Treasure Valley Hail & Storm History (NOAA Data, Ada & Canyon)
How often does hail actually hit the Boise area? We downloaded every record for Ada County and Canyon County, Idaho, from NOAA's Storm Events Database (bulk CSV files, NCEI), covering January 1996 through the most recent 2026 data available on Oct 23, 2026. Everything below is a count of those records.
Important caveats: the database only includes events that someone reported to the National Weather Service. Rural storms often go unreported. Hail is recorded only at severe size (≥0.75 in. before 2010, ≥1 in. after), so smaller hail that still scuffs shingles won't appear. Wind and winter-storm events logged by forecast zone (rather than county) are not included in these counts. The 2026 file was still incomplete when we pulled it.
Hail: 38 reports in 30 years
- 38 hail reports (22 in Ada County, 16 in Canyon County) from 1996 through 2026.
- 25 of the 38 were 1 inch (quarter size) or larger.
- Peak season is spring: April (12 reports), May (9), and June (7) account for 28 of 38. July–September added 9, and March had 1.
- Largest stones: 2.00 in. near Moss, Canyon County (May 25, 2018) and 1.75 in. near Melba (April 23, 1998). There were 1.50 in. reports near Boise (Aug 6, 2009), Meridian (Sept 5, 2013), Star (May 26, 2015) and the Parma airport (Aug 11, 2022).
- Recent years: June 5, 2022 (1.25 in. near Kuna and Melba), Aug 11, 2022 (up to 1.50 in. near Parma), and April 3, 2024 (1 in. reports in Boise, including near Strawberry Glen, and at Bradley airport).
- No property-damage dollar amounts were attached to any of these hail records. That doesn't mean no roofs were damaged; it means no damage was estimated in the database.
Thunderstorm wind: the more frequent threat
- 119 thunderstorm-wind events (80 Ada, 39 Canyon), roughly three times as many as hail.
- Most fall in May (27), July (25), June (23) and August (20).
- Strongest gusts recorded: 80 mph near Orchard, Ada County (Aug 27, 1996). There were also 70 mph reports near Wilder and Caldwell (June 7, 1996, with $30K and $20K in estimated property damage) and near Olson City (Sept 5, 2019). A 65 mph gust near Middleton (April 24, 2003) came with $100K in estimated damage. The most recent strong report was 63 mph near Kuna (May 28, 2026).
Tornadoes: rare and usually weak
11 tornado records (8 Ada, 3 Canyon), mostly from 1996–2003. The most recent was near Star on May 26, 2023. There were also 7 funnel-cloud reports.
What this means for your roof
- Damaging hail is infrequent but real: a 1-inch-plus report somewhere in the two counties about once every year or two, clustered in spring. If you're replacing a roof anyway, Class 4 impact-resistant shingles or metal are worth pricing. Ask your insurer about discounts.
- Wind is the bigger everyday risk. Proper nailing and sealed shingle edges matter. Lifted or missing shingles after a summer storm need a prompt repair.
- After any storm, follow our hail damage insurance claim guide and get a storm damage inspection.
- Planning a replacement? Try the roof cost calculator.
Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, details files 1996–2026 (2026 file version c20260918), filtered to State = Idaho, county = Ada or Canyon. Data downloaded and tallied Oct 23, 2026. You can query the same data yourself at ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents.