Hail History

Hail history for Cherokee County, Iowa

Every NOAA hail report filed in Cherokee County since 1959, with preliminary National Weather Service reports to November 3, 2026.

Readout · Cherokee County

Last hail
Oct 8, 2026
1.00 in, quarter size · preliminary
Hail days, last 5 years
13
since Nov 3, 2021 · 22 reports
Largest ever
4.00 in
grapefruit · Apr 9, 2011

171 reports on 101 days since 1959 · #30 of 100 Iowa counties

Hail map · Cherokee County

Cherokee Washta Marcus Aurelia Cleghorn Larrabee Meriden 5 mi
  • Under 1 in
  • 1–1.75 in
  • 1.75–2.5 in
  • 2.5–4 in
  • 4 in +
  • No size
163 most recent reports with a location. Dot size and colour follow hail size. Open street map

For homeowners

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Hail bruises shingles and cracks seals in ways you can't see from the ground, and most insurers set a claim deadline after the storm. The latest hail report in Cherokee County is from October 8, 2026. A local roofer can check and document it at no cost.

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What the record says about Cherokee County

The latest hail report in Cherokee County is from October 8, 2026, 1.00 in (quarter size). Since November 3, 2021 there have been 13 separate hail days; the biggest stones in that time were 2.00 in on August 9, 2025.

Over the 20 years 2006–2025, Cherokee County logged 70 reports on 43 hail days, about 3.5 reports a year. That is about the same as the median Iowa county (3.7 a year) and ranks #30 of 100 Iowa counties for all-time reports. Cherokee County holds 1% of all 16,032 hail reports in Iowa.

4% of reports with a size were 2 inches (hen egg) or larger, against 7% for the median Iowa county. The largest hail on record here is 4.00 in (grapefruit) on April 9, 2011 near Cherokee.

Reports were down 16% in 2016–2025 (32) compared with 2006–2015 (38). The busiest year was 2004, with 25 reports on 12 days. Hail here peaks in May (32% of reports); 64% fall between April and June.

Reports a year 2006–2025 average

  • Cherokee County 3.5
  • Median Iowa county 3.7

Hail days 2006–2025

  • Cherokee County 43
  • Median Iowa county 39.5

Share 2 in or larger of sized reports

  • Cherokee County 4%
  • Median Iowa county 7%

Hail over time

0102030 1959: 1 reports, largest 1.75 in 1960 1968: 1 reports, largest 1.75 in 1969: 1 reports, largest 0.75 in 1970 1978: 1 reports, largest 1.75 in 1980 1981: 1 reports, largest 2.50 in 1982: 1 reports, largest 1.00 in 1987: 1 reports, largest 1.00 in 1988: 1 reports, largest 1.75 in 1990 1994: 8 reports, largest 2.00 in 1996: 5 reports, largest 2.50 in 1998: 2 reports, largest 1.75 in 1999: 9 reports, largest 1.75 in 2000: 6 reports, largest 0.88 in 2000 2001: 9 reports, largest 1.75 in 2002: 6 reports, largest 1.75 in 2003: 7 reports, largest 1.75 in 2004: 25 reports, largest 1.50 in 2005: 8 reports, largest 1.00 in 2006: 5 reports, largest 1.50 in 2007: 2 reports, largest 1.00 in 2008: 9 reports, largest 0.88 in 2010: 6 reports, largest 1.25 in 2010 2011: 6 reports, largest 4.00 in 2012: 7 reports, largest 1.75 in 2013: 1 reports, largest 1.00 in 2014: 2 reports, largest 1.50 in 2016: 3 reports, largest 1.50 in 2017: 1 reports, largest 1.00 in 2018: 6 reports, largest 1.50 in 2019: 5 reports, largest 1.00 in 2020: 2 reports, largest 1.25 in 2020 2021: 1 reports, largest 1.25 in 2022: 1 reports, largest 0.88 in 2023: 2 reports, largest 1.50 in 2024: 5 reports, largest 1.50 in 2025: 6 reports, largest 2.00 in 2026: 8 reports, largest 1.50 in
Reports per year, 1959–2026. Bar colour shows the largest hail that year. Reporting grew sharply after the mid-1990s, so early decades undercount.
0204060 Jan Feb Mar April: 17 reports (10%) Apr May: 54 reports (32%) May June: 38 reports (22%) Jun July: 19 reports (11%) Jul August: 20 reports (12%) Aug September: 16 reports (9%) Sep October: 6 reports (4%) Oct November: 1 reports (1%) Nov Dec
All 171 reports by calendar month.
Reports per month, 2017–2026. Darker cells had more reports.
YearJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
2026 53 8
2025 411 6
2024 23 5
2023 11 2
2022 1 1
2021 1 1
2020 2 2
2019 131 5
2018 312 6
2017 1 1

Hail days since Nov 3, 2021

DateReportsLargestStorm page
Oct 8, 2026 3 1.50 in View
May 18, 2026 3 1.00 in —
May 15, 2026 2 1.25 in —
Aug 9, 2025 1 2.00 in —
Jun 14, 2025 1 0.88 in —
Apr 28, 2025 1 1.00 in —
Apr 18, 2025 3 1.75 in —
May 20, 2024 2 1.50 in —
May 8, 2024 1 1.00 in —
Apr 26, 2024 2 1.25 in —
Jul 3, 2023 1 1.00 in —
Apr 19, 2023 1 1.50 in —
May 30, 2022 1 0.88 in —

Largest hail on record

Largest hail reports in Cherokee County
Date Size Location Time · source
Apr 9, 2011 4.00 ingrapefruit Cherokee 21:15 local · NCEI
Apr 9, 2011 2.75 inbaseball 0.86 SE Cherokee 21:15 local · NCEI
Sep 10, 1996 2.50 intennis ball Cherokee 11:25 local · NCEI
Jun 20, 1996 2.50 intennis ball Quimby 18:20 local · NCEI
Jun 12, 1981 2.50 intennis ball — 13:25 local · NCEI

Sizes filed before 1996 are often rough estimates (round numbers like 7.00 or 8.00 in) without an exact spot; they are shown as NOAA filed them.

Size of every report

Most recent reports

Most recent hail reports in Cherokee County
Date Size Location Time · source
Oct 8, 2026 1.00 inquarter 6 N Cleghorn 07:45 UTC · NWS prelim.
Oct 8, 2026 1.00 inquarter 4 SSW Marcus 06:03 UTC · NWS prelim.
Oct 8, 2026 1.50 inping pong ball Cherokee 03:37 UTC · NWS prelim.
May 18, 2026 0.88 innickel 2.94 SSE Cherokee Muni Arpt 16:49 local · NCEI
May 18, 2026 0.88 innickel 2.13 NNE Washta 16:39 local · NCEI
May 18, 2026 1.00 inquarter 0.69 N Washta 16:35 local · NCEI
May 15, 2026 1.25 inhalf dollar 2.46 SE Cherokee Muni Arpt 19:42 local · NCEI
May 15, 2026 1.00 inquarter 0.51 W Marcus 19:28 local · NCEI
Aug 9, 2025 2.00 inhen egg Cherokee 02:38 local · NCEI
Jun 14, 2025 0.88 innickel 2.03 W Fielding 16:53 local · NCEI
Apr 28, 2025 1.00 inquarter 1.38 N Cherokee 19:13 local · NCEI
Apr 18, 2025 1.00 inquarter 0.86 SW Aurelia 00:03 local · NCEI

Cities and towns in Cherokee County

PlaceReportsLargest
Cherokee364.00 in
Washta181.75 in
Marcus151.75 in
Aurelia141.75 in
Cleghorn111.75 in
Larrabee101.75 in
Meriden101.75 in

Smaller places with fewer than 10 reports

These places have too few reports for a page of their own, so their record lives here.

PlaceReportsHail daysLatest
Quimby87May 1, 2018

Questions about hail in Cherokee County

How often does it hail in Cherokee County, Iowa?

171 hail reports have been logged in Cherokee County since 1959. Over the 20 years 2006–2025 that averages 3.5 reports a year. That ranks #30 of 100 Iowa counties by number of reports.

When is hail season in Cherokee County?

Most reports come in May, June, August. May alone accounts for 32% of all reports.

What is the largest hail recorded in Cherokee County?

4.00 in (grapefruit size) on April 9, 2011 near Cherokee. 4% of reports here were 2 inches or larger.

When did it last hail in Cherokee County?

The most recent report in this data is from October 8, 2026 (1.00 in). Final NOAA data runs to July 31, 2026; preliminary NWS reports run to November 3, 2026.

How many hail storms has Cherokee County had in the last five years?

13 separate days with hail reports since November 3, 2021, adding up to 22 reports. The most recent was October 8, 2026.

Where does this hail data come from?

Hail reports come from the NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, which the National Weather Service compiles from spotter, public, law enforcement and media reports. Recent days use preliminary NWS Local Storm Reports via the Iowa Environmental Mesonet until NOAA publishes final data. Only reported hail is counted, so areas with fewer people tend to have fewer reports.