Benton County, IA hail & severe wind history
265 storm reports on file for Benton County between 2010-04-02 and 2026-06-17 — 120 hail and 145 severe thunderstorm wind. That averages 15.6 reports a year, and Jun is the busiest month.
At a glance
- Most recent hail report: Apr 15, 2026 — 1" (quarter), 3.45 mi S of Vinton.
- Hail was reported on 53 days since 2010 — about 3.1 hail days a year.
- Largest hail on record: 2" (hen egg) on Apr 14, 2026.
- Benton County has more hail reports than 93% of the 99 Iowa counties we cover.
Search every Benton County report
Check a single date first, or filter the full record below — pick a year, narrow to a month, or drag the hail-size slider to see only the larger stones (1", quarter size, is the National Weather Service severe threshold).
Loading Benton County storm reports…
Worst storm days in Benton County
| Date | Reports that day | Largest hail | Peak gust |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-07-11 | 17 | — | 120 mph |
| 2020-07-11 | 13 | 2" (hen egg) | — |
| 2011-06-08 | 12 | 1.75" (golf ball) | 70 mph |
| 2012-06-29 | 11 | — | 75 mph |
| 2023-03-31 | 9 | 1" (quarter) | 70 mph |
| 2026-04-14 | 8 | 2" (hen egg) | — |
| 2021-12-15 | 7 | — | 81 mph |
| 2013-05-19 | 6 | — | 81 mph |
| 2023-05-07 | 5 | 1.75" (golf ball) | — |
| 2023-04-04 | 5 | 1" (quarter) | — |
Reports by year
Report counts are driven partly by how many people were around to report a storm, so recent years tend to look busier than the early 2010s. Treat the trend as a reporting trend, not purely a weather trend.
Notable large-hail events (2" and up)
| Date | Size | Near | What was reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-14 | 2" hen egg | .86 mi SW of Van Horne | No narrative filed |
| 2020-07-11 | 2" hen egg | 1.72 mi SW of Walford | No narrative filed |
When does hail hit Benton County?
Across 17 years of records, June produced the most reports (76), followed by the months either side of it. Monthly totals:
| Month | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| January | 3 | 1.1% |
| February | 0 | 0.0% |
| March | 19 | 7.2% |
| April | 39 | 14.7% |
| May | 48 | 18.1% |
| June | 76 | 28.7% |
| July | 45 | 17.0% |
| August | 17 | 6.4% |
| September | 7 | 2.6% |
| October | 4 | 1.5% |
| November | 0 | 0.0% |
| December | 7 | 2.6% |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a border with Benton County (U.S. Census county adjacency), where we have storm records:
| County | Storm reports | Largest hail |
|---|---|---|
| Linn County, IA | 550 | 2.75" |
| Johnson County, IA | 295 | 2.75" |
| Buchanan County, IA | 226 | 3.25" |
| Black Hawk County, IA | 210 | 3.5" |
| Iowa County, IA | 132 | 2.75" |
| Tama County, IA | 96 | 2" |
| Poweshiek County, IA | 84 | 2.75" |
Common questions about hail in Benton County
- How often does it hail in Benton County?
- Hail was reported on 53 separate days between 2010 and 2026, about 3.1 days a year, with June the busiest month for storm reports. 77 reports were quarter size (1") or larger.
- Does a report here mean hail hit my street?
- Not necessarily. Each report is one observation tied to a nearby landmark, and a county can be large. Storms also go unreported where few people live. Use the date check above to see what was reported nearby, and treat it as a starting point.
- How big is a 1.75" hailstone?
- Forecasters describe hail by everyday objects: 1" is a quarter, 1.75" a golf ball, 2.75" a baseball. The sizes in these reports are estimates made by the person reporting, not lab measurements.
- Where do I get the official record?
- All reports here come from the NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, which you can search directly. For anything formal, use NOAA’s own records rather than this page.
Look up another place
About these numbers
Every row above is a report filed with the National Weather Service and archived in the NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (FIPS 19011). Reports are eyewitness, trained-spotter and damage-survey observations, so they cluster near roads and towns and miss storms over empty country. Hail sizes are estimates. Damage figures are preliminary as filed and are never revised in this archive. Use this page for background, not for an insurance claim, a legal filing, or a roof assessment — for those, get the official record from NOAA directly.