National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Hail smaller than 1" in diameter is considered SUB-SEVERE.  Severe hail starts at 1" and larger.

Hail Diameter (In) Description  
1/4" Pea size pea size hail
1/2" Reg.M&M candy
or Mothball size
mm candy size hail
DO NOT USE
MARBLE SIZE

(too many sizes)
variety of marbles
7/10" Dime size dime size hail
3/4" Penny size penny size hail
7/8" Nickel size nickel size hail
SEVERE SIZED HAIL
Hail Diameter (In) Description  
1" Quarter size quarter size hail
1 1/4" 1/2 Dollar size half dollar size hail
1 1/2" Ping Pong Ball size
or Walnut size
ping pong ball size hail
1 3/4" Golf Ball size golf ball size hail
2" Hen Egg size
or Lime size
hen egg size hail
2 1/2" Tennis ball size tennis ball size hail
2 3/4" Baseball size baseball size hail
4" Grapefruit size grapefruit size hail
4 1/2" Softball size softball size hail