85
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$561K
Property damage
Hail in Fresno County, California: 85 recorded events between 1957 and 2023. The strongest on record measured 1.75. That places the county #1,646 nationally and #1 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Hail in Fresno County, California: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for hail in Fresno County is the 2000s, when 53 of the county's 85 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Fresno County archive, hail makes up 10.9% of all recorded severe weather across 12 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #1,646 for this hazard and #1 within California, putting it in the 47.2 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Apr is the peak month for hail in Fresno County with 20 recorded events, while Aug is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 18, 2000 | FIVE PTS | 0.5 | 0 | 4 | $40K |
| Mar 13, 1998 | KERMAN | 0.75 | 0 | 4 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 11, 2023 | INGLE | 1 | $0 |
| May 19, 2019 | WESTHAVEN | 0.5 | $0 |
| Apr 11, 2012 | RIVERDALE | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 12, 2010 | FIG GARDEN VLG | 0.75 | $0 |
| Jun 5, 2009 | BURREL | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 5, 2009 | KERMAN BLAND ARPT | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 5, 2009 | KERMAN BLAND ARPT | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 5, 2009 | KERMAN BLAND ARPT | 1.25 | $0 |
| Jun 5, 2009 | HELM | 1 | $0 |
| Mar 16, 2008 | ARBIOS | 0.75 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Fresno County
- Flood 312
- Heavy Rain 107
- Thunderstorm Wind 78
- Funnel Cloud 47
- Debris Flow 40
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A severe thunderstorm moved north toward Madera County depositing hail to a depth of 2" on the ground at points north and northeast of Kerman. The accompnaying deluge of rain led to multiple crashes on area highways sending 4 people to area hospitals beginning around 1400 PST in the Fresno area.
While not meeting severe thunderstorm criteria, a line of late spring thunderstorms ran across north-central Fresno and to the east of Fresno. Hail just less than 3/4-inch in diameter was deposited to the depth of 2 inches accompanied by gusty wind to at least 30 MPH and locally heavy rain bringing widespread street flooding. Some power outages were reported throughout the Fresno City north and east sides from a line of thunderstorms that passed through the area from just before 7 PM PDT to half-past the hour. Spotters reported rainfall rates of 0.60 inches in 15 minutes in north-central Fresno…overall precipitation varied from 3/4-1 inch of rain over a 2-hour period along the storms' paths. Agriculture sustained damage from the hail with foilage and blossoms stripped on vines, and fruit and nut crops damaged from 10 to 100 percent in locations north, east, and southwest to southeast of Fresno. The damage figure is estimated for all of Fresno County, including the hail from the southwest-to-southeast of Fresno.
While not meeting severe thunderstorm criteria in hail size, the intolerance of local agriculture to any hail during the growing season led to damage among nut crops, stone fruit, and vineyards. The hail was reported just less than 3/4-inch.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many hail events are on record in Fresno County, California?
85 hail events are recorded in Fresno County between 1957 and 2023, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest hail recorded in Fresno County?
The strongest hail on record in Fresno County measured 1.75.
Where does the hail data for Fresno County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Hail in Fresno County, California.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/california/fresno-county/hail/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.