e-Hail™ Database

The e-Hail™ program searches the only complete national database of large hailstone reports, using government records. From 1996 to the present, the database contains over 70,000 specific hail reports with size listed, with new reports added daily.

The user should understand that a hailstorm is an event which occurs over an area whereas hail-fall reports are listed as point locations. Thus, a hailstorm could cover several square miles and deposit different sizes of hailstones along its path, but there may be only one hail-fall report logged in the database. In the database, locations for hail-fall reports are given as coordinates in latitude and longitude (degrees and minutes) and by geographical city and county names. The latitude/longitude centroid of the ZIP code provided by the user is used as the center of the search for hail reports. Coordinates of latitude and longitude do not necessarily represent the precise locations of the hailstorm report; therefore, the e-Hail report displays only the county and geographical location associated with the report. In many cities, most hail-fall reports have identical "default" or centroid latitude and longitude coordinates regardless of the location in the city where the hail-fall report actually was made. On occasion, the text accompanying the report may provide addition details about the hailstorm location or damage caused. The property damage information provided is as listed in Storm Data. This information has not been confirmed independently by Haag Engineering Co.

The presence of hailfall reports in particular city does not mean that hail of that size (or any size) fell at a specific location in that city. Likewise, the lack of hailfall reports does not mean that hail did not fall in a particular city or at a specific location. Reports of hailfall, regardless of the hail size reported, do not indicate the presence (or absence) of hail-caused damage to property at a specific location.

For more information, visit
NCDC: www.ncdc.noaa.gov
Storm Prediction Center: www.spc.noaa.gov