O'Brien County, IA hail & severe wind history
142 storm reports on file for O'Brien County between 2010-06-01 and 2026-06-28 — 85 hail and 57 severe thunderstorm wind. That averages 8.4 reports a year, and May is the busiest month.
At a glance
- Most recent hail report: Jun 28, 2026 — 1" (quarter), 0.86 mi NE of Sanborn.
- Hail was reported on 43 days since 2010 — about 2.5 hail days a year.
- Largest hail on record: 2.5" (tennis ball) on Aug 28, 2018.
- O'Brien County has more hail reports than 80% of the 99 Iowa counties we cover.
Search every O'Brien 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 O'Brien County storm reports…
Worst storm days in O'Brien County
| Date | Reports that day | Largest hail | Peak gust |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-13 | 7 | 1.75" (golf ball) | — |
| 2017-08-18 | 6 | 1.75" (golf ball) | — |
| 2024-05-20 | 5 | 1.75" (golf ball) | — |
| 2013-06-14 | 5 | 1.5" (ping pong ball) | — |
| 2010-09-22 | 5 | 1.5" (ping pong ball) | 60 mph |
| 2025-09-22 | 4 | 2" (hen egg) | — |
| 2012-07-25 | 4 | 2" (hen egg) | — |
| 2022-07-05 | 4 | — | 90 mph |
| 2012-05-01 | 4 | — | 81 mph |
| 2011-06-20 | 4 | — | 70 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-09-22 | 2" hen egg | 5.55 mi N of Sutherland | An extended period of hail fell with hail up to 2 inches in diameter from 1740 to 1750 CST. Hail was still falling at dime to nickel size as of 1809 CST. |
| 2025-09-22 | 2" hen egg | .69 mi N of Sutherland | A few 2 inch hailstones fell on the north edge of Sutherland. |
| 2024-07-10 | 2" hen egg | 2.3 mi SSE of Sheldon Muni Arpt | Crop damage monetary losses are an estimate using data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. |
| 2018-08-28 | 2.5" tennis ball | 5.52 mi NE of Sutherland | Hail from golf ball to tennis ball size shredded siding on house and knocked out car windows. |
| 2012-07-25 | 2" hen egg | 4.61 mi SSW of Philby | Large hail caused an unknown amount of damage to vehicles and crops. |
| 2010-06-01 | 2.5" tennis ball | 2.05 mi NE of Hartley Muni Arpt | Tennis ball size hail caused a significant but unknown amount of damage to vehicles and trees; causing dents, cracking windows, and stripping leaves. |
When does hail hit O'Brien County?
Across 17 years of records, May produced the most reports (31), followed by the months either side of it. Monthly totals:
| Month | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| January | 0 | 0.0% |
| February | 0 | 0.0% |
| March | 1 | 0.7% |
| April | 12 | 8.5% |
| May | 31 | 21.8% |
| June | 28 | 19.7% |
| July | 24 | 16.9% |
| August | 22 | 15.5% |
| September | 22 | 15.5% |
| October | 0 | 0.0% |
| November | 0 | 0.0% |
| December | 2 | 1.4% |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a border with O'Brien County (U.S. Census county adjacency), where we have storm records:
| County | Storm reports | Largest hail |
|---|---|---|
| Sioux County, IA | 196 | 2.5" |
| Plymouth County, IA | 183 | 2.75" |
| Dickinson County, IA | 175 | 2" |
| Clay County, IA | 154 | 3" |
| Lyon County, IA | 117 | 4" |
| Cherokee County, IA | 115 | 4" |
| Buena Vista County, IA | 106 | 2" |
| Osceola County, IA | 88 | 1.75" |
Common questions about hail in O'Brien County
- How often does it hail in O'Brien County?
- Hail was reported on 43 separate days between 2010 and 2026, about 2.5 days a year, with May the busiest month for storm reports. 69 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 19141). 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.