Gaithersburg, Maryland Hail Report and Map: July 4, 2026

Published October 15, 2026 by StormLens · Storm date (Eastern time) July 4, 2026

Was there hail in Gaithersburg, MD on July 4, 2026? Radar estimated hail up to 0.76 inch inside the town limits of Gaithersburg on July 4, 2026 (Eastern time). Radar estimates of at least 0.5 inch covered 40% of the town. Across the report area, the maximum radar estimate was 1.52 inches. The strongest part of the swath was about 10 miles northwest of Columbia, MD. Radar detected hail aloft in this area between about 6:15 p.m. and 7:05 p.m. ET on July 4, 2026.

Radar-estimated hail swath in Gaithersburg, MD on July 4, 2026; colors show estimated hail sizes

Download the free app to view this hail swath and search an address.

Hail estimates at a glance

Storm date (Eastern time)	July 4, 2026 (Saturday)
Maximum radar estimate across the area	1.52 inches; strongest part of the swath about 10 miles northwest of Columbia, MD
Maximum radar estimate inside Gaithersburg	0.76 inch
Share of Gaithersburg with radar estimates of at least 0.5 inch	40%
Approximate radar timing	Between about 6:15 p.m. and 7:05 p.m. ET on July 4, 2026 (Eastern time)
County coverage includes (0.5 inch or larger)	Montgomery County (34 sq mi), Howard County (34 sq mi), Carroll County (8 sq mi) and Baltimore County (1 sq mi)
Area with radar estimates of 0.5 inch or larger	about 76 square miles
Area with radar estimates of 1 inch or larger	about 11 square miles
Source	NOAA MRMS radar hail estimates (MESH)

Which towns had hail on July 4, 2026?

Radar estimated hail of at least 0.5 inch inside these town limits, using U.S. Census boundaries. Each percentage is the share of town area with those estimates.

Town	County	Maximum radar estimate inside town limits	Town area with estimates of at least 0.5 inch
Flower Hill, MD		0.89 inch	98%
Montgomery Village, MD	Montgomery County	0.84 inch	78%
Laytonsville, MD		0.78 inch	100%
Gaithersburg, MD	Montgomery County	0.76 inch	40%

How big was the hail in Gaithersburg?

Radar estimated hail up to 0.76 inch inside the town limits of Gaithersburg. Among the listed towns, the highest estimate was 0.89 inch inside the limits of Flower Hill. A town's maximum isn't an estimate for every home. Check the swath for estimates around an address.

Towns near the hail

The strongest part of the swath was within 15 miles of these towns. Distances and directions run from each town to that part of the swath.

Eldersburg, MD: strongest radar estimates about 6 miles southwest of town
Columbia, MD: strongest radar estimates about 10 miles northwest of town
Ellicott City, MD: strongest radar estimates about 12 miles west of town
Catonsville, MD: strongest radar estimates about 15 miles west of town
Olney, MD: strongest radar estimates about 12 miles north of town
Randallstown, MD: strongest radar estimates about 12 miles west of town
Owings Mills, MD: strongest radar estimates about 14 miles southwest of town
Milford Mill, MD: strongest radar estimates about 13 miles west of town

What time did radar detect hail?

Radar detected hail aloft in this area between about 6:15 p.m. and 7:05 p.m. ET on July 4, 2026. We used 83 NOAA radar hail detections in this area to estimate the window. We trim outlying detection times when enough are available, then round down to five-minute marks. It doesn't give an arrival time at an address.

Data source and limits

We use NOAA's MRMS radar product MESH (Maximum Estimated Size of Hail) for hail-size estimates. Each town's figure is the maximum inside its Census town limits. The percentage is the town area with estimates of at least 0.5 inch. A town's maximum isn't an estimate for every home. Each storm date covers one calendar day in Eastern time. A late-evening storm west of the Eastern time zone can appear under two dates. Radar estimates don't confirm hail on the ground or roof damage. Hail of 0.5 to 0.75 inch can damage roofs, especially older roofs. An estimate below 1 inch doesn't rule out damage. Read how we calculate sizes and times.