Hail & Wind Storms in Moorhead, MN — Latest Dates and Sizes

Hail and wind activity within ~25 miles of Moorhead, Minnesota 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 Moorhead

  • Last reported hail (0.75 in.+, screening): August 17, 2026 — 1.00 in. reported 14 mi NE of Moorhead (2 ENE Averill), SPC storm report.
  • Last wind gust 45 mph+ (screening): September 3, 2026 — 59 mph reported 14.7 mi NE of Moorhead (4 WSW Felton), SPC storm report.
  • 2026 so far: 3 hail days and 12 wind days within 25 miles (days with a storm report or station gust at the screening thresholds; warnings alone never count).
Recent storm days near Moorhead, newest first (hail 0.75 in.+ or wind 45 mph+, screening; a linked date has a storm-date page; pages are published for the most significant days that met NWS severe criteria, so some severe days have no page)
DateLargest reported hailStrongest gust
September 3, 2026—59 mph reported
August 17, 20261.00 in. reported—
August 12, 2026—60 mph reported (North Dakota)
July 30, 2026—76 mph reported (North Dakota)
June 29, 20264.00 in. reported (North Dakota)68 mph measured
June 19, 20261.00 in. reported (North Dakota)51 mph measured (North Dakota)
June 10, 2026—62 mph measured
May 14, 2026—60 mph measured (North Dakota)
May 12, 2026—53 mph measured (North Dakota)
April 23, 2026—53 mph measured (North Dakota)

Was your address hit on September 3, 2026? Check any address free with the Free Report Snapshot — a YES/NO estimate at the screening thresholds.

Moorhead, MN hail and wind storm history — Clay County on a Minnesota map card

Moorhead storm facts

  • StormAuditor's analysis of NOAA and National Weather Service records found 87 wind and hail events, NWS warning products included, within 25 miles of Moorhead, Minnesota (including the parts of North Dakota inside that circle) or recorded for Clay County in the 12 months ending October 7, 2026 (62 wind, 25 hail).
  • The strongest gust within 25 miles of Moorhead in the last 12 months was 76 mph, reported 19.7 mi W of Moorhead (2 E Casselton, North Dakota) on July 30, 2026 (NWS Local Storm Report; storm reports and station gusts only, warnings excluded).
  • The largest hail reported within 25 miles of Moorhead in the last 12 months was 4.00 in., 8.3 mi S of Moorhead (5 E Horace, North Dakota) on June 29, 2026 (NWS Local Storm Report).
  • The busiest day by event count near Moorhead was June 29, 2026, with 28 events.
  • Clay County alone recorded 53 of those wind and hail events (35 wind, 18 hail); the Minnesota page ranks counties by events of every type, floods and Special Weather Statements included.

Moorhead, Minnesota storm history at a glance (last 12 months)

This free weather history for Moorhead — home to about 44,000 residents — draws on StormAuditor's consolidated public record: 87 wind and hail events within 25 miles of Moorhead (including the parts of North Dakota inside that circle) or recorded for Clay County in the trailing 12 months — 62 wind and 25 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 Moorhead 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.

Storm-day records for Moorhead

Storm-date pages for the biggest days near Moorhead: 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 Moorhead 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. The 25-mile circle around Moorhead reaches into North Dakota. Values marked with that state's name come from there: they count for Moorhead but not on the Minnesota state page, which counts reports inside Minnesota only.
  • 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 Moorhead or recorded for Clay 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 Moorhead or in Clay 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.

Moorhead 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.

Bar chart of storm days per year near Moorhead for 2010–Oct. 2025 in NOAA NCEI Storm Events records; the busiest year was 2016 with 13 storm days.
Moorhead storm days by year, 2010–Oct. 2025 (NOAA NCEI Storm Events).

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 499 NCEI Storm Events entries within 25 miles of Moorhead or in Clay County for this period, on 135 separate storm days. Wind is the more common entry — 280 thunderstorm wind reports to 190 hail reports.

Storm days ranged from 5 in 2012, 2021 and 2024 to 13 in 2016, 2018 and 2019. Across 2022–2024, the area averaged 7.7 storm days a year, below the 15-year average of 8.6.

The largest hail in these records for this area was 2.75 in. (baseball size), reported in 2010 and 2023 — most recently on July 13, 2023 in Clay County. Hail of 2 inches or more appears in 7 different years of this record, the latest being 2023. Measured thunderstorm gusts topped out at 87 mph (Clay County, September 2, 2019). NCEI also lists 29 tornado entries for the area — one entry per county a tornado crossed.

Hail peaks in July (41% of all hail reports); thunderstorm wind peaks in June. None of these NCEI storm days fell in December through February.

Moorhead storm entries by year, 2010–Oct. 2025 (NOAA NCEI Storm Events)
YearHail reportsThunderstorm wind reportsTornado entriesStorm daysLargest hailStrongest measured gust
2010721282.75 in.72 mph
2011830792.50 in.64 mph
2012135151.75 in.—
20131214172.50 in.64 mph
2014147071.75 in.—
2015134172.50 in.—
201613202132.00 in.69 mph
201715182111.75 in.64 mph
201832141132.50 in.63 mph
201917403131.75 in.87 mph
20201027181.75 in.79 mph
2021428051.25 in.77 mph
20221026191.00 in.64 mph
2023154092.75 in.—
20240815—61 mph
2025 through Oct. 6714661.50 in.79 mph

Download this history: CSV · JSON at https://www.stormauditor.com/downloads/storm-history/mn/moorhead.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).

Moorhead storm history questions, 2010–Oct. 2025

What is the largest hail reported near Moorhead, 2010–Oct. 2025?

2.75 in., baseball size, reported in 2010 and 2023; most recently on July 13, 2023 in Clay County, per NCEI. Hail of 2 inches or more appears in 7 years of this record in all, most recently 2015, 2016 and 2018.

What was Moorhead's most active storm year, 2010–Oct. 2025?

2016, 2018 and 2019 tied, with 13 storm days each. The 15-year average is 8.6 storm days.

How often does Moorhead get hail?

NCEI's records average 12 hail reports a year here over 2010–2024, alongside 18 thunderstorm wind reports. Hail of 1 inch or larger was reported in 14 of those 15 years.

When is hail season near Moorhead?

July has the most hail reports (77, 2010–Oct. 2025), followed by June (50) and August (44).

How strong were measured thunderstorm winds in Moorhead, 2010–Oct. 2025?

87 mph, measured on September 2, 2019 in Clay 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.

Moorhead hail map and wind map

Researching hail or wind in Moorhead? The Hail Explorer and Wind Explorer map radar-derived hail swaths and peak-gust wind swaths across Minnesota, including the Moorhead metro: pick any storm date and see how estimated hail size and gust bands tracked through Clay 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 Moorhead 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 Moorhead address:

All values are estimates from public NOAA data under our published methodology (see Limitations).

Working storm claims? Roofing contractors, public adjusters, and insurance adjusters work from this same public storm record with statewide hail and wind maps and per-address reports — 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 Moorhead storm data download

The Moorhead 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/mn/moorhead.json.

Nearby city storm pages:

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. "Moorhead, MN Hail & Wind Storm History." Updated September 28, 2026. https://www.stormauditor.com/storm-data/mn/moorhead

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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.

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.