Hail History

Hail history for Nelson County, North Dakota

Every NOAA hail report filed in Nelson County since 1971, with preliminary National Weather Service reports to November 3, 2026.

Readout · Nelson County

Last hail
Aug 24, 2026
1.00 in, quarter size · preliminary
Hail days, last 5 years
5
since Nov 3, 2021 · 7 reports
Largest ever
3.00 in
teacup · Aug 24, 2026

190 reports on 105 days since 1971 · #19 of 54 North Dakota counties

Hail map · Nelson County

Aneta Lakota Tolna Petersburg McVille 10 mi
  • Under 1 in
  • 1–1.75 in
  • 1.75–2.5 in
  • 2.5–4 in
  • 4 in +
  • No size
186 most recent reports with a location. Dot size and colour follow hail size. Open street map

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What the record says about Nelson County

The latest hail report in Nelson County is from August 24, 2026, 1.00 in (quarter size). Since November 3, 2021 there have been 5 separate hail days; the biggest stones in that time were 3.00 in on August 24, 2026.

Over the 20 years 2006–2025, Nelson County logged 61 reports on 40 hail days, about 3.0 reports a year. That is 33% less than the median North Dakota county (4.5 a year) and ranks #19 of 54 North Dakota counties for all-time reports. Nelson County holds 2% of all 10,117 hail reports in North Dakota.

6% of reports with a size were 2 inches (hen egg) or larger, against 9% for the median North Dakota county. The largest hail on record here is 3.00 in (teacup) on August 24, 2026 near 1 N Tolna.

Reports were down 31% in 2016–2025 (25) compared with 2006–2015 (36). The busiest year was 2000, with 23 reports on 5 days. Hail here peaks in June (41% of reports); 49% fall between April and June.

Reports a year 2006–2025 average

  • Nelson County 3.0
  • Median North Dakota county 4.5

Hail days 2006–2025

  • Nelson County 40
  • Median North Dakota county 48.5

Share 2 in or larger of sized reports

  • Nelson County 6%
  • Median North Dakota county 9%

Hail over time

0102030 1971: 1 reports, largest 1.75 in 1973: 1 reports, largest 1.75 in 1974: 2 reports, largest 1.75 in 1976: 1 reports, largest 1.75 in 1978: 1 reports, largest 1.75 in 1979: 1 reports, largest 1.75 in 1980 1982: 1 reports, largest 0.75 in 1984: 1 reports, largest 1.00 in 1985: 1 reports, largest 1.75 in 1986: 1 reports, largest 1.75 in 1987: 3 reports, largest 1.50 in 1988: 2 reports, largest 3.00 in 1990 1991: 3 reports, largest 1.75 in 1992: 5 reports, largest 2.50 in 1994: 3 reports, largest 1.75 in 1995: 1 reports, largest 1.75 in 1996: 3 reports, largest 1.00 in 1997: 11 reports, largest 2.75 in 1998: 2 reports, largest 0.88 in 1999: 5 reports, largest 1.00 in 2000: 23 reports, largest 1.75 in 2000 2001: 9 reports, largest 1.75 in 2002: 10 reports, largest 1.50 in 2003: 11 reports, largest 1.25 in 2004: 10 reports, largest 1.75 in 2005: 14 reports, largest 1.75 in 2006: 11 reports, largest 1.75 in 2007: 10 reports, largest 2.00 in 2008: 4 reports, largest 1.00 in 2009: 2 reports, largest 1.50 in 2010 2011: 1 reports, largest 1.00 in 2012: 3 reports, largest 1.00 in 2013: 1 reports, largest 1.75 in 2014: 1 reports, largest 2.00 in 2015: 3 reports, largest 1.00 in 2016: 5 reports, largest 1.75 in 2017: 4 reports, largest 1.75 in 2018: 2 reports, largest 1.00 in 2019: 4 reports, largest 1.50 in 2020: 4 reports, largest 1.75 in 2020 2021: 2 reports, largest 1.25 in 2022: 1 reports, largest 1.00 in 2023: 1 reports, largest 1.00 in 2025: 2 reports, largest 1.00 in 2026: 3 reports, largest 3.00 in
Reports per year, 1971–2026. Bar colour shows the largest hail that year. Reporting grew sharply after the mid-1990s, so early decades undercount.
020406080 Jan Feb March: 1 reports (1%) Mar April: 3 reports (2%) Apr May: 12 reports (6%) May June: 78 reports (41%) Jun July: 51 reports (27%) Jul August: 36 reports (19%) Aug September: 9 reports (5%) Sep Oct Nov Dec
All 190 reports by calendar month.
Reports per month, 2017–2026. Darker cells had more reports.
YearJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
2026 3 3
2025 2 2
2024 0
2023 1 1
2022 1 1
2021 2 2
2020 22 4
2019 13 4
2018 2 2
2017 22 4

Hail days since Nov 3, 2021

DateReportsLargestStorm page
Aug 24, 2026 3 3.00 in View
Jun 28, 2025 1 1.00 in —
Jun 22, 2025 1 1.00 in —
Jun 27, 2023 1 1.00 in —
Jun 24, 2022 1 1.00 in —

Largest hail on record

Largest hail reports in Nelson County
Date Size Location Damage Time · source
Aug 24, 2026 3.00 inteacup 1 N Tolna — 01:07 UTC · NWS prelim.
Aug 16, 1988 3.00 inteacup — — 23:34 local · NCEI
Jun 27, 1997 2.75 inbaseball Mc Ville — 20:50 local · NCEI
Jun 27, 1997 2.75 inbaseball Michigan — 17:25 local · NCEI
Jun 27, 1997 2.75 inbaseball Michigan $10.0 million 17:15 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 Nelson County
Date Size Location Time · source
Aug 24, 2026 1.00 inquarter 8 S Lakota 01:20 UTC · NWS prelim.
Aug 24, 2026 3.00 inteacup 1 N Tolna 01:07 UTC · NWS prelim.
Aug 24, 2026 1.75 ingolf ball 6 NE Hamar 01:05 UTC · NWS prelim.
Jun 28, 2025 1.00 inquarter 4.86 N Petersburg 15:15 local · NCEI
Jun 22, 2025 1.00 inquarter 0.47 W Aneta 08:08 local · NCEI
Jun 27, 2023 1.00 inquarter 1.55 WNW Mapes 19:00 local · NCEI
Jun 24, 2022 1.00 inquarter 4.4 ENE Mc Ville 16:50 local · NCEI
Aug 22, 2021 1.00 inquarter 4.24 W Pekin 17:45 local · NCEI
Aug 9, 2021 1.25 inhalf dollar 1.98 ENE Pekin 19:00 local · NCEI
Jul 24, 2020 0.88 innickel 3.25 W Tolna 19:28 local · NCEI
Jul 17, 2020 0.88 innickel 0.46 W Tolna 16:45 local · NCEI
Jun 25, 2020 1.50 inping pong ball 3.49 S Tolna 12:35 local · NCEI

Cities and towns in Nelson County

PlaceReportsLargest
Aneta201.75 in
Lakota183.00 in
Tolna163.00 in
Petersburg141.75 in
McVille122.75 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
Michigan City86Jul 9, 2016
Pekin88Aug 9, 2021
Dahlen55Aug 13, 2007

Questions about hail in Nelson County

How often does it hail in Nelson County, North Dakota?

190 hail reports have been logged in Nelson County since 1971. Over the 20 years 2006–2025 that averages 3.0 reports a year. That ranks #19 of 54 North Dakota counties by number of reports.

When is hail season in Nelson County?

Most reports come in June, July, August. June alone accounts for 41% of all reports.

What is the largest hail recorded in Nelson County?

3.00 in (teacup size) on August 24, 2026 near 1 N Tolna. 6% of reports here were 2 inches or larger.

When did it last hail in Nelson County?

The most recent report in this data is from August 24, 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 Nelson County had in the last five years?

5 separate days with hail reports since November 3, 2021, adding up to 7 reports. The most recent was August 24, 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.