Skip to content
HailIndex
Guides

St. Paul hail storm history

Ramsey County·NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database·~75-day publication lag

St. Paul, located in Ramsey County, sits within the Twin Cities metropolitan area—a region shaped by two major river systems and an urban heat island effect that can locally intensify thunderstorms. Hail events in this corridor are driven by the seasonal northward retreat of the jet stream combined with moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, creating a predictable but variable hail season.

Events ≥1" (10yr)
170
Significant ≥1.5" (10yr)
70
Avg per year (10yr)
17.0
Largest recorded
3"
Most recent
Sep 22, 2025
Total records
193
NOAA storm history
events (10 yr)170
≥1.5" significant70
peak year (77)2022
Free inspection estimate

Check if your roof was damaged by recent hail

Type of damage

How urgent?

Hail season in St. Paul peaks during June and July, when atmospheric conditions most frequently favor severe thunderstorm development across Ramsey County. Secondary activity occurs in May and August. Storm systems that produce hail in this region typically develop in the afternoon and evening hours as surface heating and wind shear align favorably for organized convection.

Annual frequency — last 10 years

2025
14
2024
6
2023
12
2022
77
2021
9
2020
12
2019
13
2018
4
2017
17
2016
6
≥2.0" severe≥1.5" significant≥1.0" marginal

When hail hits — monthly pattern

Avg events per month · all years · NOAA data

Jan0
Feb0
Mar7
Apr4
May74
Jun13
Jul30
Aug32
Sep32
Oct1
Nov0
Dec0

All recorded hail events

Of 193 recorded events, 70 (36%) reached 1.5" or larger — the threshold for likely functional damage on standard asphalt shingles.

Report of half-inch to Ping Pong Ball sized hail for two minutes.

Aug 15, 20251.25"half dollar
Apr 17, 20250.75"penny

Report from Mping.

Sep 19, 20241"quarter

Report from Mping.

Relayed from Metro Skywarn.

Jun 13, 20241"quarter
Jul 24, 20231"quarter

Photo relayed through social media.

Jul 20, 20231"quarter
Jul 4, 20231"quarter

A social media picture of 2 inch diameter hail fell between Lake Elmo and Afton.

Aug 28, 20221.25"half dollar
May 12, 20221"quarter

There was a social media picture of golf ball size hail.

A public report of quarter size hail relayed from a local TV Meteorologist.

Jul 14, 20211"quarter
Aug 10, 20201.5"ping pong ball

This was the largest hailstone reported in Dakota County from this set of storms. Radar indicated th…

There were several reports of large hail stones, up to golf ball size based on social media pictures…

Jun 2, 20201"quarter
Aug 13, 20191.25"half dollar
Aug 24, 20180.88"penny

Report submitted via social media.

Another continuous swath of large hail, up to golf ball size, fell from Newport to near the intersec…

Mar 7, 20170.75"penny
Oct 17, 20160.75"penny

A swath of 0.75 inch hail occurred in the southern part of Washington County from Cottage Grove, eas…

Most of the hail that fell was pea to penny size.

Aug 30, 20160.88"penny
Aug 19, 20160.88"penny

Ping pong ball size hail occurred in Lauderdale, or several miles northeast of downtown Minneapolis.

Aug 4, 20160.75"penny
Data source

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information Storm Events Database. Publication lag is approximately 75 days — current-year events may be incomplete.

NOAA Storm Events Database ↗