How common is hail on the Cape Fear coast?

Hail on the Cape Fear coast is concentrated in spring and early summer. May and June have 49 reports each since 2006, nearly 60% of the total. The busiest single day was May 10, 2011, with 9 reports.

How many times has hail been reported here?

Short answer: 168 times in New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender counties from 2006 through 2025, according to NOAA's Storm Events Database. 97 of those reports were quarter size (1 inch) or bigger, 19 reached golf ball size, and 1 reached 2 inches.

That is far less hail than inland North Carolina or the South Carolina Midlands see, because the ocean tends to cool and stabilize the air near the beaches, especially in summer. The trade-off is wind: the same three counties logged 209 thunderstorm wind reports and 68 tornado records over the same years, and tropical systems add more.

Which county gets the most hail?

Brunswick and Pender are larger and reach farther inland, away from the cooling effect of the ocean, which may help explain their higher counts.

What time of year does hail fall on the coast?

Short answer: April through June. May and June are tied as the busiest months (49 reports each from 2006 to 2025). Hail here is rare from August through February.

3Jan

0Feb

11Mar

25Apr

49May

49Jun

14Jul

6Aug

5Sep

4Oct

2Nov

0Dec

What is the biggest hail recorded here?

The ten largest hail reports in the three counties since 2006:

Which storms produced the most reports?

Notable days: May 10, 2011 (9 reports), April 3 and June 6, 2006 (8 each), May 7, 2021 (7) and April 5, 2017 (6, including 2-inch hail at Midway in Brunswick County).

Year by year

Counts swing widely from one spring to the next. A quiet year or two says little about the next one.

Wind, tornadoes and tropical storms

For most Cape Fear roofs, wind is the bigger threat. The tornado records include brief spin-ups from landfalling tropical systems as well as spring storms.

EF2 and stronger tornadoes recorded in these counties since 2006:

• September 5, 2019: EF2 in Brunswick County, near Seaside
• August 3, 2020: EF2 in Brunswick County, near Fort Caswell
• February 15, 2021: EF3 in Brunswick County, near Grissettown

See hurricane and tropical storm claims and tornado damage.

What about storms after 2025?

NOAA finalizes the Storm Events Database months after each event. For anything newer, the Storm Center shows preliminary Storm Prediction Center reports for our three counties, updated every 15 minutes, back to January 2025.

Did hail hit your street?

1. Look up the date in the Storm Center log and in the NOAA Storm Events Database.
2. Check the soft metal on your house (see spotting hail damage on a coastal roof).
3. Ask neighbors, and look at cars and boats that were outside.
4. If you find signs, have a licensed roofer or the adjuster inspect.

Insurers often check hail at an address with their own weather data or a hail-mapping service. If their data says no hail but you have dated photos of stones and dents, send the photos.

Data: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, bulk details files 2006–2025, county-level hail, thunderstorm wind and tornado events for New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender counties, downloaded October 29, 2026. A report is one observation; one storm can generate several, and unreported hail is not counted.

What the numbers mean for a Cape Fear roof

Hail here is less frequent than inland, so many homeowners never think to check after a spring storm. That is exactly when damage goes unnoticed until a tropical storm finds the weak spots months later. If a storm in the log hit your part of the county, take a look at the soft metal and keep dated photos, even if you decide not to file.