Iowa Storm Data: Hail & Wind History Since 2010
Deduplicated storm activity for Iowa, fused from NWS warnings, storm reports, official records, and FEMA declarations.
Latest Iowa hail and wind storms
- Last reported hail in Iowa (0.75 in.+, screening): October 13, 2026 — 1.54 in. reported at Hazleton (Buchanan County), SPC storm report.
- 2026 so far in Iowa: 28 hail days and 82 wind days statewide (days with a storm report or station gust at the screening thresholds; warnings alone never count).
| Date | Largest reported hail | Strongest gust | City pages hit |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 13, 2026 | 1.54 in. reported | — | — |
| October 9, 2026 | 1.50 in. reported | — | — |
| October 8, 2026 | 1.75 in. reported | — | Des Moines, Sioux City, Ankeny |
| October 2, 2026 | — | 58 mph measured | Des Moines, Ankeny |
| September 23, 2026 | — | 52 mph measured | — |
| September 19, 2026 | — | 76 mph measured | — |
| September 15, 2026 | — | 73 mph reported | — |
| September 14, 2026 | — | 74 mph reported | — |
| September 8, 2026 | 2.25 in. reported | 75 mph reported | Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Ankeny, Iowa City, Ames +2 more |
| September 6, 2026 | 1.25 in. reported | 60 mph reported | — |
Iowa storm facts
- StormAuditor's analysis of NOAA and National Weather Service records found 5,880 deduplicated storm events (wind, hail, tornado, and flood; NWS warning products included) in Iowa in the 12 months ending October 21, 2026.
- Storm activity touched 99 of 99 Iowa counties over that period.
- The most impacted county in Iowa was Linn, with 144 events.
- The busiest day by event count in Iowa was June 11, 2026, with 275 events.
Iowa storm activity at a glance (last 12 months)
StormAuditor's consolidated public record currently shows 5,880 storm events impacting 99 of Iowa's 99 counties in the trailing 12 months: 2,842 wind events, 2,044 hail events, 419 tornado events, 575 flood events. Every count includes NWS warnings as well as observed reports, so tornado events mean tornado warnings and reports, not confirmed tornadoes.
Events are fused from National Weather Service warnings and Special Weather Statements, observed Local Storm Reports, official NCEI storm records, and FEMA disaster declarations, then consolidated into a single event table under the published methodology.
Wind covers thunderstorm and non-thunderstorm wind alike, so these counts measure something different from the NCEI entry counts in the history section below; the two are not comparable year to year. State totals also count NWS Special Weather Statements (radar-indicated hail or gusts below warning level); city pages leave those out.
Busiest days in Iowa by event count
Ranked by the number of 12-month events, NWS warnings included, so a day with many warnings can outrank a day with larger hail.
- June 11, 2026 — 275 events incl. warnings (flood, hail, tornado, wind)
- April 23, 2026 — 258 events incl. warnings (flood, hail, tornado, wind)
- May 17, 2026 — 253 events incl. warnings (flood, hail, tornado, wind)
- April 17, 2026 — 240 events incl. warnings (flood, hail, tornado, wind)
- April 14, 2026 — 236 events incl. warnings (flood, hail, tornado, wind)
Most impacted counties
Events of every type for each county — wind, hail, tornado and flood, NWS warnings and Special Weather Statements included. City pages count wind and hail events only, so a county number on a city page is never higher than the number here.
- Linn — 144 events
- Polk — 139 events
- Johnson — 121 events
- Woodbury — 115 events
- Sioux — 114 events
- Scott — 111 events
- Washington — 105 events
- Page — 95 events
How these numbers are counted
The storm numbers on this page are counted in four different ways, plus the free address check. Each answers a different question with its own size cutoffs, area and time span, so compare numbers within one group, not across groups.
- Storm days (latest hail and wind): A day in the last 12 months when at least one report anywhere in Iowa showed hail 0.75 in. or larger or wind of 45 mph or more (StormAuditor screening thresholds). Reports are NWS storm reports from spotters, the public and officials, plus weather-station gusts, which count from 50 mph. A warning on its own never makes a storm day. The "City pages hit" column and each city's last reported hail apply the same rule within 25 miles of the city. The statewide columns count reports inside Iowa only. City pages count reports within 25 miles of each city, which can reach into a neighboring state; those values name the other state, so a border city's value for a day can be higher than the Iowa value.
- Storm-date pages (NWS severe): A storm-date page is published only when at least one report or station gust within 25 miles of a city met the National Weather Service severe criteria (hail 1.00 in. or larger, or wind 58 mph or more), at least two separate observations were logged, and the day ranks among the most significant. A storm report that relays an airport weather station's reading (the same station, the same gust and the same time) counts once, as the station reading. Not every storm day gets a page; when one does, the page and the storm-day table show the same largest hail and strongest gust.
- Events (12-month counts): Events count the Iowa storm log: NWS warnings and Special Weather Statements (a lower-level NWS alert), storm reports (wind 50 mph+, hail 0.75 in.+), station gusts, NCEI entries and FEMA disaster declarations, for each county affected, floods included. One event is one place on one day, counted separately for each type (wind, hail, tornado, flood). A weather station or storm-report point counts once a day, at that day's highest reading, however many readings it filed; a place with hail and wind on the same day is two events. NWS warnings and Special Weather Statements count once per county per day, and NCEI entries and FEMA declarations once per place per day. A storm report that relays an airport weather station's reading (the same station, the same gust and the same time) counts once, as the station reading. The same report arriving through another feed (SPC or NCEI) is one record. The most impacted counties list uses this count. City pages count only wind and hail within 25 miles and leave out floods and Special Weather Statements, so city counts do not add up to the state total, and a city page's county count is a wind-and-hail count that is never higher than the same county's number here.
- NOAA history (since 2010): The official NOAA storm record (NCEI Storm Events) in Iowa from January 1, 2010 to the day before the 12-month window starts: hail 0.50 in.+, thunderstorm wind 40 mph+ and tornadoes. It is a separate, older record with its own "storm days" (days with any entry), so its counts are not compared with the 12-month numbers.
- Free Report Snapshot: A free YES/NO estimate for one address, from radar and wind analysis at the property rather than area reports, at the same screening thresholds: hail 0.75 in. or wind 45 mph.
Full method: Methodology and Data Sources.
Iowa hail and wind history in NOAA NCEI records, 2010–Oct. 2025
This section covers January 1, 2010 through October 20, 2025. Storms from October 21, 2025 on are in the 12-month summary above, so no date is counted in both.
Thunderstorm wind outnumbers hail here: 8,643 wind reports against 7,403 hail reports. In all: 17,413 NCEI Storm Events entries in Iowa, spread over 895 storm days.
June is the peak month for both hazards, with 26% of all hail reports. December through February accounts for 11 storm days.
The most storm days came in 2010 and 2016, with 66 each; the fewest in a full year was 38, in 2020. Across 2022–2024, Iowa averaged 54 storm days a year, below the 15-year average of 55.
The largest hail in these records for Iowa was 4.00 in. (grapefruit size), reported in 7 different years — most recently on April 17, 2025 in Pottawattamie County. Hail of 2 inches or more appears in 16 different years of this record, the latest being 2025 through Oct. 20. The strongest measured thunderstorm gust was 100 mph on May 21, 2024 in Benton County. NCEI also lists 1,367 tornado entries in Iowa — one entry per county a tornado crossed.
- Average: 55 storm days a year (2010–2024)
- April and June: 48% of all hail reports
- Most hail reports in one year: 1,154 in 2023
- Hail of 1 in. or larger reported in every full year, 2010–2024
| Year | Hail reports | Thunderstorm wind reports | Tornado entries | Storm days | Largest hail | Strongest measured gust |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 528 | 621 | 34 | 66 | 3.50 in. | 97 mph |
| 2011 | 613 | 582 | 54 | 53 | 4.00 in. | 83 mph |
| 2012 | 383 | 469 | 18 | 54 | 2.75 in. | 87 mph |
| 2013 | 497 | 438 | 31 | 54 | 3.00 in. | 81 mph |
| 2014 | 624 | 608 | 113 | 57 | 4.00 in. | 86 mph |
| 2015 | 350 | 342 | 72 | 56 | 4.00 in. | 96 mph |
| 2016 | 207 | 413 | 48 | 66 | 2.50 in. | 87 mph |
| 2017 | 589 | 637 | 68 | 60 | 3.00 in. | 90 mph |
| 2018 | 376 | 473 | 76 | 59 | 3.00 in. | 87 mph |
| 2019 | 232 | 414 | 59 | 63 | 2.75 in. | 86 mph |
| 2020 | 287 | 429 | 31 | 38 | 4.00 in. | 85 mph |
| 2021 | 396 | 762 | 292 | 43 | 4.00 in. | 82 mph |
| 2022 | 494 | 644 | 112 | 52 | 3.00 in. | 87 mph |
| 2023 | 1,154 | 588 | 168 | 49 | 4.00 in. | 96 mph |
| 2024 | 417 | 659 | 155 | 62 | 3.50 in. | 100 mph |
| 2025 through Oct. 20 | 256 | 564 | 36 | 63 | 4.00 in. | 99 mph |
Counties with the most NCEI storm reports, 2010–Oct. 2025
| County | All entries | Hail | Thunderstorm wind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County | 759 | 356 | 381 |
| Linn County | 630 | 254 | 350 |
| Scott County | 510 | 191 | 291 |
| Story County | 401 | 216 | 169 |
| Benton County | 327 | 135 | 158 |
| Johnson County | 323 | 132 | 171 |
| Warren County | 318 | 196 | 103 |
| Dallas County | 309 | 111 | 182 |
| Woodbury County | 300 | 123 | 164 |
| Marion County | 297 | 133 | 136 |
Download this history: CSV · JSON at https://www.stormauditor.com/downloads/storm-history/ia.json (free, open license, cite StormAuditor).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (thunderstorm wind, hail, and tornado entries; hail 0.50 in. or larger, wind 40 mph or more; wind converted from knots).
Iowa storm history questions, 2010–Oct. 2025
How big did hail get in Iowa, 2010–Oct. 2025?
4.00 in., grapefruit size, reported in 7 different years; most recently on April 17, 2025 in Pottawattamie County, per NCEI. Hail of 2 inches or more appears in 16 years of this record in all, most recently 2019, 2022 and 2024.
Which year had the most storm days in Iowa, 2010–Oct. 2025?
2010 and 2016 tied, with 66 storm days each. The 15-year average is 55 storm days.
How many hail reports does Iowa see in a typical year?
About 476 hail reports a year (2010–2024 average), with 1-inch or larger hail reported every year. Thunderstorm wind averages 539 reports a year.
What month has the most hail in Iowa?
June has the most hail reports (1,910, 2010–Oct. 2025), followed by April (1,679) and May (1,449).
What is the strongest measured thunderstorm gust in Iowa, 2010–Oct. 2025?
100 mph, measured on May 21, 2024 in Benton County. Only gusts NCEI lists as measured count here; gusts measured on a date and county with a tornado entry, and entries of 120 knots or more (known entry errors), are left out.
For roofers, adjusters, and claim attorneys: the professional tools add statewide hail and wind swath maps, the Zone Canvas Tool, and Audit Reports with the evidence and arithmetic — see how roofing contractors and insurance claim attorneys use them.
Sources: NWS alerts (api.weather.gov) · NWS Local Storm Reports via the Iowa Environmental Mesonet · ASOS/AWOS station gusts via the Iowa Environmental Mesonet · NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database · every StormAuditor data source.
Download the Iowa dataset (free)
The full consolidated Iowa event list for the trailing 12 months — dates, counties, hazard types, severities, measured gusts and hail sizes, with coordinates; source records deduplicated, and each NWS warning product listed per affected county — downloads free and stays current with the live record: download CSV · JSON at https://www.stormauditor.com/downloads/storm-data/ia.json. Free to reuse under the data license; the JSON file carries a field dictionary and provenance notes.
Research a specific Iowa address
Statewide counts tell you where activity concentrated; they do not tell you what happened at one property. For an individual address:
- Run the Free Report Snapshot — an instant YES/NO against StormAuditor's screening thresholds (wind ≥ 45 mph, hail ≥ 0.75 in., deliberately below the official NWS severe criteria).
- Use the Address Lookup for warnings, storm reports, and station observations at the address.
- Buy a full Weather Report for $2.99 covering every qualifying storm date at the address.
Browse day-by-day activity on the Storm Calendar (Pro plans and higher) or compare states on the Storm Data hub.
All values are derived from public NOAA and NWS data under StormAuditor's published methodology (see Limitations). Data last refreshed October 21, 2026.
See where recent storms tracked on the statewide Iowa hail map and wind map (the Hail and Wind Explorers, included with Pro+ and Organization plans), or check the county impact heatmap (free with an account).
Iowa cities A–Z: last reported hail
- Ames hail & wind history — last hail September 8, 2026 (2.25 in. reported)
- Ankeny hail & wind history — last hail October 8, 2026 (1.75 in. reported)
- Cedar Rapids hail & wind history — last hail April 14, 2026 (1.00 in. reported)
- Coralville hail & wind history — last hail April 14, 2026 (1.00 in. reported)
- Davenport hail & wind history — last hail May 17, 2026 (1.25 in. reported)
- Des Moines hail & wind history — last hail October 8, 2026 (1.75 in. reported)
- Iowa City hail & wind history — last hail April 14, 2026 (1.00 in. reported)
- Marion hail & wind history — last hail August 7, 2026 (4.50 in. reported)
- Marshalltown hail & wind history — last hail April 17, 2026 (1.75 in. reported)
- Sioux City hail & wind history — last hail October 8, 2026 (1.00 in. reported)
Neighboring states: Illinois storm data · Minnesota storm data · Missouri storm data · Nebraska storm data · South Dakota storm data · Wisconsin storm data
Guides for reading this data
Storm-day records in Iowa
The newest storm-date pages for Iowa cities: a report or station gust within 25 miles of the city met NWS severe criteria (hail 1.00 in.+ or wind 58 mph+), with at least two separate observations. Each page lists the reports, station gusts and a free way to check one address:
- Ames, IA — September 8, 2026 (hail 2.25 in., gusts 75 mph)
- Ankeny, IA — September 8, 2026 (hail 2.25 in., gusts 75 mph)
- Des Moines, IA — September 8, 2026 (hail 2.25 in., gusts 75 mph)
- Cedar Rapids, IA — August 7, 2026 (gusts 98 mph)
- Marion, IA — August 7, 2026 (hail 4.50 in., gusts 98 mph)
- Cedar Rapids, IA — June 17, 2026 (gusts 78 mph)
- Marshalltown, IA — June 17, 2026 (gusts 107 mph)
Cite or link to this data — free
Free to quote, summarize, reuse, and link — for bloggers, journalists, researchers, contractors, and AI writing tools. No permission or credit required. A ready-made citation and link are below if they help. Terms: StormAuditor data & content license.
Citation: StormAuditor. "Iowa Storm Data: Hail & Wind History Since 2010." Updated October 13, 2026. https://www.stormauditor.com/storm-data/ia
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About this page: built by Storm Auditor LLC from public NOAA/NWS records — deduplicated warnings, storm reports, station measurements, and official records on a rolling 12-month window, under the published methodology. See the StormAuditor Editorial Team for how content is produced.