Olmsted County, Minnesota: hail history 2014–2026
Olmsted County ranks #6 of 62 Minnesota counties for hail: 166.4 reports per 1,000 square miles, 109 reports in all. Hail reached 1 inch on 23 days and 1.75 inches on 4. May 29, 2018 near Rock Dell: 2 inches (a hen egg), the largest stone.
- 109reports
- 23days, 1 in+
- 4days, 1.75 in+
- 2 inlargest stone
Hail since my roof went on: Olmsted County
Year by year
| Year | Reports | Days 1 in+ | Days 1.75 in+ | Largest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1.25 in |
| 2015 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1.5 in |
| 2016 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.75 in |
| 2017 | 27 | 3 | 1 | 1.75 in |
| 2018 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 2 in |
| 2019 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.88 in |
| 2020 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 in |
| 2021 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 in |
| 2022 | 22 | 4 | 1 | 1.75 in |
| 2023 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 1.5 in |
| 2024 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1.25 in |
| 2025 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1 in |
| 2026 (Jan–Jun) | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1.75 in |
2017 was the busiest year (27 reports) and 2016 the quietest (1). 10 reports a year in 2014 to 2019 against 8 in 2020 to 2025: close to flat. 2026 stands at 5 through June, against a full-year average of 9. Days with 1-inch stones average 1.8 per full year. NOAA puts reported hail damage at $1 million over the period.
Olmsted County: reports by month
| Jan | 0 |
|---|---|
| Feb | 0 |
| Mar | 2 |
| Apr | 18 |
| May | 47 |
| Jun | 18 |
| Jul | 13 |
| Aug | 5 |
| Sep | 5 |
| Oct | 1 |
| Nov | 0 |
| Dec | 0 |
May dominates the calendar: 47 of 109 reports, 43%. April to June alone bring 76%. 3 of 109 reports fell outside April to September.
Largest stone: 2 inches
Reported hail locations, Olmsted County
- 531 to 1.74 in
- 81.75 to 2.74 in, golf ball to tennis ball
- 02.75 in and up, baseball
Largest plotted stone: 2 in. Bigger dots are bigger stones.
61 reports of 1 inch or larger have coordinates. Each dot is a reported location, not a storm path.
Sources: NOAA, Census county outlineOlmsted County’s ten biggest hail days
| Date | Size | Reports | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 29, 2018 | 2 in, a hen egg | 8 | Rock Dell |
| June 16, 2017 | 1.75 in, a golf ball | 6 | Chester |
| May 11, 2022 | 1.75 in, a golf ball | 3 | Oronoco |
| April 17, 2026 | 1.75 in, a golf ball | 3 | Rochester |
| May 19, 2022 | 1.5 in, a ping-pong ball | 11 | (Rst)Rochester Muni |
| May 15, 2017 | 1.5 in, a ping-pong ball | 10 | Chester |
| April 9, 2017 | 1.5 in, a ping-pong ball | 9 | Douglas |
| July 22, 2023 | 1.5 in, a ping-pong ball | 7 | Rochester |
| June 29, 2015 | 1.5 in, a ping-pong ball | 5 | (Rst)Rochester Muni |
| August 18, 2014 | 1.25 in, a half dollar | 2 | Genoa |
“Ping pong ball sized hail fell on the northwest side of Rochester.”
NWS report, April 9, 2017
“Public reported quarter to ping pong ball sized hail in Rochester.”
NWS report, July 22, 2023
Tornadoes and wind in Olmsted County
10 tornadoes on record in Olmsted County; the strongest listed is EF2, 9.71 miles long, near Oslo. Top gust: 81 mph near (Rst)Rochester Muni.
| Date | Rating | Path length | Width | Near |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 17, 2026 | EF2 | 9.71 mi | 250 yd | Oslo · 0 deaths, 3 injured |
| April 17, 2026 | EF2 | 3.53 mi | 200 yd | Viola |
| April 17, 2026 | EF1 | 7.57 mi | 200 yd | Rochester |
| June 4, 2019 | EF1 | 1.25 mi | 75 yd | Rochester |
| July 19, 2017 | EF1 | 0.77 mi | 25 yd | Chester |
| September 20, 2021 | EF0 | 5.66 mi | 100 yd | Chatfield Jct |
| April 17, 2026 | EF0 | 2.34 mi | 150 yd | Rock Dell |
| June 28, 2017 | EF0 | 0.48 mi | 25 yd | Chester |
| Date | Gust | Near |
|---|---|---|
| July 13, 2024 | 81 mph | (Rst)Rochester Muni |
| December 15, 2021 | 77 mph | (Rst)Rochester Muni |
| May 9, 2022 | 76 mph | Judge |
| July 28, 2025 | 76 mph | (Rst)Rochester Muni |
| July 5, 2016 | 75 mph | Genoa |
| July 20, 2019 | 74 mph | (Rst)Rochester Muni |
Homes in Olmsted County
Median build year in Olmsted County: 1987. 67.5% of 70,255 homes predate 2000. Houses permitted since 2014: 5,462, or 77.7 per 1,000 homes. Busiest year: 2017.
| pre-1940 | 8.3% |
|---|---|
| 1940s | 3.3% |
| 1950s | 7.9% |
| 1960s | 9.6% |
| 1970s | 12.9% |
| 1980s | 11.7% |
| 1990s | 14.0% |
| 2000s | 19.0% |
| 2010s | 12.2% |
| 2020+ | 1.4% |
| Year | Houses | All units |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 497 | 639 |
| 2015 | 506 | 1,622 |
| 2016 | 570 | 1,563 |
| 2017 | 596 | 1,225 |
| 2018 | 475 | 1,581 |
| 2019 | 402 | 899 |
| 2020 | 417 | 673 |
| 2021 | 470 | 874 |
| 2022 | 441 | 1,412 |
| 2023 | 448 | 1,002 |
| 2024 | 314 | 1,239 |
| 2025 | 326 | 542 |
Quick answers
How many hail reports has Olmsted County had?
NOAA logged 109 hail reports in Olmsted County, Minnesota, from 2014 to June 2026.
How many days had hail of 1 inch or larger in Olmsted County?
23 days, including 4 days with hail of 1.75 inches or larger. The National Weather Service calls hail of 1 inch or larger severe.
What was the largest hail reported in Olmsted County?
2 inches (a hen egg), reported on May 29, 2018.
Which month has the most hail in Olmsted County?
May has the most reports, 43% of the 109 in the record.
Does a hail day in the record mean my roof was damaged?
A counted day only means a spotter reported hail somewhere in the area. An inspection is the only way to know whether a roof was hit.
Next steps for Olmsted County
Olmsted County cities we cover
Next to Olmsted County in the Minnesota ranking
- Stearns County (86 reports)
- Blue Earth County (68 reports)
Cite this page
Data version: NOAA Storm Events hail data, 2014 to June 2026, loaded October 6, 2026. All dataset versions. Download the table as CSV. Free to quote with credit under CC BY 4.0.
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, public domain. Counts and tables on this page are free to reuse with credit to PickARoofer under CC BY 4.0.