Hail — Stark, Ohio

2004-05-17 · near Countywide, Stark, Ohio

Event narrative

A severe thunderstorm producing large hail moved northeast across Stark County and caused significant damage in many areas. Large hail first fell in the Brewster and Beach City areas in southwestern Stark County. Hail as large as golf balls fell for more than five minutes damaging dozens of homes and vehicles in these communities. As the thunderstorm moved northeast, large hail fell over most of Bethlehem and Perry Townships. The Navarre and Massillon areas were especially hard hit as wind driven hail between golf ball and baseball size fell for several minutes. As the parent thunderstorm continued northeast, quarter to tennis ball size hail pounded large sections of Canton, North Canton, East Canton and Louisville. In some areas, the hail accumulated on the ground to nearly a foot in depth. Over 2,000 homes in the county sustained significant hail damage with another 10,000 homes suffering minor damage. Most of the damage was to siding and windows, but several hundred homes in Massillon, Canton and Perry Township also sustained significant roof damage. Several mobile homes were declared total losses. Significant damage was also reported at automobile dealerships in Navarre, Canton and Massillon. Over 2,000 new and used cars were damaged at these dealerships with one dealer alone sustaining $1.5 million in damages. Thousands of additional vehicles were damaged at businesses and residences in the county.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (40.8167, -81.3667)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5400399. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.