Hail & Wind Storms in Decatur, AL — Latest Dates and Sizes
Hail and wind activity within ~25 miles of Decatur, Alabama or recorded for its county: the last 12 months from NWS warnings, storm reports, and station measurements, plus official NOAA records back to 2010.
Latest hail and wind near Decatur
- Last reported hail (0.75 in.+, screening): April 29, 2026 — 0.88 in. reported 14 mi SW of Decatur (8 W Hartselle), NWS Local Storm Report.
- Last wind gust 45 mph+ (screening): August 20, 2026 — 58 mph measured 12.4 mi E of Decatur (4 NNW Triana), NWS Local Storm Report.
- 2026 so far: 3 hail days and 4 wind days within 25 miles (days with a storm report or station gust at the screening thresholds; warnings alone never count).
| Date | Largest reported hail | Strongest gust |
|---|---|---|
| August 20, 2026 | — | 58 mph measured |
| August 17, 2026 | — | 61 mph measured |
| July 3, 2026 | — | 66 mph measured |
| April 29, 2026 | 0.88 in. reported | — |
| March 16, 2026 | 1.00 in. reported | 55 mph measured |
| February 26, 2026 | 2.00 in. reported | — |
Was your address hit on August 20, 2026? Check any address free with the Free Report Snapshot — a YES/NO estimate at the screening thresholds.
Decatur storm facts
- StormAuditor's analysis of NOAA and National Weather Service records found 65 wind and hail events, NWS warning products included, within 25 miles of Decatur, Alabama or recorded for Morgan County in the 12 months ending October 7, 2026 (26 wind, 39 hail).
- The strongest gust within 25 miles of Decatur in the last 12 months was 66 mph, measured 12 mi E of Decatur (4 SSW Madison) on July 3, 2026 (NWS Local Storm Report; storm reports and station gusts only, warnings excluded).
- The largest hail reported within 25 miles of Decatur in the last 12 months was 2.00 in., 14.8 mi SW of Decatur (9 W Hartselle) on February 26, 2026 (NWS Local Storm Report).
- The busiest day by event count near Decatur was February 26, 2026, with 18 events.
- Morgan County alone recorded 44 of those wind and hail events (20 wind, 24 hail); the Alabama page ranks counties by events of every type, floods and Special Weather Statements included.
Decatur, Alabama storm history at a glance (last 12 months)
This free weather history for Decatur — home to about 58,000 residents — draws on StormAuditor's consolidated public record: 65 wind and hail events within 25 miles of Decatur or recorded for Morgan County in the trailing 12 months — 26 wind and 39 hail.
Events combine NWS warning products, observed Local Storm Reports, station measurements and official NCEI records in one event table. Because they include warnings, and wind covers thunderstorm and non-thunderstorm wind alike, they measure something different from the NCEI entry counts in the history section below; the two are not comparable year to year.
Busiest days near Decatur by event count
Ranked by the number of 12-month events, NWS warnings included, so a day with many warnings can outrank a day with larger hail.
- February 26, 2026 — 18 events incl. warnings · 1 wind · 17 hail · storm-date page: 16 storm reports
- March 16, 2026 — 6 events incl. warnings · 3 wind · 3 hail
- September 22, 2026 — 4 events incl. warnings · 2 wind · 2 hail
- August 17, 2026 — 4 events incl. warnings · 3 wind · 1 hail
- December 18, 2025 — 4 events incl. warnings · 3 wind · 1 hail
Storm-day records for Decatur
Storm-date pages for the biggest days near Decatur: a report or station gust within 25 miles met NWS severe criteria (hail 1.00 in.+ or wind 58 mph+), with at least two separate observations. Not every storm day in the table above has a page. Each page lists the reports, station gusts and a free way to check one address:
How these numbers are counted
The storm numbers on this page are counted in four different ways, plus the free address check. Each answers a different question with its own size cutoffs, area and time span, so compare numbers within one group, not across groups.
- Storm days (latest hail and wind): A day in the last 12 months when at least one report within 25 miles of Decatur showed hail 0.75 in. or larger or wind of 45 mph or more (StormAuditor screening thresholds). Reports are NWS storm reports from spotters, the public and officials, plus weather-station gusts, which count from 50 mph. A warning on its own never makes a storm day. The latest and largest hail, the latest and strongest gust, and the storm-day table all use this record.
- Storm-date pages (NWS severe): A storm-date page is published only when at least one report or station gust within 25 miles of a city met the National Weather Service severe criteria (hail 1.00 in. or larger, or wind 58 mph or more), at least two separate observations were logged, and the day ranks among the most significant. A storm report that relays an airport weather station's reading (the same station, the same gust and the same time) counts once, as the station reading. Not every storm day gets a page; when one does, the page and the storm-day table show the same largest hail and strongest gust.
- Events (12-month counts): Events count NWS warnings, storm reports (wind 50 mph+, hail 0.75 in.+), station gusts (50 mph+) and NCEI entries within 25 miles of Decatur or recorded for Morgan County, tornado entries counted as wind. One event is one place on one day, counted separately for hail and for wind. A weather station or storm-report point counts once a day, at that day's highest reading, however many readings it filed; a place with hail and wind on the same day is two events. NWS warnings count once per county per day, and each NCEI entry once per place per day. A storm report that relays an airport weather station's reading (the same station, the same gust and the same time) counts once, as the station reading. The same report arriving through another feed (SPC or NCEI) is one record. Events measure how busy the area was, not whether a storm hit: one storm can bring warnings and reports from many places, so the busiest days by event count can differ from the storm days.
- NOAA history (since 2010): The official NOAA storm record (NCEI Storm Events) within 25 miles of Decatur or in Morgan County from January 1, 2010 to the day before the 12-month window starts: hail 0.50 in.+, thunderstorm wind 40 mph+ and tornadoes. It is a separate, older record with its own "storm days" (days with any entry), so its counts are not compared with the 12-month numbers.
- Free Report Snapshot: A free YES/NO estimate for one address, from radar and wind analysis at the property rather than area reports, at the same screening thresholds: hail 0.75 in. or wind 45 mph.
Full method: Methodology and Data Sources.
Decatur hail and wind history in NOAA NCEI records, 2010–Oct. 2025
This section covers January 1, 2010 through October 6, 2025. Storms from October 7, 2025 on are in the 12-month summary above, so no date is counted in both.
Thunderstorm wind outnumbers hail about 3.6 to 1 here: 1,281 wind reports against 356 hail reports. In all: 1,734 NCEI Storm Events entries within 25 miles of Decatur or in Morgan County, spread over 328 storm days.
The most storm days came in 2023, with 31; the fewest in a full year was 13, in 2013, 2015 and 2018. Across 2022–2024, the area averaged 25 storm days a year, above the 15-year average of 20.
On March 19, 2018, 4.00 in. (grapefruit size) hail was reported in Cullman County — the largest in these records for this area. Hail of 2 inches or more appears in 6 different years of this record, the latest being 2025 through Oct. 6. The strongest measured thunderstorm gust was 85 mph on July 1, 2023 in Limestone County. NCEI also lists 97 tornado entries for the area — one entry per county a tornado crossed.
Hail peaks in March (33% of all hail reports), while thunderstorm wind reports cluster in June. December through February accounts for 30 storm days.
- Average: 20 storm days a year (2010–2024)
- March and April: 53% of all hail reports
- Most hail reports in one year: 72 in 2012
- Hail of 1 in. or larger reported in every full year, 2010–2024
| Year | Hail reports | Thunderstorm wind reports | Tornado entries | Storm days | Largest hail | Strongest measured gust |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 27 | 46 | 4 | 23 | 1.75 in. | — |
| 2011 | 33 | 151 | 22 | 27 | 1.75 in. | 74 mph |
| 2012 | 72 | 50 | 5 | 22 | 2.50 in. | 71 mph |
| 2013 | 17 | 39 | 3 | 13 | 1.75 in. | — |
| 2014 | 10 | 59 | 7 | 16 | 2.75 in. | 59 mph |
| 2015 | 6 | 26 | 5 | 13 | 1.75 in. | 64 mph |
| 2016 | 5 | 47 | 4 | 18 | 1.00 in. | 62 mph |
| 2017 | 23 | 105 | 1 | 17 | 1.75 in. | 64 mph |
| 2018 | 8 | 67 | 4 | 13 | 4.00 in. | 72 mph |
| 2019 | 11 | 84 | 6 | 24 | 2.50 in. | 59 mph |
| 2020 | 2 | 74 | 3 | 24 | 1.00 in. | 63 mph |
| 2021 | 17 | 49 | 1 | 14 | 2.50 in. | 58 mph |
| 2022 | 13 | 41 | 3 | 22 | 1.25 in. | 59 mph |
| 2023 | 47 | 146 | 9 | 31 | 1.75 in. | 85 mph |
| 2024 | 10 | 95 | 9 | 23 | 1.75 in. | — |
| 2025 through Oct. 6 | 55 | 202 | 11 | 28 | 3.75 in. | 75 mph |
Download this history: CSV · JSON at https://www.stormauditor.com/downloads/storm-history/al/decatur.json (free, open license, cite StormAuditor).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (thunderstorm wind, hail, and tornado entries; hail 0.50 in. or larger, wind 40 mph or more; wind converted from knots).
Decatur storm history questions, 2010–Oct. 2025
How big did hail get in Decatur, 2010–Oct. 2025?
4.00 in., grapefruit size, reported on March 19, 2018 in Cullman County, per NCEI. Hail of 2 inches or more appears in 6 years of this record in all, most recently 2019, 2021 and 2025 through Oct. 6.
Which year had the most storm days near Decatur, 2010–Oct. 2025?
2023, with 31 storm days (47 hail reports, 146 thunderstorm wind reports, 9 tornado entries). The 15-year average is 20 storm days.
How many hail reports does Decatur see in a typical year?
About 20 hail reports a year (2010–2024 average), with 1-inch or larger hail reported every year. Thunderstorm wind averages 72 reports a year.
What month has the most hail near Decatur?
March has the most hail reports (118, 2010–Oct. 2025), followed by April (69) and May (65).
What is the strongest measured thunderstorm gust near Decatur, 2010–Oct. 2025?
85 mph, measured on July 1, 2023 in Limestone County. Only gusts NCEI lists as measured count here; gusts measured on a date and county with a tornado entry, and entries of 120 knots or more (known entry errors), are left out.
Decatur hail map and wind map
Researching hail or wind in Decatur? The Hail Explorer and Wind Explorer map radar-derived hail swaths and peak-gust wind swaths across Alabama, including the Decatur metro: pick any storm date and see how estimated hail size and gust bands tracked through Morgan County. Both explorers are included with Pro+ and Organization plans.
County-level activity is on the Impact Heatmap (free with an account), and day-by-day history is on the Storm Calendar (Pro plans and higher).
Free Decatur weather report by address
Area maps show where storms tracked; an insurance claim or roof inspection turns on what happened at the property. Three ways to check one Decatur address:
- The Free Report Snapshot answers YES/NO instantly on estimated wind of 45 mph or more and hail of 0.75 in. or larger (screening thresholds) at the address.
- The free Address Lookup lists NWS warnings, storm reports and NOAA observations near the address — free Decatur wind history and free Decatur hail history.
- A complete Weather Report for $2.99 covers every qualifying storm date at one address over the last 2 years.
All values are estimates from public NOAA data under our published methodology (see Limitations).
Working storm claims? Roofing contractors, public adjusters, and insurance adjusters work from this same public storm record with statewide hail and wind maps and per-address reports — see StormAuditor for professionals.
Sources: NWS alerts (api.weather.gov) · NWS Local Storm Reports via the Iowa Environmental Mesonet · ASOS/AWOS station gusts via the Iowa Environmental Mesonet · NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database · every StormAuditor data source.
Free Decatur storm data download
The Decatur storm records for the last 12 months download free, free to reuse under the data license: download CSV · JSON at https://www.stormauditor.com/downloads/storm-data/al/decatur.json.
- Coverage: every wind and hail record within about 25 miles of Decatur or recorded for Morgan County, with dates, counties, event types, measured gusts and hail sizes.
- Rows: each source record before consolidation, including every NWS warning product and smaller storm reports, so the row count differs from the event counts above.
- Statewide files are on the Alabama storm data page.
Nearby city storm pages:
- Huntsville hail & wind history
- Madison hail & wind history
- Florence hail & wind history
- Birmingham hail & wind history
- Hoover hail & wind history
- Franklin, TN hail & wind history
- Alabama statewide storm data
Guides for reading this data
Cite or link to this data — free
Free to quote, summarize, reuse, and link — for bloggers, journalists, researchers, contractors, and AI writing tools. No permission or credit required. A ready-made citation and link are below if they help. Terms: StormAuditor data & content license.
Citation: StormAuditor. "Decatur, AL Hail & Wind Storm History." Updated September 22, 2026. https://www.stormauditor.com/storm-data/al/decatur
HTML link: <a href="https://www.stormauditor.com/storm-data/al/decatur">Decatur, AL Hail & Wind Storm History — StormAuditor</a>
About this page: built by Storm Auditor LLC from public NOAA/NWS records — deduplicated warnings, storm reports, station measurements, and official records on a rolling 12-month window, under the published methodology. See the StormAuditor Editorial Team for how content is produced.
Data last refreshed October 7, 2026. Event counts cover wind and hail (warning products, and storm reports from 50 mph or 0.75 in.); flood activity and Special Weather Statements are not counted here.