Hail Reports in Waterloo, Iowa — Last 90 Days
NOAA Storm Prediction Center logged 3 hail reports within 25 miles of Waterloo across 1 storm day, most recently on August 7, 2026. Source: SPC Local Storm Reports (preliminary, may be revised).
Data as of October 24, 2026 (last successful NOAA check). The newest report in the feed is from Oct 23, 2026. The 90-day log is SPC preliminary data. The county history (2017 to June 2026) is the NOAA Storm Events archive, 2014–June 2026; it has no storms after it ends.
- 1.75 inlargest hail near the city, last 90 days (golf ball size)
- 15days with hail 1 in or larger in the county, 2014–June 2026
- 35days with 58+ mph thunderstorm wind, 2014–June 2026
- #113 of 209among the cities we cover, by hail days of 1 in or more
Has hail hit my Waterloo roof since it was installed?
County-level hail reports for Waterloo from the NOAA archive this page uses; a county report is not proof of damage at your Waterloo address.
When does hail hit Waterloo?
NOAA NCEI Storm Events, county level, 2014–June 2026
If insurance covers it, what do I pay in Waterloo?
Only if the claim is approved. The ACV math is a straight-line example over a 25-year life; insurers writing Waterloo policies use their own schedules, so check your policy.
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A local contractor will reach out as soon as they review your request.
Hail near Waterloo in the last 90 days
- 1.75 inLargest hail in 90 days (golf-ball size)
- 1Hail day near Waterloo
- 3SPC reports
- August 7, 2026Most recent event
Around Waterloo, the NOAA Storm Prediction Center logged 3 hail reports within 25 miles between August 7 and August 7, 2026, spread over 1 storm day. That day brought stones of 1″ or more, and 0 of the 3 Waterloo reports with coordinates fell within 10 miles of the city center. In a typical year Waterloo sees about 5 hail-producing storms.
Waterloo's storm-climate context
Waterloo endures one of the widest thermal ranges in Iowa. The record high reached 112 F on July 13-14, 1936, and the record low bottomed at -34 F on March 1, 1962 and again on January 16, 2009 -- a wide swing that cyclically stresses roof membranes, flashing, and caulking. Average annual snowfall of 35.3 inches over roughly 27 snow days creates cumulative snow-load risk and prolonged freeze-thaw cycling. The June 2008 Cedar River flood -- the worst flooding the Waterloo-Cedar Falls area had ever recorded, with peak discharge of 112,000 cubic feet per second -- demonstrated how severe weather events can damage fascia, soffits, and low-slope commercial roofs alongside structural damage.
Waterloo's 2020 census population was 67,314, making it Iowa's eighth-largest city. John Deere remains the top employer at 4,300 workers, followed by UnityPoint Health (3,805) and Tyson Foods (2,969). The large manufacturing and meatpacking base sustains industrial and commercial roofing demand, while healthcare expansion signals ongoing institutional construction. The city's aging housing stock supports a repair and replacement market for residential contractors.
How close the hail came
Of the 3 Waterloo reports, the closest landed 13.1 miles from the city center on August 7, 2026 (1.25″ at 5 SE Readlyn). The worst Waterloo day was August 7, 2026: 3 reports, largest 1.75″. Stones of 1″ or more came on 1 of the 1 Waterloo-area hail day.
| Distance from city center | Reports | Largest |
|---|---|---|
| Within 5 miles | 0 | — |
| Within 10 miles | 0 | — |
| Within 25 miles | 3 | 1.75″ |
Distances are straight-line from the city center to each SPC report point; reports without coordinates are left out of the table.
Hail events near Waterloo by date
August 7, 2026 3 reports, hail up to 1.75″ (golf-ball size)
| Time (UTC) | Hail size | Location | Distance from Waterloo |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2115 | 1.75″ | Fairbank, Buchanan County | 18.0 mi |
| 2058 | 1.25″ | 5 SE Readlyn, Black Hawk County | 13.1 mi |
| 2102 | 1.25″ | 5 N Dunkerton, Black Hawk County | 13.8 mi |
The Waterloo tables above list preliminary Local Storm Reports from the NOAA Storm Prediction Center. Sizes are reported hailstone diameters; times are UTC. Reports can be added or corrected for about a day after each event. A quiet log does not mean no hail: small or unreported events happen. The closest report in this window landed 13.1 miles from Waterloo's center.
View the 3 Waterloo-area reports on a map
On the Waterloo map, circle positions are the NOAA SPC report coordinates; tap a circle for the date and hail size.
Hail size: < 1″ 1–1.75″ ≥ 2″ not recorded
How severe was it? The NWS yardstick, applied to Waterloo's reports
The National Weather Service calls hail severe at 1″ (quarter size) and significant at 2″ (hen-egg size). Scoring Waterloo's 3 area reports (filed in Black Hawk, Buchanan Counties) against that scale: 3 of the Waterloo reports met the severe 1″+ criterion — the size at which asphalt shingles start taking granule loss and bruising that shows up as leaks a season later. At these sizes, damage on a Waterloo roof is rarely visible from the ground, and homeowners policies typically cover it when it is documented promptly.
Hail history in Waterloo: the long picture
County-level NOAA records for the county behind Waterloo, 2014–June 2026. Each figure shows its source. Storms after the archive ends are not in these numbers. Ranks count from 1, the highest.
Waterloo against the 209 cities we cover
- #113of 209Days with hail 1 in or larger in Waterloo: middle
- #85of 209Days with hail 1.75 in or larger (golf ball) in Waterloo: middle
- #154of 209Days with 58+ mph thunderstorm wind in Waterloo: middle
- #126of 209Tornadoes in Waterloo: middle
- #163of 209Reported storm property damage in Waterloo: bottom quarter
- #20of 209Share of homes built before 1980 in Waterloo: top quarter
Hail events by year
| 2017 | 23 |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1 |
| 2020 | 8 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 3 |
| 2023 | 11 |
| 2024 | 5 |
| 2025 | 8 |
Waterloo's county peaked at 23 events in 2017, its busiest full year, out of 59 for 2017 to 2025. In 2017–2025, a 0 means the archive holds no event for that year.
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, county level, 2017–2025Hail history at a glance
- 59Hail events in the county, since 2017 (NOAA)
- 3.00 inLargest hailstone on record
- Sep 16, 2025Last recorded event in the archive
For Waterloo's county, NOAA records a most severe stone of 3.00″ and 59 hail events since 2017, close to 6 every year. Set against that baseline, the 1 hail day near Waterloo in the 90-day window above runs below the long-term average rate. Check your own Waterloo address on the hail risk lookup.
Waterloo's county logged fewer hail events than the Iowa median (80 per county since 2017), below the state's typical pace.
Three ways a storm reaches a roof
Hail
Waterloo's county days with at least one report at that size. Largest stone: 3.00 in.
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, 2014–June 2026Thunderstorm wind
35 Waterloo's county days with 58+ mph
58 mph is the NWS severe threshold. Strongest gust on record in Waterloo's county: 81 mph on Jul 29, 2025.
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, 2014–June 2026Tornadoes
6 in Waterloo's county
Strongest tornado in Waterloo's county: EF0 on the Enhanced Fujita scale.
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, 2014–June 2026Peak storm month
June
In Waterloo's county, 53 of 154 hail, wind and tornado reports (34%) fell in June.
Source: NOAA Storm Events, 2014–June 2026Older homes
77.8% of Waterloo homes built before 1980
About 25,000 of Waterloo's 32,170 housing units (share times units, rounded). Median year built: 1961. Housing units, not roofs: many Waterloo homes have been re-roofed since.
Source: Census ACS (Waterloo city), 2019–2023Year-by-year table with the largest stone
| Year | Recorded hail events | Largest stone |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8 | 1.25″ |
| 2024 | 5 | 1.50″ |
| 2023 largest stone | 11 | 3.00″ |
| 2022 | 3 | 0.88″ |
| 2020 | 8 | 1.75″ |
| 2019 | 1 | 0.75″ |
| 2017 busiest | 23 | 2.75″ |
NOAA Storm Events archive, Waterloo's county. Years missing from the table have no record in the archive. * 2026 covers only January to June: NOAA's file ends there, so it is not counted as the worst year or in the yearly average.
In the archive for Waterloo's county, 2017 was the busiest hail year (23 recorded events); the largest stone on record, 3.00″, fell in 2023. A Waterloo roof older than 2017 with no documented inspection has probably taken at least one unexamined hit.
In a market with repeat hail, impact-resistant Class 4 shingles often pay for themselves through insurer premium discounts — worth discussing with a Waterloo roofer if a recent event tips you into a replacement.
Black Hawk County fact sheet for Waterloo homeowners
Housing age, federal disaster declarations and your state's claim deadlines in one place. All three come from public records, county level.
How old are the roofs? Homes in Black Hawk County by decade built
| pre-1940 | 18.5% |
|---|---|
| 1940s | 6.7% |
| 1950s | 16.4% |
| 1960s | 13.6% |
| 1970s | 15.5% |
| 1980s | 5.6% |
| 1990s | 7.9% |
| 2000s | 7.7% |
| 2010s | 7.8% |
| 2020+ | 0.3% |
58,748 homes, median built in 1966. 70.7% date from before 1980 and 8.0% from 2010 on; 65.3% are owner-occupied. The most common decade is the pre-1940.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey · data as of ACS 5-yearWhat to do if your roof was in the hail path
- Stay off the roof and read the yard instead. The closest report in the last 90 days sits 13.1 miles from the Waterloo city center (5 SE Readlyn, August 7, 2026). Check Waterloo downspouts for granule piles and gutters, vents and screens for dents.
- Photograph and date everything before repairs. For Waterloo the worst day is August 7, 2026 with 3 reports and a top stone of 1.75 in. Dated photos, a coin beside a hailstone and this NOAA log tie your loss to one storm day.
- Have a roofer look before you decide. The single hail day near Waterloo reached 1 inch or more. Nobody on a Waterloo lawn can see bruised shingles or lost granules, so a written scope from a roofer is the test for a claim.
- Watch two deadlines: the policy's and the insurer's. 79 days ago: that is how long since the newest hail day near Waterloo. Your window to report a Waterloo loss sits in the policy; the insurer's answer clocks are state law, linked below.
- Bring the written scope to the adjuster. A Waterloo estimate stays honest when the adjuster receives your contractor's written scope. Step-by-step: the roof insurance claim guide.
Insurer clocks for Waterloo homeowners: rule text, quotes and links on the Iowa claim-deadlines page (checked 2026-10-09). Not legal advice.
Hail in Waterloo — questions homeowners ask
When did hail last hit Waterloo, IA?
How large was the hail near Waterloo?
Does homeowners insurance cover hail damage in Waterloo?
How often does hail hit the Waterloo area?
How near to Waterloo did the nearest hail report fall?
How long does an insurer in Iowa have to respond to a hail claim?
Check your own ZIP in Waterloo
The county figures above average over everything inside the county line. For a score tied to your Waterloo address, run your ZIP through the hail risk lookup — Waterloo ZIP codes include 50701, 50703, 50704, 50709, 50682.
Waterloo neighborhoods — hail exposure varies by area
Hail paths track with storm cell movement, not city limits. If you're in Westmont, River Landing, Eastmont, Northside or Waterford, check your specific street against the report locations above — distance from Waterloo's center is listed for each report.
Hail alerts for Waterloo: join the list
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More resources
- Roofing contractors in Waterloo
- Storm damage repair in Waterloo
- Roof repair in Waterloo
- Roof inspection in Waterloo
- Insurance claim guide
- Hail insurance claims in Iowa
- Roof replacement costs in Waterloo
- Emergency roof repair
- All recent hail reports
- Hail risk lookup
Sources: NOAA Storm Prediction Center Local Storm Reports (last 90 days, preliminary) and the NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county of the city, 2014–June 2026); U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (housing). The Storm Events archive used here ends in 2025, so storms between that date and the start of the 90-day log are not shown. How we collect data. Are you a roofer in Waterloo? See how requests reach contractors.
How to cite this page
Free to quote with credit, under CC BY 4.0, no permission needed. The numbers are NOAA Storm Prediction Center preliminary reports: unverified, and not confirmed damage to any roof. This is not an official NOAA or NWS product.