75
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$426K
Property damage
Hail in Watauga County, North Carolina: 75 recorded events between 1984 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 4. That places the county #1,779 nationally and #56 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Hail in Watauga County, North Carolina: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for hail in Watauga County is the 2010s, when 29 of the county's 75 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 Watauga County archive, hail makes up 21.7% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #1,779 for this hazard and #56 within North Carolina, putting it in the 42.5 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for hail in Watauga County with 28 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 29, 2026 | REESE | 0.75 | $0 |
| Apr 1, 2026 | DEEP GAP | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 23, 2022 | VILAS | 0.88 | $0 |
| May 21, 2022 | SANDS | 0.88 | $0 |
| Mar 18, 2021 | SHERWOOD | 1 | $0 |
| May 19, 2017 | BLOWING ROCK | 1 | $0 |
| Sep 29, 2016 | AHO | 1 | $0 |
| May 2, 2016 | ROMINGER | 1 | $0 |
| May 11, 2015 | BOWERS GAP | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 20, 2015 | MATNEY | 0.88 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Watauga County
- Flash Flood 85
- Thunderstorm Wind 67
- Flood 61
- Heavy Rain 40
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Hail up to the size of baseballs dented vehicle roofs and hoods, and smashed windshields. The hail accumulated to a depth of one inch. The town of Beech Mountain experienced an estimated $10,000 worth of hail damage just to city vehicles and property.
Severe thunderstorms in northwest North Carolina during the afternoon hours on the 17th produced hail up to nickel-size and damaging lightning. Dime-size hail covered the ground in Seven Devils. A lightning strike destroyed a transformer in Beech Mountain.
Severe thunderstorms in northwest North Carolina during the afternoon hours on the 17th produced hail up to nickel-size and damaging lightning. Dime-size hail covered the ground in Seven Devils. A lightning strike destroyed a transformer in Beech Mountain.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many hail events are on record in Watauga County, North Carolina?
75 hail events are recorded in Watauga County between 1984 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest hail recorded in Watauga County?
The strongest hail on record in Watauga County measured 4.
Where does the hail data for Watauga 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 Watauga County, North Carolina.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-carolina/watauga-county/hail/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.