Plan around March to May
Most hail here falls in spring. A roof check before the season starts, and again after any storm that drops hail on your street, is the simplest way to find problems while they are small.
Local storm data · NOAA Storm Events Database
Austin Hail Season: NOAA Storm Data for Travis & Williamson Counties
Hail season in the Austin area runs from March through May. In NOAA’s Storm Events Database, Travis and Williamson counties logged 465 hail reports from 2011 through 2025 — an average of 31 a year — and 77.4% of them came in March, April and May, with April the single busiest month.
Key findings
- Hail season peaks in March, April and May. Those three months hold 77.4% of the 465 hail reports logged in Travis and Williamson counties from 2011 through 2025; April alone holds 30.8%.
- An average year brings 31 hail reports on about 6.3 separate hail days — but the range runs from 5 reports (2016) to 103 (2023).
- The last three complete years were the most active. 2023–2025 account for 235 of the 465 reports (50.5%) in the 15 complete years.
- 75.4% of the 479 reports from 2011 through May 26, 2026 were 1 inch or larger, the size NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center treats as severe; 22.3% were 1.75 inches (golf-ball size) or larger and 12.5% were 2 inches or larger.
- The largest hail reported here since 2011 was 4.0 in: Round Rock (Williamson County) on September 24, 2023 and Coupland (Williamson County) on May 30, 2024.
- One storm can rewrite a season. 36 reports of hail 1.75 inches or larger came on September 24, 2023 alone, and 63 of the 64 September reports in the record fell on September 24, 2023.
- The most-reported places from 2011 through May 26, 2026 are Georgetown (37), Fiskville (33), Leander (32), Round Rock (24) — NOAA place names, which reflect where observers report as much as where hail falls.
When hail season peaks: reports by month
Seasonality uses the 15 complete years (2011–2025) so a partial year cannot tilt the months. A hail day is a calendar date with at least one hail report anywhere in the two counties.
| Month | Hail reports | Share of reports | Hail days | Reports 1 in or larger |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5 | 1.1% | 2 | 1 |
| February | 5 | 1.1% | 2 | 3 |
| March | 85 | 18.3% | 16 | 51 |
| April | 143 | 30.8% | 25 | 115 |
| May | 132 | 28.4% | 34 | 105 |
| June | 19 | 4.1% | 7 | 11 |
| July | 2 | 0.4% | 2 | 1 |
| August | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0 |
| September | 64 | 13.8% | 2 | 61 |
| October | 4 | 0.9% | 1 | 3 |
| November | 2 | 0.4% | 2 | 0 |
| December | 4 | 0.9% | 2 | 0 |
September’s total is one storm, not a second season: 63 of its 64 reports came on September 24, 2023.
Hail reports by year
Year-to-year swings are large. Hays County, south of Austin, is shown for comparison only and is not included in the totals.
| Year | Hail reports | Hail days | 1 in or larger | Largest | Travis | Williamson | Hays (comparison) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 24 | 9 | 12 | 1.75 in | 11 | 13 | 8 |
| 2012 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 1.75 in | 7 | 4 | 4 |
| 2013 | 27 | 5 | 15 | 1.5 in | 14 | 13 | 9 |
| 2014 | 38 | 5 | 30 | 2.0 in | 32 | 6 | 7 |
| 2015 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 2.0 in | 10 | 0 | 5 |
| 2016 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1.75 in | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| 2017 | 21 | 9 | 13 | 1.5 in | 10 | 11 | 10 |
| 2018 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1.25 in | 1 | 8 | 0 |
| 2019 | 12 | 4 | 7 | 2.0 in | 4 | 8 | 6 |
| 2020 | 25 | 4 | 18 | 2.75 in | 13 | 12 | 2 |
| 2021 | 33 | 6 | 26 | 2.5 in | 21 | 12 | 7 |
| 2022 | 15 | 7 | 9 | 1.75 in | 4 | 11 | 0 |
| 2023 | 103 | 10 | 92 | 4.0 in | 51 | 52 | 9 |
| 2024 | 44 | 5 | 43 | 4.0 in | 29 | 15 | 15 |
| 2025 | 88 | 12 | 70 | 3.0 in | 15 | 73 | 9 |
| 2026 (to date) | 14 | 6 | 10 | 1.0 in | 5 | 9 | 1 |
How big the hail gets
NOAA records the hail diameter reported for each event, in inches. NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center classes hail 1 inch or larger as severe and 2 inches or larger as significant severe.
| Hail size | Reports | Share of all reports | Hail days |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.0 in or larger | 361 | 75.4% | 74 |
| 1.75 in or larger | 107 | 22.3% | 26 |
| 2.0 in or larger | 60 | 12.5% | 14 |
| Size band | Reports |
|---|---|
| Under 1 in | 118 |
| 1 in to under 1.75 in | 254 |
| 1.75 in to under 2 in | 47 |
| 2 in to under 3 in | 50 |
| 3 in and larger | 10 |
Largest hail reported in the two counties since 2011
| Date | Size | County | NOAA place name |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 24, 2023 | 4.0 in | Williamson | Round Rock |
| May 30, 2024 | 4.0 in | Williamson | Coupland |
| September 24, 2023 | 3.75 in | Williamson | Round Rock |
| September 24, 2023 | 3.5 in | Williamson | Round Rock |
| September 24, 2023 | 3.5 in | Williamson | Round Rock |
| September 24, 2023 | 3.0 in | Williamson | Old Round Rock |
| September 24, 2023 | 3.0 in | Williamson | Round Rock |
| September 24, 2023 | 3.0 in | Travis | Pflugerville |
| September 24, 2023 | 3.0 in | Travis | Fiskville |
| May 16, 2025 | 3.0 in | Williamson | Leander |
The biggest large-hail days
| Date | Reports 1.75 in or larger | Largest | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 24, 2023 | 36 | 4.0 in | Travis, Williamson |
| April 15, 2021 | 10 | 2.5 in | Travis, Williamson |
| April 9, 2024 | 9 | 2.5 in | Travis, Williamson |
| May 16, 2025 | 8 | 3.0 in | Williamson |
| March 28, 2014 | 6 | 1.75 in | Travis, Williamson |
| May 30, 2024 | 5 | 4.0 in | Williamson |
| May 27, 2020 | 4 | 2.75 in | Williamson |
| March 25, 2021 | 4 | 2.0 in | Travis |
Where reports come from
These are the reference place names NOAA attaches to each report — airports, weather stations and community names such as Fiskville (north Austin) and Austin Mabry (Camp Mabry). More reports usually means more observers, not necessarily more hail.
| NOAA place name | Hail reports |
|---|---|
| Georgetown | 37 |
| Fiskville | 33 |
| Leander | 32 |
| Round Rock | 24 |
| Liberty Hill | 22 |
| Old Round Rock | 19 |
| Austin Mabry | 17 |
| Georgetown Muni Arpt | 15 |
| North Oaks | 14 |
| Austin | 14 |
| Hutto | 14 |
| Beecaves | 13 |
What our own project records show
Texas Professional Roofing publishes its completed projects in a public catalog. Of the 284 project records in our copy of that catalog (retrieved September 30, 2026), 9 name hail or storm damage in the title and 35 are installations of Class 3 or Class 4 impact-rated shingles. Titles do not always name the reason for the work, so these are lower bounds, not a measure of storm damage in the area. Browse the project catalog.
What this means for a homeowner
Look after a storm, from the ground
Hail bruises shingles and dents vents, flashing, gutters and other soft metal, and a bruised shingle can look intact from the yard. Stay off the roof. Note the date and time of the storm and photograph what you can see safely from the ground: dented gutters, downspouts, vents and any granules collecting at the downspouts.
Get the roof documented
A roof inspection checks every slope and records the findings with photographs, so you know whether you need a storm or hail damage repair, a larger project, or nothing at all. Keep the photographs and the inspection report with the storm date.
Insurance stays between you and your insurer
Read your policy for its deductible and its notice requirements. Your insurer decides coverage and payment. A roofer can document the roof and provide a written repair scope; under Texas Insurance Code §4102.163 we do not act as your public adjuster. Learn more about roof insurance inspections.
Cite this data
Journalists, HOA newsletters and real estate professionals are welcome to quote these figures with a link to this page.
Texas Professional Roofing. “Austin Hail Season: NOAA Storm Data for Travis & Williamson Counties.” Compiled from the NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information Storm Events Database (2011–2026), retrieved October 28, 2026. https://texasprofessionalroofing.com/austin-hail-season/
Link: https://texasprofessionalroofing.com/austin-hail-season/ · Underlying records: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database
Methodology
- Source. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Storm Events Database. The yearly “details” bulk files were downloaded from the NCEI bulk CSV directory on October 28, 2026.
- Records used. Event type “Hail” in Texas county zones Travis (FIPS 48453) and Williamson (FIPS 48491), 2011 through the latest event in the 2026 file (May 26, 2026). Hays County (FIPS 48209) is read the same way and shown separately.
- What a report is. Each row is one NOAA hail event record — a location and time where hail was reported, with the diameter the report gives (an estimate in many cases, not always a measurement). One storm usually produces several reports, so reports measure how widely hail was observed, not the number of storms. Counts also rise with population and the number of trained observers.
- Dates and sizes. Dates are the local begin date NOAA records. Size is the reported hail diameter in inches (the MAGNITUDE field). Month, year and seasonal figures use complete years only; the size shares, the largest reports, the large-hail days and the place counts use every report through May 26, 2026, including the partial 2026; 2026 figures are partial and NCEI adds events to the current year for months afterward.
- Reuse. The NOAA source data is a US Government work in the public domain. This summary may be reused under CC BY 4.0: credit Texas Professional Roofing and link to this page (the citation above has the wording).
- Project counts. Our project figures are computed from the titles of the records in our published project catalog, not typed by hand.
- Reproduce it. The calculation script is
scripts/data/austin-hail-season.pyin this site’s repository; it reads these files and writes the summary this page renders:StormEvents_details-ftp_v1.0_d2011_c20260323.csv.gzStormEvents_details-ftp_v1.0_d2012_c20261026.csv.gzStormEvents_details-ftp_v1.0_d2013_c20260323.csv.gzStormEvents_details-ftp_v1.0_d2014_c20260323.csv.gzStormEvents_details-ftp_v1.0_d2015_c20260323.csv.gzStormEvents_details-ftp_v1.0_d2016_c20260323.csv.gzStormEvents_details-ftp_v1.0_d2017_c20260519.csv.gzStormEvents_details-ftp_v1.0_d2018_c20260323.csv.gzStormEvents_details-ftp_v1.0_d2019_c20260323.csv.gzStormEvents_details-ftp_v1.0_d2020_c20260323.csv.gzStormEvents_details-ftp_v1.0_d2021_c20260323.csv.gzStormEvents_details-ftp_v1.0_d2022_c20260625.csv.gzStormEvents_details-ftp_v1.0_d2023_c20260323.csv.gzStormEvents_details-ftp_v1.0_d2024_c20260728.csv.gzStormEvents_details-ftp_v1.0_d2025_c20260819.csv.gzStormEvents_details-ftp_v1.0_d2026_c20261026.csv.gz