Hail & Wind Storms in Wilmington, DE — Latest Dates and Sizes

Hail and wind activity within ~25 miles of Wilmington, Delaware 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 Wilmington

Last reported hail (0.75 in.+, screening): May 20, 2026 — 1.00 in. reported 23 mi N of Wilmington (1 WNW Wayne, Pennsylvania), NWS Local Storm Report.
Last wind gust 45 mph+ (screening): September 1, 2026 — 70 mph measured 17 mi S of Wilmington (4 SSW Elsinboro Twp, New Jersey), NWS Local Storm Report.
2026 so far: 1 hail day and 17 wind days within 25 miles (days with a storm report or station gust at the screening thresholds; warnings alone never count).

Recent storm days near Wilmington, newest first (hail 0.75 in.+ or wind 45 mph+, screening; a linked date has a storm-date page; pages are published for the most significant days that met NWS severe criteria, so some severe days have no page)
Date	Largest reported hail	Strongest gust
September 1, 2026	—	70 mph measured (New Jersey)
August 23, 2026	—	58 mph measured (Pennsylvania)
August 8, 2026	—	62 mph reported (New Jersey)
August 7, 2026	—	45 mph measured (New Jersey)
July 28, 2026	—	57 mph measured (New Jersey)
July 11, 2026	—	60 mph reported (Pennsylvania)
July 9, 2026	—	52 mph reported (New Jersey)
July 5, 2026	—	68 mph measured (New Jersey)
July 4, 2026	—	64 mph measured
June 11, 2026	—	48 mph measured

Was your address hit on September 1, 2026? Check any address free with the Free Report Snapshot — a YES/NO estimate at the screening thresholds.

Wilmington, DE hail and wind storm history — New Castle County on a Delaware map card

Wilmington storm facts

StormAuditor's analysis of NOAA and National Weather Service records found 114 wind and hail events, NWS warning products included, within 25 miles of Wilmington, Delaware (including the parts of Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania inside that circle) or recorded for New Castle County in the 12 months ending October 7, 2026 (87 wind, 27 hail).
The strongest gust within 25 miles of Wilmington in the last 12 months was 70 mph, measured 17 mi S of Wilmington (4 SSW Elsinboro Twp, New Jersey) on September 1, 2026 (NWS Local Storm Report; storm reports and station gusts only, warnings excluded).
The largest hail reported within 25 miles of Wilmington in the last 12 months was 1.00 in., 23 mi N of Wilmington (1 WNW Wayne, Pennsylvania) on May 20, 2026 (NWS Local Storm Report).
The busiest day by event count near Wilmington was March 16, 2026, with 13 events.
New Castle County alone recorded 66 of those wind and hail events (44 wind, 22 hail); the Delaware page ranks counties by events of every type, floods and Special Weather Statements included.

Wilmington, Delaware storm history at a glance (last 12 months)

This free weather history for Wilmington — home to about 73,000 residents — draws on StormAuditor's consolidated public record: 114 wind and hail events within 25 miles of Wilmington (including the parts of Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania inside that circle) or recorded for New Castle County in the trailing 12 months — 87 wind and 27 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 Wilmington 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.

March 16, 2026 — 13 events incl. warnings · 12 wind · 1 hail
September 1, 2026 — 11 events incl. warnings · 8 wind · 3 hail
March 11, 2026 — 10 events incl. warnings · 9 wind · 1 hail
July 4, 2026 — 9 events incl. warnings · 8 wind · 1 hail
July 28, 2026 — 6 events incl. warnings · 5 wind · 1 hail

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 Wilmington 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. The 25-mile circle around Wilmington reaches into Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Values marked with another state's name come from there: they count for Wilmington but not on the Delaware state page, which counts reports inside Delaware only.
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 Wilmington or recorded for New Castle 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 Wilmington or in New Castle 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.

Wilmington 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.

Bar chart of storm days per year near Wilmington for 2010–Oct. 2025 in NOAA NCEI Storm Events records; the busiest year was 2021 with 26 storm days. — Wilmington storm days by year, 2010–Oct. 2025 (NOAA NCEI Storm Events).

Thunderstorm wind outnumbers hail about 8.2 to 1 here: 1,350 wind reports against 165 hail reports. In all: 1,531 NCEI Storm Events entries within 25 miles of Wilmington or in New Castle County, spread over 251 storm days.

The most storm days came in 2021, with 26; the fewest in a full year was 6, in 2018. Across 2022–2024, the area averaged 16 storm days a year, matching the 15-year average of 16.

On May 22, 2014, 2.50 in. (tennis-ball size) hail was reported in New Castle County — the largest in these records for this area. Hail of 2 inches or more appears in only one year of this record, 2014. The strongest measured thunderstorm gust was 89 mph on August 7, 2020 in Cumberland County, New Jersey. NCEI also lists 16 tornado entries for the area — one entry per county a tornado crossed.

Hail peaks in May (36% of all hail reports), while thunderstorm wind reports cluster in June. December through February accounts for 8 storm days.

Average: 16 storm days a year (2010–2024)
May and June: 64% of all hail reports
Most hail reports in one year: 32 in 2019
Hail of 1 in. or larger reported in 13 of 15 full years (2010–2024)

Wilmington storm entries by year, 2010–Oct. 2025 (NOAA NCEI Storm Events)
Year	Hail reports	Thunderstorm wind reports	Tornado entries	Storm days	Largest hail	Strongest measured gust
2010	15	33	2	15	1.75 in.	76 mph
2011	23	51	0	14	1.25 in.	72 mph
2012	12	37	0	15	1.75 in.	62 mph
2013	2	64	1	20	0.75 in.	66 mph
2014	18	57	0	14	2.50 in.	61 mph
2015	3	61	1	11	1.25 in.	72 mph
2016	3	78	0	13	1.00 in.	72 mph
2017	3	53	0	15	1.00 in.	63 mph
2018	2	11	0	6	1.00 in.	60 mph
2019	32	168	4	23	1.50 in.	64 mph
2020	5	275	3	21	1.25 in.	89 mph
2021	7	177	2	26	1.25 in.	68 mph
2022	17	36	0	14	1.50 in.	87 mph
2023	11	104	2	20	1.00 in.	72 mph
2024	1	74	1	13	0.75 in.	71 mph
2025 through Oct. 6	11	71	0	11	1.50 in.	62 mph

Download this history: CSV · JSON at https://www.stormauditor.com/downloads/storm-history/de/wilmington.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).

Wilmington storm history questions, 2010–Oct. 2025

How big did hail get in Wilmington, 2010–Oct. 2025?

2.50 in., tennis-ball size, reported on May 22, 2014 in New Castle County, per NCEI.

Which year had the most storm days near Wilmington, 2010–Oct. 2025?

2021, with 26 storm days (7 hail reports, 177 thunderstorm wind reports, 2 tornado entries). The 15-year average is 16 storm days.

How many hail reports does Wilmington see in a typical year?

About 10 hail reports a year (2010–2024 average), with 1-inch or larger hail in 13 of 15 years. Thunderstorm wind averages 85 reports a year.

What month has the most hail near Wilmington?

May has the most hail reports (59, 2010–Oct. 2025), followed by June (46) and August (24).

What is the strongest measured thunderstorm gust near Wilmington, 2010–Oct. 2025?

89 mph, measured on August 7, 2020 in Cumberland County, New Jersey. 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.

Wilmington hail map and wind map

Researching hail or wind in Wilmington? The Hail Explorer and Wind Explorer map radar-derived hail swaths and peak-gust wind swaths across Delaware, including the Wilmington metro: pick any storm date and see how estimated hail size and gust bands tracked through New Castle 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 Wilmington 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 Wilmington 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 Wilmington wind history and free Wilmington 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).

Storm professionals: restoration and exterior contractors, public adjusters, and crews and teams on one Organization plan work from this same public record — 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 Wilmington storm data download

The Wilmington 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/de/wilmington.json.

Coverage: every wind and hail record within about 25 miles of Wilmington (including the parts of Maryland, New Jersey and Pennsylvania inside that circle) or recorded for New Castle 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. The file holds Delaware records only; the counts above also include the neighboring-state records inside the 25-mile circle.
Statewide files are on the Delaware storm data page.

Nearby city storm pages:

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. "Wilmington, DE Hail & Wind Storm History." Updated September 25, 2026. https://www.stormauditor.com/storm-data/de/wilmington

HTML link: <a href="https://www.stormauditor.com/storm-data/de/wilmington">Wilmington, DE 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.