Hail in Clayton County, Iowa

Hail in Clayton County, Iowa: 142 recorded events between 1961 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 2.5. That places the county #985 nationally and #47 statewide for this hazard.

Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.

The busiest decade for hail in Clayton County is the 2000s, when 60 of the county's 142 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.

Within the Clayton County archive, hail makes up 26.5% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #985 for this hazard and #47 within Iowa, putting it in the 68.2 percentile of all U.S. counties.

May is the peak month for hail in Clayton County with 33 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.

• Thunderstorm Wind 165
• Flood 143

How many hail events are on record in Clayton County, Iowa?

142 hail events are recorded in Clayton County between 1961 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths.

What is the strongest hail recorded in Clayton County?

The strongest hail on record in Clayton County measured 2.5.

Where does the hail data for Clayton County come from?

All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.