Hail kills relatively few people each year in developed countries, but it has caused mass casualties in recorded history. The deadliest single hailstorm killed 246 people in Moradabad, India, in 1888. In the United States, hail deaths are rare, averaging roughly one to two per year over recent decades, making it one of the least deadly severe weather hazards.
The Deadliest Hailstorm on Record
On April 30, 1888, a massive hailstorm struck near Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh, India, killing 246 people. Guinness World Records recognizes this as the highest death toll from a single hailstorm. Witnesses described hailstones the size of goose eggs, oranges, and cricket balls. Many victims died not from the initial impact alone but from a combination of concussion and exposure. After being knocked unconscious by the hailstones, people collapsed into accumulating piles of hail and froze to death before they could be found.
India and Bangladesh have historically experienced the most fatal hailstorms, partly because of the intensity of convective storms in South Asia and partly because large populations live and work outdoors without nearby shelter. A 1986 hailstorm in Bangladesh’s Gopalganj district killed 92 people, with individual hailstones reportedly weighing over two pounds.
Hail Deaths in the United States
The U.S. sees far fewer hail fatalities. National Weather Service records show that hail kills an average of roughly one person per year, though some years see zero deaths and others see a small handful. For comparison, lightning kills about 20 people annually in the U.S., tornadoes kill around 70, and floods kill more than 100. Hail ranks near the bottom of severe weather threats in terms of direct fatalities.
That doesn’t mean hail can’t be lethal. During the March 28, 2000, tornado outbreak in Fort Worth, Texas, one person was killed by grapefruit-size hail, which is roughly four to four and a half inches in diameter. Deaths typically happen when people are caught outdoors with no access to shelter, often in vehicles, open fields, or during outdoor events where escape takes time.
How Large Hailstones Become Deadly
Hailstones grow inside powerful thunderstorm updrafts, cycling through layers of supercooled water that freeze onto the stone in layers. The stronger the updraft, the longer the stone stays aloft and the larger it grows. Once it becomes too heavy for the updraft to support, it falls.
The largest hailstone ever recorded in the United States fell in Vivian, South Dakota, on July 23, 2010. It measured 8 inches in diameter, nearly 18.625 inches in circumference, and weighed just under 2 pounds. The previous U.S. records were a 7-inch stone from Aurora, Nebraska, in 2003 and a 1.67-pound stone from Coffeyville, Kansas, in 1970. A stone this size falls at estimated speeds above 100 mph, carrying enough kinetic energy to shatter windshields, dent steel, and cause fatal skull fractures on impact.
Even hailstones in the 1.5 to 2 inch range (roughly golf ball size) can cause serious injuries if they strike the head or neck. Stones above about 2.5 inches, roughly the size of a tennis ball, are generally considered capable of causing fatal blunt trauma to an unprotected person. The risk scales steeply with size because both mass and terminal velocity increase as the stone grows.
Why Hail Kills So Few People Today
Modern weather radar and warning systems are the main reason hail deaths remain low in the U.S. and other developed countries. Severe thunderstorm warnings give people time to move indoors, and most hail falls in areas where buildings and vehicles provide adequate protection. The vast majority of hail damage is to property: roofs, siding, crops, and cars. The insurance and agricultural losses run into billions of dollars each year, even as human casualties stay minimal.
The populations most at risk are those caught outdoors without shelter. Hikers, outdoor event attendees, agricultural workers, and people in vehicles on open highways face the greatest danger during severe hailstorms. Livestock losses can be significant as well. In regions of South Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and parts of South America where outdoor labor is widespread and warning infrastructure is less developed, hail remains a more serious threat to human life.
Global Estimates Over Time
No single database tracks every hail death worldwide, so precise global totals are difficult to establish. Conservative estimates based on disaster records suggest that hail has killed several thousand people over the past two centuries, with the majority of those deaths occurring in South and Southeast Asia. In any given year, the global toll is likely in the low dozens, though individual catastrophic storms can spike the numbers significantly. The trend in developed nations has been steadily downward as forecasting, communication technology, and building construction have improved.