How to Check Hail History for Any US Address (Free, 2026)

You just bought a house. Or maybe you have lived there for years and a neighbor mentioned their insurance paid for a new roof after a hailstorm. Now you are wondering: has hail actually hit my property?

The good news is you can check, and the underlying data is public. This guide walks through every real option — free and paid — and, just as important, how to tell a trustworthy hail tool from one that overstates what it knows.

Where hail data actually comes from

Almost all legitimate hail history in the United States traces back to NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A few sources matter:

NEXRAD radar. NOAA operates a national network of Doppler radar stations that detect hail aloft and estimate its size in real time.

MRMS. The Multi-Radar/Multi-Sensor system stitches those radars into a continuously updated national hail-size grid (MESH), usually current within about two hours of a storm.

NOAA Storm Events Database. The official archive of ground-verified severe-weather reports, including hail, from trained spotters and National Weather Service offices.

CoCoRaHS. A volunteer network of observers who physically measure and report hail on the ground.

Any tool that claims to show hail history should be pulling from these sources. If it does not cite NOAA data, be skeptical.

The fastest free way: address-level lookup

The simplest method is a free address-level tool like HailScore. Enter your address and you get, at no cost and with no sign-up:

A 0–100 hail exposure score — how much hail your address has been in the path of, drawn from millions of verified NOAA records

An interactive map of every recorded hail event near your property

A storm timeline with dates, radar-estimated hail sizes, and distance from your home

The source context behind each event so the underlying government data can be independently checked

No credit card, no "enter your phone number to see results." The score reads on a four-band scale (Low 0–25, Moderate 26–50, High 51–75, Very High 76–100) — the higher the band, the more hail exposure on record and the more worthwhile a roof inspection becomes.

One honest caveat: a lookup like this measures hail exposure, not damage. It tells you whether significant hail has hit near your address and when — the context that makes a roof inspection worth booking — not whether your specific roof is damaged. More: what hail radar can and cannot prove.

The other ways to check

NOAA Storm Events Database (free, manual)

You can search NOAA's Storm Events Database directly at ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents. Pick your state, county, date range, and event type (hail) for raw storm reports with locations, hail sizes, and damage notes.

Pros: Free, official, very detailed individual reports — the primary source everything else is built on.

Cons: Tedious. Reports are organized by county, not by address, with no map and no property-level view. Plan on an hour or more to piece together a useful picture, and note that ground-verified records publish on a 60–90 day lag.

National Weather Service local storm reports

Your regional NWS office posts local storm reports during and just after severe weather at weather.gov. Good for confirming a recent storm quickly; not a searchable long-term history.

Paid single-address reports

Several services sell a single-address hail-history PDF, typically in the $10–45 range (as of July 2026 — providers change pricing, so check before you buy). These are aimed mainly at insurance adjusters and public adjusters who need a formatted document for a claim file. HailScore also offers an optional detailed PDF report if you need something printable after the free score.

Pros: A tidy, printable report, often with multiple search radii around the address.

Cons: You are often paying for formatting, not for data you cannot otherwise get. Depth varies a lot — some only go back six or seven years — and not all of them show the raw NOAA/NEXRAD event IDs behind their numbers. Check the history depth and whether sources are cited before paying.

Your roofing contractor

Established roofers in hail-prone areas usually subscribe to a storm-tracking tool and can pull recent hail activity for your area during a free inspection.

Pros: You get hail context plus a professional roof assessment together.

Cons: The contractor is also trying to sell you a roof. Not inherently bad, but worth remembering — always get a second opinion on any damage assessment.

How to judge any hail-history tool

Because this category is full of confident-sounding claims, here is what actually separates a trustworthy tool from an overreaching one:

Address-level, not just ZIP. Hail falls in narrow paths; a ZIP-code answer can be off by miles. Address-level is far more meaningful.

Data depth. Coverage back to at least 2015, across more than one NOAA source, beats a shallow single-source lookup.

Sources you can check. The best tools cite NOAA products so you — or an adjuster, or an engineer — can verify independently.

Honesty about the limit. A trustworthy tool tells you it measures hail exposure and stops there. Be wary of anything that claims a report alone "proves" or "confirms" roof damage.

What to do after you check

Your exposure result is a triage signal, not a verdict:

Low exposure on record: your area has not seen much hail. Keep up with routine roof maintenance and check again after the next major storm season.

Moderate exposure: worth a free roof inspection, especially if your roof is over 10 years old or has never been checked after a storm.

High exposure: book a professional inspection soon. A physical inspection is the only thing that confirms actual damage.

If you do find damage and want to file a claim, know that claim deadlines and coverage rules vary by carrier and policy — confirm yours with your insurer or, in Colorado, the Colorado Division of Insurance.

Colorado city guides (if you are on the Front Range)

City-level pages summarize NOAA radar history for a 15-mile radius, then link you into the same free address tool:

Denver hail damage

Aurora hail damage

Colorado Springs hail damage

Highlands Ranch hail damage

Castle Rock hail damage

Parker hail damage

Lakewood hail damage

Colorado hail statistics

For a full product walkthrough of what a free report includes, see Free hail damage report for any US address. For how HailScore compares to contractor tools, see HailScore vs HailTrace vs Interactive Hail Maps.

Common questions

Can I check any address or just my own?

Any US address. Homebuyers check properties before purchasing, landlords check rentals, agents check listings. The data is based on weather, not ownership.

How far back does the data go?

A good free lookup covers 2015 to the present across multiple NOAA sources; the NOAA Storm Events Database goes back further but requires manual searching.

Is hail history the same as hail damage?

No. Hail history tells you what storms have occurred near your property — your exposure. Whether your roof is actually damaged depends on its age, material, pitch, and condition, and only a physical inspection can confirm it.

Does checking my hail exposure affect my insurance?

No. A free public tool is not connected to your insurer. Checking has no effect on your premiums or coverage.

Check your address now

Enter your address at HailScore for your full hail exposure history in under 30 seconds — free, no sign-up. Colorado homeowners can also browse statewide hail statistics or start with Denver’s hail history.