41
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$35K
Property damage
Hail in Kern County, California: 41 recorded events between 1982 and 2023. The strongest on record measured 1.75. That places the county #2,397 nationally and #4 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Hail in Kern County, California: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for hail in Kern County is the 2000s, when 20 of the county's 41 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 Kern County archive, hail makes up 4.9% of all recorded severe weather across 11 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #2,397 for this hazard and #4 within California, putting it in the 22.7 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Aug is the peak month for hail in Kern County with 10 recorded events, while Jan 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.
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 6, 2023 | CABLE | 1.75 | $0 |
| Jun 6, 2023 | CABLE | 1.5 | $0 |
| Jun 2, 2019 | BODFISH | 0.75 | $0 |
| May 25, 2019 | LAKEVIEW | 1 | $0 |
| Feb 18, 2019 | BUTTONWILLOW | 0.75 | $0 |
| May 6, 2016 | MARICOPA | 0.75 | $0 |
| Apr 25, 2016 | GREEN ACRES | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 11, 2015 | FORD CITY | 1 | $0 |
| Oct 17, 2010 | FRAZIER PARK | 1 | $0 |
| Feb 22, 2008 | ARVIN | 0.88 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Kern County
- Flood 325
- Flash Flood 134
- Heavy Rain 111
- Thunderstorm Wind 57
- Debris Flow 51
- Lightning 41
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A thunderstorm moved from the Shafter area at 1340 PST and impacted the Meadows Field Airport by 1414 PST with large hail. Another thunderstorm indicated by radar developed in the vicinity of Lamont at 1653 PST and moved southeast to the Arvin area before dissipating on the 11th.
Two separate but merging storms southwest of Bakersfield were observed with VILs of 30 and 25, storm tops of 20,000 feet, and maximum reflectivities of 55-60dBz. The warning decision was made by WSR-88D radar interpretation only. After merging these storms had a maximum VIL of 37, a reflectivity maximum of 61dBz, storm top was 31,000 feet, and a storm top divergence of 60 at its peak. A subsequent report of one-inch hail occurring at 1515 PST was received from Weedpatch, 10 miles southeast of Bakersfield. Additional hail of five-eighths inch was reported at Lamont, 12 miles ESE of Bakersfield at 1600 PST.
The SVR issued based on radar information, as previously described, for the period from 1519 PST until 1600 PST did provide some lead time. Additional one-inch hail was reported at 1530 PST in East Bakersfield by Kern County Emergency Management to NWSO San Joaquin Valley.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many hail events are on record in Kern County, California?
41 hail events are recorded in Kern County between 1982 and 2023, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest hail recorded in Kern County?
The strongest hail on record in Kern County measured 1.75.
Where does the hail data for Kern 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 Kern County, California.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/california/kern-county/hail/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.