Hail History

Hail history for Polk City, Iowa

NOAA hail reports in and within about 5 km (3 miles) of Polk City since 1974, with preliminary reports to November 3, 2026.

Readout · Polk City

Last hail
May 14, 2018
0.75 in, penny size
Hail days, last 5 years
0
since Nov 3, 2021 · 0 reports
Largest ever
1.75 in
golf ball · Jun 12, 2001

17 reports on 11 days since 1974 · #229 of 483 Iowa places

Hail map · Polk City

Polk City Granger Johnston Ankeny Grimes Urbandale 10 mi
  • Under 1 in
  • 1–1.75 in
  • 1.75–2.5 in
  • 2.5–4 in
  • 4 in +
  • No size
17 most recent reports with a location; Polk County is shaded. Open street map

For homeowners

Concerned about your roof after hail?

Send a request to Moxisync Labs for review. The latest hail report in Polk City is from May 14, 2018. We’re building local roofer coverage. Submitting a request does not guarantee a quote or book an inspection.

Phone line opening soon

What would a claim cost you? Try the hail claim calculator

Roofer? Get hail alerts for your area with StormScope

What the record says about Polk City

The latest hail report in and around Polk City is from May 14, 2018, 0.75 in (penny size). There has been no hail report here in the five years since November 3, 2021.

Over the 20 years 2006–2025, Polk City logged 4 reports on 4 hail days, about 0.2 reports a year. That is about half the median Iowa town on this site (0.5 a year) and ranks #229 of 483 Iowa cities and towns on this site for all-time reports. Polk City accounts for 3% of the 677 reports filed in Polk County.

0% of reports with a size were 2 inches (hen egg) or larger, against 6% for the median Iowa town on this site. The largest hail on record here is 1.75 in (golf ball) on June 12, 2001 near Polk City.

The busiest year was 2000, with 5 reports on 1 day. Hail here peaks in May (59% of reports); 82% fall between April and June.

Reports a year 2006–2025 average

  • Polk City 0.2
  • Polk County 19.9
  • Median Iowa town on this site 0.5

Hail days 2006–2025

  • Polk City 4
  • Polk County 102
  • Median Iowa town on this site 7

Share 2 in or larger of sized reports

  • Polk City 0%
  • Polk County 6%
  • Median Iowa town on this site 6%

Hail over time

0246 1974: 1 reports, largest 1.50 in 1980 1990 2000: 5 reports, largest 1.75 in 2000 2001: 3 reports, largest 1.75 in 2004: 3 reports, largest 1.00 in 2005: 1 reports, largest 0.88 in 2007: 1 reports, largest 0.75 in 2008: 1 reports, largest 0.88 in 2010 2017: 1 reports, largest 0.88 in 2018: 1 reports, largest 0.75 in 2020
Reports per year, 1974–2026. Bar colour shows the largest hail that year. Reporting grew sharply after the mid-1990s, so early decades undercount.
036912 Jan Feb March: 1 reports (6%) Mar April: 2 reports (12%) Apr May: 10 reports (59%) May June: 2 reports (12%) Jun July: 1 reports (6%) Jul Aug September: 1 reports (6%) Sep Oct Nov Dec
All 17 reports by calendar month.
Reports per month, 2017–2026. Darker cells had more reports.
YearJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
2026 0
2025 0
2024 0
2023 0
2022 0
2021 0
2020 0
2019 0
2018 1 1
2017 1 1

Largest hail on record

Largest hail reports in Polk City
Date Size Location County Damage Time · source
Jun 12, 2001 1.75 ingolf ball Polk City Polk $50K 08:53 local · NCEI
Apr 8, 2001 1.75 ingolf ball Polk City Polk $15K 18:41 local · NCEI
May 30, 2000 1.75 ingolf ball Polk City Polk $25K 19:15 local · NCEI
May 13, 1974 1.50 inping pong ball — Polk — 16:50 local · NCEI
May 24, 2004 1.00 inquarter West Des Moines Polk $5K 16:42 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 Polk City
Date Size Location County Damage Time · source
May 14, 2018 0.75 inpenny Polk City Polk — 03:56 local · NCEI
May 17, 2017 0.88 innickel Polk City Polk — 14:22 local · NCEI
Jul 21, 2008 0.88 innickel Polk City Polk $1K 02:18 local · NCEI
Mar 21, 2007 0.75 inpenny 4 N Polk City Polk — 09:35 local · NCEI
Sep 8, 2005 0.88 innickel 5 NW Des Moines Polk $1K 11:57 local · NCEI
May 24, 2004 1.00 inquarter West Des Moines Polk $5K 16:42 local · NCEI
May 24, 2004 0.88 innickel 2 E Waukee Dallas $2K 16:39 local · NCEI
Apr 16, 2004 0.88 innickel Polk City Polk — 22:51 local · NCEI
Jun 12, 2001 0.75 inpenny 3 W Alleman Polk — 09:15 local · NCEI
Jun 12, 2001 1.75 ingolf ball Polk City Polk $50K 08:53 local · NCEI
Apr 8, 2001 1.75 ingolf ball Polk City Polk $15K 18:41 local · NCEI
May 30, 2000 1.00 inquarter Polk City Polk $5K 21:05 local · NCEI

Hail history near Polk City

Questions about hail in Polk City

How often does it hail in Polk City, Iowa?

17 hail reports have been logged in and within about 5 km (3 miles) of Polk City since 1974. Over the 20 years 2006–2025 that averages 0.2 reports a year. That ranks #229 of 483 Iowa places by number of reports.

When is hail season in Polk City?

Most reports come in May, April, June. May alone accounts for 59% of all reports.

What is the largest hail recorded in Polk City?

1.75 in (golf ball size) on June 12, 2001 near Polk City. 0% of reports here were 2 inches or larger.

When did it last hail in Polk City?

The most recent report in this data is from May 14, 2018 (0.75 in). Final NOAA data runs to July 31, 2026; preliminary NWS reports run to November 3, 2026.

How many hail storms has Polk City had in the last five years?

None: there has been no hail report in and within about 5 km (3 miles) of Polk City since November 3, 2021. The last one was on May 14, 2018.

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.