155
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$9.0M
Property damage
Hail in Adams County, North Dakota: 155 recorded events between 1962 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 3. That places the county #893 nationally and #31 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Hail in Adams County, North Dakota: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for hail in Adams County is the 2010s, when 63 of the county's 155 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 Adams County archive, hail makes up 55.0% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #893 for this hazard and #31 within North Dakota, putting it in the 71.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for hail in Adams County with 54 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.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 21, 2005 | HETTINGER | 2.75 | 0 | 3 | $7.0M |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 9, 2025 | HETTINGER | 2.5 | $250K |
| Jun 22, 2025 | HAYNES | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 23, 2024 | HAYNES | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 3, 2024 | REEDER | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 2, 2024 | HAYNES | 1 | $0 |
| May 23, 2024 | HETTINGER ARPT | 1.5 | $0 |
| Jul 12, 2023 | HAYNES | 1.5 | $0 |
| May 24, 2023 | BUCYRUS | 1 | $15K |
| Jun 20, 2022 | HAYNES | 2.5 | $0 |
| Jun 20, 2022 | HETTINGER | 1.25 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Adams County
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Golfball to baseball size hail combined with 50 mph winds caused extensive damage to homes and vehicles. One hundred (100) vehicles at an automoble dealership sustained heavy damage. Two (2) persons were treated for minor cuts, abrasions and bruises at the Hettinger hospital as a result of the hail storm. A third person sustained minor cuts when the windows of her car were broken by the hail.
Widespread damage was reported in and around Hettinger. A car dealership with approximately 50 vehicles sustained heavy damage. Broken windows were reported throughout town. Significant crop damage occurred around the area.
A severe thunderstorm brought a two to three mile wide swath of very large hail across southern Adams County. The maximum hail size reported was baseball size and fell on a farm about three miles east and four miles north of Hettinger. That farm had 100 percent crop loss over 1,500 acres and had extensive damage to buildings, machinery, and vehicles. National Weather Service officials spoke with the owner of the farm who stated that every window on the west and north sides was broken. Hail broke windows on the farm house, came inside the dwelling, and broke picture frames, knickknacks, and a large screen television inside. Five sheep were beaten to death by the hail. Large hail, but smaller than baseball size, fell on the north side of Hettinger. Windows were broken and siding and roofs were damaged. Damage amounts are estimated from newspaper articles and from speaking with victims.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many hail events are on record in Adams County, North Dakota?
155 hail events are recorded in Adams County between 1962 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest hail recorded in Adams County?
The strongest hail on record in Adams County measured 3.
Where does the hail data for Adams 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.
Cite this page
“Hail in Adams County, North Dakota.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/north-dakota/adams-county/hail/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.