North Dakota hail
Every recorded hail report since 1955 · 53 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 10,026 hail reports in North Dakota from 1955 through June 30, 2026, about 285 a year since 2000. The costliest was the June 9, 2001 hail ($188 million in 2025 dollars). North Dakota ranks 12th of 52 states and territories by count and 27th of 51 per square mile.
Hail in North Dakota, 1955 to 2026
Hail records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996.
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $1 million
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1996: all 48 event types recorded from 1996
- Records
- 10,0261955 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 285average
- Deaths
- 032 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $1.2Bas filed
- Busiest year
- 2002416 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are hail reports common in North Dakota?
North Dakota averages about 285 hail reports a year since 2000, 12th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2002 (416). Per 10,000 square miles of land, North Dakota records 1453 hail reports since 1955, 27th of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1955, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in North Dakota have the most hail reports?
Per square mile, Eddy County leads North Dakota: 97 days with a hail report since 1955, 153.9 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Cass County has the most hail records (498 since 1955); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1955 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is hail season in North Dakota?
62% of its hail reports since 1955 fell in June and July. The busiest month is July (3,240 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 0 · Feb 1 · Mar 13 · Apr 83 · May 841 · Jun 2,987 · Jul 3,240 · Aug 2,295 · Sep 537 · Oct 25 · Nov 4 · Dec 0 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1955.
The costliest hail reports in North Dakota
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-06-09 | HailBismarck Municipal A, Burleigh County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $188M |
| 2001-06-09 | HailMandan, Morton County | 2.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $188M |
| 2005-07-21 | HailBismarck, Burleigh County | 2.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | $141M |
| 1995-08-18 | HailMinot, Ward County Every hail record filed in the state that day (3, in 3 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 1.50 in hail | 0 | 8 | $101M |
| 2007-07-15 | HailEmbden, Cass County One storm episode: 5 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0.88 in hail | 0 | 0 | $91M |
| 2016-06-17 | HailBismarck, Burleigh County One storm episode: 4 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 3.25 in hail | 0 | 0 | $62M |
| 2001-06-20 | HailCummings, Traill County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | $50M |
| 2007-09-21 | HailFargo, Cass County One storm episode: 4 records; the totals are the episode's. | 3.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | $43M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are hail reports becoming more frequent in North Dakota?
North Dakota's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | North Dakota | United States | North Dakota's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955-59 | 25 | 2,477 | 1.0% |
| 1960s | 118 | 7,651 | 1.5% |
| 1970s | 278 | 11,007 | 2.5% |
| 1980s | 788 | 26,555 | 3.0% |
| 1990s | 1,339 | 75,581 | 1.8% |
| 2000s | 3,324 | 137,396 | 2.4% |
| 2010s | 2,899 | 107,281 | 2.7% |
| 2020-26 | 1,255 | 56,491 | 2.2% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent hail reports in North Dakota
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-29 | HailPettibone, Kidder County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-29 | HailNew England, Hettinger County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-29 | HailSouth Heart, Stark County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-29 | HailArena, Burleigh County | 1.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-29 | HailMax, McLean County | 2.25 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-29 | HailMax, McLean County | 1.25 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-29 | HailRegan, Burleigh County | 1.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-29 | HailHettinger, Adams County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-29 | HailBismarck, Burleigh County | 2.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-29 | HailBismarck, Burleigh County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-29 | HailSimcoe, McHenry County | 1.25 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-29 | HailSimcoe, McHenry County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Federal disaster declarations for hail reports in North Dakota
FEMA files hail and wind disasters under the incident type Severe Storm: 26 declarations in North Dakota, 26 of them major disasters; the latest on September 1, 2026.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-01 | DR-4934 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes | 7 |
| 2025-10-22 | DR-4895 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes | 7 |
| 2025-09-11 | DR-4888 | Severe Storm, Tornadoes, and Straight-Line Winds | 19 |
| 2022-07-13 | DR-4660 | Severe Winter Storm and Flooding | 40 |
| 2021-09-01 | DR-4613 | Severe Storm, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | 9 |
| 2020-10-02 | DR-4565 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 6 |
| 2013-10-31 | DR-4154 | Severe Winter Storm | 7 |
| 2013-07-12 | DR-4128 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 21 |
| 2011-05-20 | DR-1986 | Severe Winter Storm | 9 |
| 2010-04-21 | DR-1901 | Severe Winter Storm | 13 |
| 2010-02-26 | DR-1879 | Severe Winter Storm | 26 |
| 2009-03-24 | DR-1829 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 52 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Eddy County: the county's whole recordThe North Dakota county with the most hail reports per square mile
- Hail across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in North DakotaTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Severe thunderstorm wind in North Dakota6,888 records
- Winter storms in North Dakota6,541 records
- High wind and dust storms in North Dakota2,659 records