EF0 · 0.42 mi long, 75 yd wide · near Terrell
- Tue, Oct 26, 2010 · EF2 · 2.53 mi long, 100 yd wide · near Claremont
- Tue, Oct 26, 2010 · EF0 · 0.74 mi long, 100 yd wide · near Plateau
- Mon, Sep 28, 1998 · F0 · 0.2 mi long, 25 yd wide · near Hickory
By decade: 1990s: 1 · 2010s: 6 · 2020s: 3
Still loading: NOAA's record goes back to 1950, and 1995 onward is in so far.
Every hail day since December 2020
- Sun, Sep 20, 2026
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 0.75 in or larger (penny)
No hail reported in the county.
- Fri, Sep 18, 2026
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 0.75 in or larger (penny)
No hail reported in the county.
- Thu, Aug 20, 2026
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 0.75 in or larger (penny)
No hail reported in the county.
- Sat, Aug 8, 2026
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 0.75 in or larger (penny)
No hail reported in the county.
- Tue, Jul 28, 2026
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 1 in or larger (quarter)
No hail reported in the county.
- Sun, Jul 19, 2026
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 0.75 in or larger (penny)
No hail reported in the county.
- Mon, Jun 1, 2026
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 0.75 in or larger (penny)
No hail reported in the county.
- Sat, Jul 12, 2025
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 0.75 in or larger (penny)
No hail reported in the county.
- Thu, Jul 10, 2025
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 0.75 in or larger (penny)
No hail reported in the county.
- Wed, Jul 9, 2025
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 1.5 in or larger (ping-pong ball)
No hail reported in the county.
- Thu, Jun 19, 2025
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 0.75 in or larger (penny)
No hail reported in the county.
- Tue, Jun 10, 2025
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 1 in or larger (quarter)
No hail reported in the county.
- Sat, Aug 17, 2024
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 0.75 in or larger (penny)
Reported in the county- 1 in (1 N Claremont, NC)
- Thu, Aug 1, 2024
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 0.75 in or larger (penny)
No hail reported in the county.
- Tue, Jul 16, 2024
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 0.75 in or larger (penny)
No hail reported in the county.
- Thu, May 23, 2024
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 1 in or larger (quarter)
No hail reported in the county.
- Wed, May 15, 2024
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 1 in or larger (quarter)
Reported in the county- 1 in (3 SE Hickory, NC)
- Wed, Sep 13, 2023
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 0.75 in or larger (penny)
No hail reported in the county.
- Sat, Aug 26, 2023
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 0.75 in or larger (penny)
No hail reported in the county.
- Mon, Aug 7, 2023
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 0.75 in or larger (penny)
No hail reported in the county.
- Sat, Jul 1, 2023
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 0.75 in or larger (penny)
Reported in the county- 1 in (1 SSW Hickory, NC)
- Mon, Jul 25, 2022
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 0.75 in or larger (penny)
No hail reported in the county.
- Wed, Jul 13, 2022
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 0.75 in or larger (penny)
No hail reported in the county.
- Thu, Jul 7, 2022
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 0.75 in or larger (penny)
No hail reported in the county.
- Wed, Jul 6, 2022
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 0.75 in or larger (penny)
No hail reported in the county.
- Thu, Jun 16, 2022
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 1 in or larger (quarter)
No hail reported in the county.
- Mon, Jun 13, 2022
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 0.75 in or larger (penny)
No hail reported in the county.
- Thu, May 26, 2022
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 0.75 in or larger (penny)
No hail reported in the county.
- Wed, Aug 25, 2021
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 0.75 in or larger (penny)
No hail reported in the county.
- Wed, Aug 11, 2021
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 1 in or larger (quarter)
No hail reported in the county.
- Sun, Jul 18, 2021
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 0.75 in or larger (penny)
No hail reported in the county.
- Sat, Jul 17, 2021
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 0.75 in or larger (penny)
No hail reported in the county.
- Mon, Jun 14, 2021
Radar estimate anywhere in the county: 1 in or larger (quarter)
Reported in the county- 1 in (3 E NEWTON, NC)
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.