HailHistoryHail by county › Iowa

Iowa · 99 counties

Hail history in Iowa

Iowa has 15,834 recorded hail events in the NOAA Storm Events Database since 1950 — 10,187 of them 1″ or larger. The largest on record: 8.0″ (grapefruit) in Fayette County on May 31, 1958.

Recorded events 15,834 since 1950
1″ or larger 10,187 NWS severe threshold
Largest recorded 8.0 grapefruit · Fayette County
Peak month Jun most recorded events

When it hails in Iowa

10 Jan 76 Feb 798 Mar 2,876 Apr 3,709 May 3,824 Jun 2,018 Jul 1,245 Aug 925 Sep 288 Oct 51 Nov 14 Dec

All recorded Iowa events by month, 1950–present · data through April 2026.

Every Iowa county, ranked by recorded hail

Recorded hail events per county · NOAA Storm Events Database · through April 2026
County Events ≥1″ Largest Most recent
Polk County 670 442 3.25″ 2025
Linn County 389 264 2.75″ 2026
Woodbury County 369 207 4.5″ 2026
Warren County 338 214 3.5″ 2025
Story County 325 218 5.5″ 2025
Plymouth County 277 166 3.5″ 2026
Benton County 275 175 4.0″ 2026
Scott County 270 158 7.0″ 2026
Pottawattamie County 259 188 4.0″ 2026
Sioux County 256 159 2.75″ 2025
Black Hawk County 253 171 4.5″ 2025
Clay County 250 143 4.25″ 2026
Dallas County 249 156 3.0″ 2025
Johnson County 229 139 2.75″ 2026
Webster County 226 153 3.5″ 2025
Guthrie County 223 148 4.5″ 2025
Jasper County 220 159 4.5″ 2025
Harrison County 217 144 3.0″ 2026
O'Brien County 205 120 4.0″ 2026
Dubuque County 200 136 4.5″ 2026
Kossuth County 197 140 3.0″ 2025
Marion County 196 138 4.0″ 2025
Boone County 194 145 3.0″ 2025
Cerro Gordo County 184 117 3.0″ 2025
Adair County 175 128 4.5″ 2025
Cass County 174 115 3.0″ 2025
Dickinson County 174 84 2.5″ 2026
Lyon County 173 111 4.0″ 2025
Butler County 172 111 4.5″ 2025
Taylor County 168 123 4.0″ 2024
Floyd County 165 110 4.5″ 2026
Buchanan County 164 94 3.25″ 2026
Cherokee County 163 89 4.0″ 2025
Winneshiek County 161 94 4.25″ 2025
Muscatine County 160 95 2.75″ 2024
Lee County 154 94 4.5″ 2026
Delaware County 152 95 4.5″ 2026
Madison County 152 107 4.0″ 2025
Buena Vista County 151 103 3.0″ 2026
Marshall County 150 93 3.0″ 2025
Hamilton County 149 100 2.75″ 2024
Crawford County 148 98 4.25″ 2024
Mills County 145 95 3.0″ 2026
Pocahontas County 145 94 4.5″ 2025
Monona County 144 93 3.5″ 2026
Carroll County 143 77 2.75″ 2024
Clayton County 142 83 2.5″ 2026
Clinton County 141 91 4.0″ 2026
Fayette County 141 91 8.0″ 2025
Cedar County 140 88 3.0″ 2026
Fremont County 138 91 3.0″ 2025
Page County 135 91 3.0″ 2026
Jones County 134 75 3.0″ 2026
Shelby County 133 72 3.0″ 2026
Calhoun County 132 82 4.0″ 2025
Ida County 130 79 4.5″ 2026
Hardin County 129 78 3.0″ 2025
Bremer County 128 96 2.75″ 2025
Van Buren County 126 89 3.0″ 2026
Clarke County 125 88 3.5″ 2025
Franklin County 125 90 3.0″ 2025
Iowa County 125 79 2.75″ 2024
Palo Alto County 125 87 3.0″ 2025
Wapello County 125 79 2.75″ 2023
Greene County 123 85 2.75″ 2024
Des Moines County 122 74 4.0″ 2024
Emmet County 122 61 3.0″ 2025
Montgomery County 122 86 3.0″ 2026
Osceola County 120 71 4.0″ 2026
Union County 120 91 3.0″ 2025
Audubon County 117 70 3.0″ 2025
Appanoose County 114 84 3.0″ 2024
Hancock County 114 78 5.5″ 2025
Chickasaw County 111 69 2.75″ 2026
Mitchell County 110 56 3.0″ 2025
Sac County 110 82 2.75″ 2025
Tama County 109 81 3.75″ 2025
Henry County 106 60 4.0″ 2026
Ringgold County 105 68 4.5″ 2024
Winnebago County 105 68 3.5″ 2025
Adams County 102 70 3.0″ 2025
Humboldt County 102 71 3.5″ 2025
Washington County 101 64 2.75″ 2026
Howard County 97 47 3.5″ 2026
Allamakee County 96 48 2.5″ 2026
Wright County 96 68 4.0″ 2025
Decatur County 95 62 2.75″ 2025
Worth County 94 67 2.75″ 2025
Jefferson County 93 55 3.75″ 2026
Poweshiek County 93 61 3.0″ 2024
Grundy County 91 51 3.0″ 2025
Mahaska County 91 65 4.75″ 2024
Davis County 87 63 2.5″ 2024
Wayne County 82 55 3.0″ 2024
Jackson County 80 43 3.0″ 2026
Lucas County 78 45 2.5″ 2024
Keokuk County 71 50 3.0″ 2026
Louisa County 67 45 2.75″ 2026
Monroe County 61 41 3.25″ 2024
Read the record honestly: Storm Events contains what was reported to the National Weather Service. Populated counties report more; rural counties under-report. County-to-county comparisons say as much about reporting as about weather.

Questions about hail in Iowa

How often does it hail in Iowa?

The NOAA Storm Events Database records 15,834 hail events for Iowa since 1950, 10,187 of them 1″ (quarter size) or larger. Recorded frequency varies sharply by county — the table on this page ranks all 99.

What is the largest hail ever recorded in Iowa?

8.0″ (grapefruit), recorded in Fayette County on May 31, 1958. See it at true size on the actual-size hail chart.

When is hail season in Iowa?

Recorded events peak in June. The by-month chart on this page shows the full seasonal shape — and each county page carries its own, since timing shifts across the state.

How do I check hail history for my address in Iowa?

Storm Events records events at the county level, so pick your county below or use the ZIP lookup. For "did it hail on this date" claim questions, the date lookup searches every recorded Iowa event.

Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, public domain. Each county page shows the full event timeline, month profile, and storm-report narratives.