Clay County, IA hail & severe wind history
154 storm reports on file for Clay County between 2010-04-12 and 2026-06-30 — 71 hail and 83 severe thunderstorm wind. That averages 9.1 reports a year, and Jun is the busiest month.
At a glance
- Most recent hail report: Jun 28, 2026 — 1.5" (ping pong ball), 0.51 mi W of Webb.
- Hail was reported on 40 days since 2010 — about 2.4 hail days a year.
- Largest hail on record: 3" (teacup) on May 20, 2024.
- Clay County has more hail reports than 64% of the 99 Iowa counties we cover.
Search every Clay 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 Clay County storm reports…
Worst storm days in Clay County
| Date | Reports that day | Largest hail | Peak gust |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-06-10 | 8 | 0.75" (penny) | 70 mph |
| 2019-06-27 | 7 | 1.5" (ping pong ball) | 72 mph |
| 2021-12-15 | 7 | — | 87 mph |
| 2024-05-20 | 6 | 3" (teacup) | — |
| 2024-06-21 | 5 | 1" (quarter) | 75 mph |
| 2026-04-13 | 4 | 1.5" (ping pong ball) | 72 mph |
| 2018-07-10 | 4 | 1.25" (half dollar) | 70 mph |
| 2010-04-12 | 4 | 1" (quarter) | — |
| 2012-05-01 | 4 | — | 71 mph |
| 2010-07-17 | 4 | — | 81 mph |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-05-20 | 2" hen egg | 4.41 mi SSE of Moneta | No narrative filed |
| 2024-05-20 | 2.5" tennis ball | 1.66 mi WNW of Royal | Golf ball to tennis ball sized hail caused damage to the skylight on a camper and downed numerous leaves and branches. Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture. |
| 2024-05-20 | 3" teacup | 3.11 mi WSW of Royal | No narrative filed |
| 2024-05-20 | 2" hen egg | 0 mi N of Royal | Picture of hail was accompanied by a tape measure for reference. |
When does hail hit Clay County?
Across 17 years of records, June produced the most reports (64), followed by the months either side of it. Monthly totals:
| Month | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| January | 0 | 0.0% |
| February | 0 | 0.0% |
| March | 0 | 0.0% |
| April | 15 | 9.7% |
| May | 23 | 14.9% |
| June | 64 | 41.6% |
| July | 23 | 14.9% |
| August | 11 | 7.1% |
| September | 8 | 5.2% |
| October | 3 | 1.9% |
| November | 0 | 0.0% |
| December | 7 | 4.5% |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a border with Clay County (U.S. Census county adjacency), where we have storm records:
| County | Storm reports | Largest hail |
|---|---|---|
| Dickinson County, IA | 175 | 2" |
| O'Brien County, IA | 142 | 2.5" |
| Cherokee County, IA | 115 | 4" |
| Buena Vista County, IA | 106 | 2" |
| Emmet County, IA | 97 | 2.75" |
| Pocahontas County, IA | 97 | 2.75" |
| Palo Alto County, IA | 94 | 3" |
| Osceola County, IA | 88 | 1.75" |
Common questions about hail in Clay County
- How often does it hail in Clay County?
- Hail was reported on 40 separate days between 2010 and 2026, about 2.4 days a year, with June the busiest month for storm reports. 52 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 19041). 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.