HailEvidence → hail history by county → Iowa → Buena Vista County
Hail dates in Buena Vista County, Iowa
The National Weather Service has recorded hail in Buena Vista County on 11 days since 2016 (26 separate reports, 21 of them quarter-size or larger). The largest stone on record was 1.75" (golf ball) on July 3, 2023; the most recent hail was May 15, 2026. Every row below is an official NWS record. Check hail at your exact address, free →
Every hail day in Buena Vista County since 2016
One row per day the NWS logged hail somewhere in the county. The narrative names the town; the free check below narrows it to your address.
| Date | Largest hail | Reports | NWS narrative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-15 | 1.00" (quarter) | 3 | In addition to quarter sized hail, there were also some 1 to 2 inch diameter tree branches knocked down by gusty winds. |
| 2026-04-23 | 1.00" (quarter) | 1 | — |
| 2024-05-24 | 1.25" (half dollar) | 1 | — |
| 2023-07-26 | 1.00" (quarter) | 3 | — |
| 2023-07-03 | 1.75" (golf ball) | 1 | Row crops were badly damaged by hail up to golf ball size. Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Departme… |
| 2023-06-24 | 1.25" (half dollar) | 3 | Half-dollar size hail was accompanied by some strong winds. |
| 2021-06-16 | 1.75" (golf ball) | 4 | Hail ranged in size from quarter to golf ball. Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agricu… |
| 2020-06-05 | 1.25" (half dollar) | 1 | — |
| 2019-09-21 | 1.00" (quarter) | 2 | — |
| 2018-05-01 | 1.75" (golf ball) | 5 | Quarter to ping pong size hail. |
| 2016-07-11 | 1.00" (quarter) | 2 | — |
Hail days by year
| Year | Hail days | Reports | Largest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 | 4 | 1.00" (quarter) |
| 2024 | 1 | 1 | 1.25" (half dollar) |
| 2023 | 3 | 7 | 1.75" (golf ball) |
| 2021 | 1 | 4 | 1.75" (golf ball) |
| 2020 | 1 | 1 | 1.25" (half dollar) |
| 2019 | 1 | 2 | 1.00" (quarter) |
| 2018 | 1 | 5 | 1.75" (golf ball) |
| 2016 | 1 | 2 | 1.00" (quarter) |
Damaging wind in Buena Vista County
Thunderstorm wind of 58 mph or more (the NWS severe threshold), 39 reports since 2016, strongest 85 mph. 10 tornadoes recorded in the county in the same period. Wind and tornado records are included in the extended report.
| Date | Peak gust | Reports | NWS narrative |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-05-21 | 85 mph | 4 | Thunderstorm wind gusts blew a tree onto a house. |
| 2025-04-18 | 81 mph | 4 | Tree, power line, and roof damage occurred along business Highway 71. Most roof damage was to metal roofing and building soffits, with on… |
| 2023-06-24 | 81 mph | 2 | A power pole along 80th Avenue just south of Iowa Highway 3 was leaning, nearby corn was flattened, and large tree branches were broken d… |
| 2018-08-05 | 81 mph | 1 | A five inch diameter tree was snapped in half. |
| 2017-05-17 | 81 mph | 4 | Utility poles along Highway 7 tilted by the strong winds. |
| 2021-12-15 | 76 mph | 3 | A large tree was uprooted by thunderstorm winds. |
| 2026-05-17 | 72 mph | 3 | Wind gust measured by a personal weather station. |
| 2022-08-03 | 70 mph | 1 | A thunderstorm wind gust of 70 mph was measured by Automated Weather Observing System site KSLB southwest of Storm Lake. |
Was hail recorded at your Buena Vista County address? Check free
Type a street address — or just a ZIP code. We measure it
against every hail event the National Weather Service recorded in the last 10 years and show you
how many fall within 1, 3 and 10 miles — free, instantly, nothing stored. Rural property with no street
address? Enter coordinates as 44.05, -107.31.
Address lookup by the U.S. Census Bureau geocoder. Records: NOAA NCEI Storm Events (final) plus SPC preliminary reports for storms newer than the latest compile — see methodology.
Need it in writing for a claim?
The verification report lists every NWS hail (and, in the extended version, wind and tornado) record within 1, 3 and 10 miles of one address, each linked to its official source, with the disputed date called out in plain English. Adjusters can verify every line.
10-year hail history for one address + the disputed-date finding.
15-year window, wind & tornado records, plus a drafted claim-appeal letter.
Questions
What date did hail last hit Buena Vista County?
May 15, 2026, per the NWS Storm Events record. The largest since 2016 was 1.75" (golf ball) on July 3, 2023.
Does a county record prove hail at my house?
No. NWS records are point and path observations. The absence of a nearby report does NOT prove that no hail fell at this address — it means no observation was logged nearby. A report of nearby hail documents the event; it does not by itself prove damage to a specific structure. The free check above shows what was recorded near your specific address, with distances.
Nearby counties
Cherokee County, IA (23 mi) · Clay County, IA (23 mi) · Pocahontas County, IA (25 mi) · Ida County, IA (29 mi) · Calhoun County, IA (33 mi) · Palo Alto County, IA (33 mi) · O'Brien County, IA (35 mi) · Dickinson County, IA (44 mi)
See also: Iowa hail history by city · all counties