Hail history for Santa Cruz County, California
Every NOAA hail report filed in Santa Cruz County since 1965, with preliminary National Weather Service reports to November 3, 2026.
Readout · Santa Cruz County
- Last hail
- Mar 29, 2023
- 0.25 in, pea size
- Hail days, last 5 years
- 1
- since Nov 3, 2021 · 1 report
- Largest ever
- 1.75 in
- golf ball · Apr 1, 1965
21 reports on 16 days since 1965 · #16 of 47 California counties
Hail map · Santa Cruz County
- Under 1 in
- 1–1.75 in
- 1.75–2.5 in
- 2.5–4 in
- 4 in +
- No size
For homeowners
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What the record says about Santa Cruz County
The latest hail report in Santa Cruz County is from March 29, 2023, 0.25 in (pea size). Since November 3, 2021 there has been one hail day; the biggest stones in that time were 0.25 in on March 29, 2023.
Over the 20 years 2006–2025, Santa Cruz County logged 17 reports on 13 hail days, about 0.8 reports a year. That is about twice the median California county (0.4 a year) and ranks #16 of 47 California counties for all-time reports. Santa Cruz County holds 2% of all 938 hail reports in California.
0% of reports with a size were 2 inches (hen egg) or larger, against 0% for the median California county. The largest hail on record here is 1.75 in (golf ball) on April 1, 1965.
Reports were up 650% in 2016–2025 (15) compared with 2006–2015 (2). The busiest year was 2020, with 4 reports on 2 days. Hail here peaks in March (38% of reports); 10% fall between April and June.
Reports a year 2006–2025 average
- Santa Cruz County 0.8
- Median California county 0.4
Hail days 2006–2025
- Santa Cruz County 13
- Median California county 7
Share 2 in or larger of sized reports
- Santa Cruz County 0%
- Median California county 0%
Hail over time
| Year | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 2025 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 2024 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 2023 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 2022 | 0 | ||||||||||||
| 2021 | 2 | 2 | |||||||||||
| 2020 | 3 | 1 | 4 | ||||||||||
| 2019 | 1 | 1 | |||||||||||
| 2018 | 3 | 1 | 4 | ||||||||||
| 2017 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
Hail days since Nov 3, 2021
| Date | Reports | Largest | Storm page |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 29, 2023 | 1 | 0.25 in | — |
Largest hail on record
| Date | Size | Location | Time · source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 1, 1965 | 1.75 ingolf ball | — | 12:30 local · NCEI |
| Jan 20, 2010 | 1.00 inquarter | 3 N Corralitos | 14:10 local · NCEI |
| Dec 20, 2001 | 1.00 inquarter | 2 NE Watsonville | 19:00 local · NCEI |
| Mar 10, 2006 | 0.75 inpenny | Live Oak | 22:30 local · NCEI |
| Oct 27, 2004 | 0.75 inpenny | 7 NW Boulder Creek | 13:35 local · NCEI |
Sizes filed before 1996 are often rough estimates (round numbers like 7.00 or 8.00 in) without an exact spot; they are shown as NOAA filed them.
Size of every report
- Under 1 in 18 86%
- 1–2 in 3 14%
- 2 in + 0 0%
Most recent reports
| Date | Size | Location | Damage | Time · source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 29, 2023 | 0.25 inpea | Scotts Vly | $10 | 12:15 local · NCEI |
| Mar 10, 2021 | 0.25 inpea | Aptos | — | 07:25 local · NCEI |
| Mar 10, 2021 | 0.25 inpea | Scotts Vly | — | 06:25 local · NCEI |
| Mar 26, 2020 | 0.25 inpea | 2 SW Capitola | — | 16:05 local · NCEI |
| Jan 16, 2020 | 0.25 inpea | Santa Cruz | — | 15:42 local · NCEI |
| Jan 16, 2020 | 0.25 inpea | Scotts Vly | — | 10:11 local · NCEI |
| Jan 16, 2020 | 0.25 inpea | 1 SW Ben Lomond | — | 09:36 local · NCEI |
| Feb 15, 2019 | 0.25 inpea | 5.38 N Corralitos | — | 10:50 local · NCEI |
| Apr 16, 2018 | 0.25 inpea | 5.11 NE Riverside Grove | — | 16:23 local · NCEI |
| Mar 17, 2018 | 0.25 inpea | 1.29 ENE Scotts Vly | — | 15:05 local · NCEI |
| Mar 2, 2018 | 0.25 inpea | Scotts Vly | — | 09:48 local · NCEI |
| Mar 2, 2018 | 0.25 inpea | Felton | — | 09:44 local · NCEI |
Smaller places with fewer than 10 reports
These places have too few reports for a page of their own, so their record lives here.
| Place | Reports | Hail days | Latest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scotts Valley | 5 | 5 | Mar 29, 2023 |
| Santa Cruz | 3 | 3 | Jan 16, 2020 |
| Corralitos | 2 | 2 | Sep 11, 2017 |
| Day Valley | 2 | 2 | Feb 15, 2019 |
| Amesti | 1 | 1 | Dec 20, 2001 |
| Aptos | 1 | 1 | Mar 10, 2021 |
| Ben Lomond | 1 | 1 | Jan 16, 2020 |
| Felton | 1 | 1 | Mar 2, 2018 |
| Interlaken | 1 | 1 | Dec 20, 2001 |
| Live Oak | 1 | 1 | Mar 10, 2006 |
| Pleasure Point | 1 | 1 | Mar 26, 2020 |
| Saratoga | 1 | 1 | Apr 16, 2018 |
Questions about hail in Santa Cruz County
How often does it hail in Santa Cruz County, California?
21 hail reports have been logged in Santa Cruz County since 1965. Over the 20 years 2006–2025 that averages 0.8 reports a year. That ranks #16 of 47 California counties by number of reports.
When is hail season in Santa Cruz County?
Most reports come in March, January, April. March alone accounts for 38% of all reports.
What is the largest hail recorded in Santa Cruz County?
1.75 in (golf ball size) on April 1, 1965. 0% of reports here were 2 inches or larger.
When did it last hail in Santa Cruz County?
The most recent report in this data is from March 29, 2023 (0.25 in). Final NOAA data runs to July 31, 2026; preliminary NWS reports run to November 3, 2026.
How many hail storms has Santa Cruz County had in the last five years?
1 separate days with hail reports since November 3, 2021, adding up to 1 reports. The most recent was March 29, 2023.
Where does this hail data come from?
Hail reports come from the NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, which the National Weather Service compiles from spotter, public, law enforcement and media reports. Recent days use preliminary NWS Local Storm Reports via the Iowa Environmental Mesonet until NOAA publishes final data. Only reported hail is counted, so areas with fewer people tend to have fewer reports.