NWS Warns Holmes County of Golf Ball-Sized Hail, Quarter-Sized Confirmed in Millersburg

The National Weather Service issued Severe Thunderstorm Warnings for golf ball-sized hail across Holmes County on the evening of March 22, covering Millersburg, Berlin, and Walnut Creek. Before the warnings expired, public reports on the ground in Millersburg confirmed quarter-sized hail had actually fallen — much of the state was under a Slight, or Level 2 out of 5, risk for severe storms, with damaging winds and large hail as the primary concerns.

The gap between the warned hail size and what fell in Millersburg is notable but not unusual. NWS warnings typically reflect the maximum potential hail a storm could produce; confirmed public observations often come in smaller. Golf ball-sized hail measures 1.75 inches in diameter, while quarter-sized hail measures one inch. Both sizes are large enough to dent vehicles, crack windshields, and strip leaves and bark from trees. As of the initial report Sunday evening, no damage had been filed with local officials.

Storm gusts could exceed 50 to 60 mph alongside hail of quarter to even golf ball size. That combination puts pressure on rooftops, siding, and outdoor property across Holmes County's mix of residential neighborhoods, farms, and Amish country storefronts from Berlin to Walnut Creek.

The most likely timing of these potentially severe storms began around 9 p.m. and continued for southeast Ohio until around 2 to 3 a.m. Holmes County sits in the path those systems travel as they push east through the region.

Sunday's storm was part of a larger outbreak. 126 hail storms occurred Sunday, March 22, 2026, across Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Holmes County was among the Ohio communities drawn into that system.

Historically, Holmes County has seen repeated rounds of this kind of storm. Radar records from August 2018 documented a severe thunderstorm tracking directly over Millersburg at 30 mph with quarter-sized hail and 60 mph wind gusts listed as hazards, with Millersburg, Berlin, Walnut Creek, Killbuck, Holmesville, Glenmont, Winesburg, Farmerstown, Baltic, Mount Hope, and Charm all listed in the impact zone. A nearly identical storm footprint appeared in radar records from August 2016, when a cell over northern Holmes County, tracked as drifting southeast near Holmesville, also carried warnings of quarter-sized hail and 60 mph gusts, with damage expectations that included vehicles, roofs, siding, and trees. Sunday's event covers the same geography these systems have targeted repeatedly.

Residents with property damage from Sunday evening's storm should report it to the Holmes County Emergency Management Agency. Any structural damage, downed trees, or vehicle impacts help officials build an accurate post-storm record and can inform future NWS storm surveys that reconcile warned versus observed conditions.