Hail & Wind Storms in Cary, NC — Latest Dates and Sizes
Hail and wind activity within ~25 miles of Cary, North Carolina 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 Cary
- Last reported hail (0.75 in.+, screening): September 5, 2026 — 1.50 in. reported 22.1 mi E of Cary (Knightdale), SPC storm report.
- Last wind gust 45 mph+ (screening): September 3, 2026 — 52 mph measured at the Raleigh / Durham station (8 mi N of Cary), ASOS weather station.
- 2026 so far: 4 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 |
|---|---|---|
| September 5, 2026 | 1.50 in. reported | — |
| September 3, 2026 | — | 52 mph measured |
| July 28, 2026 | — | 45 mph measured |
| July 19, 2026 | 0.75 in. reported | — |
| July 8, 2026 | 1.25 in. reported | — |
| April 29, 2026 | 1.00 in. reported | — |
| March 16, 2026 | — | 58 mph measured |
| February 7, 2026 | — | 67 mph measured |
| December 29, 2025 | — | 50 mph measured |
| December 19, 2025 | — | 53 mph measured |
Was your address hit on September 5, 2026? Check any address free with the Free Report Snapshot — a YES/NO estimate at the screening thresholds.
Cary storm facts
- StormAuditor's analysis of NOAA and National Weather Service records found 86 wind and hail events, NWS warning products included, within 25 miles of Cary, North Carolina or recorded for Wake County in the 12 months ending October 7, 2026 (40 wind, 46 hail).
- The strongest gust within 25 miles of Cary in the last 12 months was 67 mph, measured at the Durham - Duke North Heliport station (16.8 mi N of Cary) on February 7, 2026 (ASOS weather station; storm reports and station gusts only, warnings excluded).
- The largest hail reported within 25 miles of Cary in the last 12 months was 1.50 in., 22.1 mi E of Cary (Knightdale) on September 5, 2026 (SPC storm report).
- The busiest day by event count near Cary was July 8, 2026, with 7 events.
- Wake County alone recorded 75 of those wind and hail events (38 wind, 37 hail); the North Carolina page ranks counties by events of every type, floods and Special Weather Statements included.
Cary, North Carolina storm history at a glance (last 12 months)
This free weather history for Cary — home to about 180,000 residents — draws on StormAuditor's consolidated public record: 86 wind and hail events within 25 miles of Cary or recorded for Wake County in the trailing 12 months — 40 wind and 46 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 Cary 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.
- July 8, 2026 — 7 events incl. warnings · 1 wind · 6 hail
- September 18, 2026 — 6 events incl. warnings · 2 wind · 4 hail
- March 16, 2026 — 5 events incl. warnings · 4 wind · 1 hail
- August 21, 2026 — 4 events incl. warnings · 1 wind · 3 hail
- April 29, 2026 — 4 events incl. warnings · 1 wind · 3 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 Cary 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 Cary or recorded for Wake 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 Cary or in Wake 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.
Cary 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.
Wind is the more common entry — 912 thunderstorm wind reports to 250 hail reports. In all: 1,183 NCEI Storm Events entries within 25 miles of Cary or in Wake County, spread over 319 storm days.
The largest hail in these records for this area was 2.75 in. (baseball size), reported in 2017 and 2019 — most recently on May 13, 2019 in Wake County. Hail of 2 inches or more appears in 3 different years of this record, the latest being 2020. Measured thunderstorm gusts topped out at 86 mph (Wake County, January 11, 2014). NCEI also lists 21 tornado entries for the area — one entry per county a tornado crossed.
Hail peaks in May (42% of all hail reports); thunderstorm wind peaks in July. December through February accounts for 16 storm days.
Storm days ranged from 13 in 2021 to 28 in 2012. Across 2022–2024, the area averaged 21 storm days a year, above the 15-year average of 20.
- Average: 20 storm days a year (2010–2024)
- May and September: 56% of all hail reports
- Most hail reports in one year: 40 in 2012
- Hail of 1 in. or larger reported in 14 of 15 full years (2010–2024)
| Year | Hail reports | Thunderstorm wind reports | Tornado entries | Storm days | Largest hail | Strongest measured gust |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 6 | 47 | 1 | 20 | 1.00 in. | 66 mph |
| 2011 | 16 | 44 | 3 | 24 | 1.25 in. | — |
| 2012 | 40 | 88 | 1 | 28 | 1.75 in. | 66 mph |
| 2013 | 3 | 27 | 0 | 15 | 1.25 in. | 70 mph |
| 2014 | 4 | 50 | 3 | 18 | 1.00 in. | 86 mph |
| 2015 | 17 | 28 | 0 | 14 | 1.75 in. | — |
| 2016 | 38 | 40 | 1 | 21 | 1.75 in. | 59 mph |
| 2017 | 7 | 39 | 0 | 15 | 2.75 in. | — |
| 2018 | 4 | 50 | 1 | 18 | 1.50 in. | — |
| 2019 | 30 | 85 | 5 | 26 | 2.75 in. | — |
| 2020 | 38 | 68 | 0 | 19 | 2.25 in. | 72 mph |
| 2021 | 12 | 38 | 0 | 13 | 1.75 in. | — |
| 2022 | 12 | 110 | 2 | 26 | 1.50 in. | 63 mph |
| 2023 | 13 | 63 | 1 | 20 | 1.75 in. | 76 mph |
| 2024 | 0 | 63 | 1 | 16 | — | 69 mph |
| 2025 through Oct. 6 | 10 | 72 | 2 | 26 | 1.50 in. | 59 mph |
Download this history: CSV · JSON at https://www.stormauditor.com/downloads/storm-history/nc/cary.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).
Cary storm history questions, 2010–Oct. 2025
What is the largest hail reported near Cary, 2010–Oct. 2025?
2.75 in., baseball size, reported in 2017 and 2019; most recently on May 13, 2019 in Wake County, per NCEI. Other years with hail of 2 inches or more: 2020.
What was Cary's most active storm year, 2010–Oct. 2025?
2012, with 28 storm days (40 hail reports, 88 thunderstorm wind reports, 1 tornado entry). The 15-year average is 20 storm days.
How often does Cary get hail?
NCEI's records average 16 hail reports a year here over 2010–2024, alongside 56 thunderstorm wind reports. Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported in 14 of those 15 years.
When is hail season near Cary?
May has the most hail reports (104, 2010–Oct. 2025), followed by September (37) and April (31).
How strong were measured thunderstorm winds in Cary, 2010–Oct. 2025?
86 mph, measured on January 11, 2014 in Wake 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.
Cary hail map and wind map
Researching hail or wind in Cary? The Hail Explorer and Wind Explorer map radar-derived hail swaths and peak-gust wind swaths across North Carolina, including the Cary metro: pick any storm date and see how estimated hail size and gust bands tracked through Wake 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 Cary 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 Cary 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 Cary wind history and free Cary 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 Cary storm data download
The Cary 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/nc/cary.json.
- Coverage: every wind and hail record within about 25 miles of Cary or recorded for Wake 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 North Carolina storm data page.
Nearby city storm pages:
- Apex hail & wind history
- Raleigh hail & wind history
- Durham hail & wind history
- Fayetteville hail & wind history
- Greensboro hail & wind history
- Winston-Salem hail & wind history
- North Carolina 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. "Cary, NC Hail & Wind Storm History." Updated September 21, 2026. https://www.stormauditor.com/storm-data/nc/cary
HTML link: <a href="https://www.stormauditor.com/storm-data/nc/cary">Cary, NC 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.