Hail & Wind Storms in Ames, IA — Latest Dates and Sizes
Hail and wind activity within ~25 miles of Ames, Iowa or recorded for its county: the last 12 months from NWS warnings, storm reports, and station measurements, plus official NOAA records back to 2010.
Latest hail and wind near Ames
- Last reported hail (0.75 in.+, screening): September 8, 2026 — 2.25 in. reported 20.5 mi S of Ames (Ankeny), SPC storm report.
- Last wind gust 45 mph+ (screening): September 8, 2026 — 75 mph reported 18.4 mi S of Ames (2 NW Ankeny), SPC storm report.
- 2026 so far: 1 hail day and 14 wind days within 25 miles (days with a storm report or station gust at the screening thresholds; warnings alone never count).
| Date | Largest reported hail | Strongest gust |
|---|---|---|
| September 8, 2026 | 2.25 in. reported | 75 mph reported |
| August 13, 2026 | — | 61 mph measured |
| July 20, 2026 | — | 69 mph measured |
| June 17, 2026 | — | 75 mph measured |
| June 11, 2026 | — | 73 mph measured |
| June 10, 2026 | — | 69 mph measured |
| May 17, 2026 | — | 50 mph measured |
| April 8, 2026 | — | 57 mph measured |
| March 16, 2026 | — | 52 mph measured |
| March 15, 2026 | — | 59 mph measured |
Was your address hit on September 8, 2026? Check any address free with the Free Report Snapshot — a YES/NO estimate at the screening thresholds.
Ames storm facts
- StormAuditor's analysis of NOAA and National Weather Service records found 131 wind and hail events, NWS warning products included, within 25 miles of Ames, Iowa or recorded for Story County in the 12 months ending October 7, 2026 (84 wind, 47 hail).
- The strongest gust within 25 miles of Ames in the last 12 months was 75 mph, reported 18.4 mi S of Ames (2 NW Ankeny) on September 8, 2026 (SPC storm report; storm reports and station gusts only, warnings excluded).
- The largest hail reported within 25 miles of Ames in the last 12 months was 2.25 in., 20.5 mi S of Ames (Ankeny) on September 8, 2026 (SPC storm report).
- The busiest day by event count near Ames was April 15, 2026, with 15 events.
- Story County alone recorded 76 of those wind and hail events (48 wind, 28 hail); the Iowa page ranks counties by events of every type, floods and Special Weather Statements included.
Ames, Iowa storm history at a glance (last 12 months)
This free weather history for Ames — home to about 69,000 residents — draws on StormAuditor's consolidated public record: 131 wind and hail events within 25 miles of Ames or recorded for Story County in the trailing 12 months — 84 wind and 47 hail.
Events combine NWS warning products, observed Local Storm Reports, station measurements and official NCEI records in one event table. Because they include warnings, and wind covers thunderstorm and non-thunderstorm wind alike, they measure something different from the NCEI entry counts in the history section below; the two are not comparable year to year.
Busiest days near Ames 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.
- April 15, 2026 — 15 events incl. warnings · 1 wind · 14 hail
- July 20, 2026 — 14 events incl. warnings · 7 wind · 7 hail
- September 8, 2026 — 10 events incl. warnings · 5 wind · 5 hail · storm-date page: 9 storm reports
- June 17, 2026 — 8 events incl. warnings · 7 wind · 1 hail
- January 21, 2026 — 7 events incl. warnings · 7 wind
Storm-day records for Ames
Storm-date pages for the biggest days near Ames: a report or station gust within 25 miles met NWS severe criteria (hail 1.00 in.+ or wind 58 mph+), with at least two separate observations. Not every storm day in the table above has a page. Each page lists the reports, station gusts and a free way to check one address:
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 within 25 miles of Ames 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 latest and largest hail, the latest and strongest gust, and the storm-day table all use this record.
- 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 NWS warnings, storm reports (wind 50 mph+, hail 0.75 in.+), station gusts (50 mph+) and NCEI entries within 25 miles of Ames or recorded for Story County, tornado entries counted as wind. One event is one place on one day, counted separately for hail and for wind. 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 count once per county per day, and each NCEI entry 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. Events measure how busy the area was, not whether a storm hit: one storm can bring warnings and reports from many places, so the busiest days by event count can differ from the storm days.
- NOAA history (since 2010): The official NOAA storm record (NCEI Storm Events) within 25 miles of Ames or in Story County 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.
Ames hail and wind history in NOAA NCEI records, 2010–Oct. 2025
This section covers January 1, 2010 through October 6, 2025. Storms from October 7, 2025 on are in the 12-month summary above, so no date is counted in both.
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 825 NCEI Storm Events entries within 25 miles of Ames or in Story County for this period, on 170 separate storm days. Hail (381 reports) and thunderstorm wind (385) appear in nearly equal numbers.
On July 9, 2021, 3.00 in. (teacup size) hail was reported in Dallas County — the largest in these records for this area. Hail of 2 inches or more appears in 8 different years of this record, the latest being 2023. The strongest measured thunderstorm gust was 85 mph on August 10, 2020 in Polk County. NCEI also lists 59 tornado entries for the area — one entry per county a tornado crossed.
Hail peaks in May (28% of all hail reports), while thunderstorm wind reports cluster in July. December through February accounts for 1 storm day.
The most storm days came in 2018, with 16; the fewest in a full year was 6, in 2022 and 2023. Across 2022–2024, the area averaged 8.0 storm days a year, below the 15-year average of 11. Storm days fell from an average of 12 a year in 2010–2014 to 7.8 in 2020–2024.
- Average: 11 storm days a year (2010–2024)
- Most hail reports in one year: 58 in 2018
- Hail of 1 in. or larger reported in 14 of 15 full years (2010–2024)
| Year | Hail reports | Thunderstorm wind reports | Tornado entries | Storm days | Largest hail | Strongest measured gust |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 10 | 37 | 2 | 14 | 1.25 in. | 72 mph |
| 2011 | 32 | 34 | 0 | 13 | 2.00 in. | 59 mph |
| 2012 | 8 | 34 | 0 | 9 | 1.50 in. | 72 mph |
| 2013 | 43 | 51 | 2 | 10 | 2.00 in. | 61 mph |
| 2014 | 50 | 38 | 12 | 13 | 2.75 in. | 81 mph |
| 2015 | 4 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 0.75 in. | 68 mph |
| 2016 | 7 | 21 | 1 | 12 | 1.50 in. | 62 mph |
| 2017 | 21 | 19 | 6 | 14 | 2.00 in. | — |
| 2018 | 58 | 19 | 7 | 16 | 2.25 in. | 76 mph |
| 2019 | 12 | 27 | 2 | 11 | 1.50 in. | 72 mph |
| 2020 | 20 | 29 | 3 | 7 | 2.50 in. | 85 mph |
| 2021 | 25 | 12 | 9 | 8 | 3.00 in. | 75 mph |
| 2022 | 4 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 1.25 in. | 66 mph |
| 2023 | 52 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 2.50 in. | — |
| 2024 | 17 | 22 | 4 | 12 | 1.25 in. | 66 mph |
| 2025 through Oct. 6 | 18 | 17 | 2 | 11 | 1.50 in. | 67 mph |
Download this history: CSV · JSON at https://www.stormauditor.com/downloads/storm-history/ia/ames.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).
Ames storm history questions, 2010–Oct. 2025
How big did hail get in Ames, 2010–Oct. 2025?
3.00 in., teacup size, reported on July 9, 2021 in Dallas County, per NCEI. Hail of 2 inches or more appears in 8 years of this record in all, most recently 2018, 2020 and 2023.
Which year had the most storm days near Ames, 2010–Oct. 2025?
2018, with 16 storm days (58 hail reports, 19 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 tornado entries). The 15-year average is 11 storm days.
How many hail reports does Ames see in a typical year?
About 24 hail reports a year (2010–2024 average), with 1-inch or larger hail in 14 of 15 years. Thunderstorm wind averages 25 reports a year.
What month has the most hail near Ames?
May has the most hail reports (106, 2010–Oct. 2025), followed by April (71) and June (71).
What is the strongest measured thunderstorm gust near Ames, 2010–Oct. 2025?
85 mph, measured on August 10, 2020 in Polk 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.
Ames hail map and wind map
Researching hail or wind in Ames? The Hail Explorer and Wind Explorer map radar-derived hail swaths and peak-gust wind swaths across Iowa, including the Ames metro: pick any storm date and see how estimated hail size and gust bands tracked through Story County. Both explorers are included with Pro+ and Organization plans.
County-level activity is on the Impact Heatmap (free with an account), and day-by-day history is on the Storm Calendar (Pro plans and higher).
Free Ames weather report by address
Area maps show where storms tracked; an insurance claim or roof inspection turns on what happened at the property. Three ways to check one Ames address:
- The Free Report Snapshot answers YES/NO instantly on estimated wind of 45 mph or more and hail of 0.75 in. or larger (screening thresholds) at the address.
- The free Address Lookup lists NWS warnings, storm reports and NOAA observations near the address — free Ames wind history and free Ames hail history.
- A complete Weather Report for $2.99 covers every qualifying storm date at one address over the last 2 years.
All values are estimates from public NOAA data under our published methodology (see Limitations).
Storm professionals: restoration and exterior contractors, public adjusters, and crews and teams on one Organization plan work from this same public record — see StormAuditor for professionals.
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.
Free Ames storm data download
The Ames storm records for the last 12 months download free, free to reuse under the data license: download CSV · JSON at https://www.stormauditor.com/downloads/storm-data/ia/ames.json.
- Coverage: every wind and hail record within about 25 miles of Ames or recorded for Story County, with dates, counties, event types, measured gusts and hail sizes.
- Rows: each source record before consolidation, including every NWS warning product and smaller storm reports, so the row count differs from the event counts above.
- Statewide files are on the Iowa storm data page.
Nearby city storm pages:
- Ankeny hail & wind history
- Des Moines hail & wind history
- Marshalltown hail & wind history
- Cedar Rapids hail & wind history
- Marion hail & wind history
- Coralville hail & wind history
- Iowa statewide storm data
Guides for reading this data
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. "Ames, IA Hail & Wind Storm History." Updated September 14, 2026. https://www.stormauditor.com/storm-data/ia/ames
HTML link: <a href="https://www.stormauditor.com/storm-data/ia/ames">Ames, IA Hail & Wind Storm History — StormAuditor</a>
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.
Data last refreshed October 7, 2026. Event counts cover wind and hail (warning products, and storm reports from 50 mph or 0.75 in.); flood activity and Special Weather Statements are not counted here.