Hail history · Rochester area
When did it last hail in the Rochester area — and can you still file?
Olmsted and Dodge counties have taken NWS-documented hail every year of the 2020s — golf-ball stones near Potsdam, ping-pong hail with car damage in east Rochester, even a late-March storm near Berne. Below: every major documented event, the zones it hit, and whether the claim window is still open.
Updated July 2026 · Sourced from the NOAA Storm Events Database and NWS event summaries · Reviewed by Joe Dvorak, Owner, Modern Exterior Systems
What this page covers
Six years of Rochester area hail, by date and zone
The catalog below lists every major NWS-documented hail event across Olmsted and Dodge counties from 2020 through 2026 — date, affected zones, max hailstone size, and current claim-window status. Curated from verified reports of 1"+ hail, not exhaustive — pair it with the NOAA Storm Events Database for full event records.
Event catalog
Major Rochester area hail events 2020 to 2026
Events by date, affected zone, max recorded hailstone size, and current claim-window status. For the complete record, check the NOAA Storm Events Database.
Date
August 27, 2025
Max hailstone size: 1.0"
Affected zones
North of Stewartville & Rochester airport corridor
Quarter-size hail reported north-northwest of Stewartville near the Rochester airport.
Claim window
Open through August 2026
Date
May 15, 2025
Max hailstone size: 1.0"
Affected zones
East of Rochester
Quarter-size hail reported east-northeast of the city.
Claim window
Standard window closed May 2026
Date
March 28, 2025
Max hailstone size: 1.25"
Affected zones
Berne & northern Dodge County
Unusually early-season event — a trained spotter reported half-dollar hail south of Berne in late March.
Claim window
Standard window closed March 2026
Date
May 20, 2024
Max hailstone size: 1.25"
Affected zones
Rock Dell & southwestern Olmsted County
Half-dollar hail near Rock Dell; four 1"+ reports in the area.
Claim window
Standard window closed May 2025
Date
July 22, 2023
Max hailstone size: 1.5"
Affected zones
Rochester
Quarter to ping-pong-ball hail reported in the city — seven 1"+ reports across Olmsted County.
Claim window
Standard window closed July 2024
Date
May 19, 2022
Max hailstone size: 1.5"
Affected zones
East Rochester
Ping-pong-ball hail east of Rochester with several cars damaged; seven 1"+ reports.
Claim window
Standard window closed May 2023
Date
May 11, 2022
Max hailstone size: 1.75"
Affected zones
Potsdam & northeastern Olmsted County
Golf-ball hail northeast of Potsdam.
Claim window
Standard window closed May 2023
Standard Minnesota homeowners policies allow 1 year from event to file. Some carriers consider supplemental filings on previously-reported losses past the window — talk to your agent.
What hail damage actually looks like
Hail bruises don't always read as damage from the ground — most of what totals a roof is invisible from the driveway. Here's what we're documenting up close.
Bruised shingles & granule loss
Soft spots where hail crushed the mat — the granules shed and the shingle fails years early.
Size is what does the damage
Stones 1" and up dent vents and gutters and bruise shingles — every event above cleared that bar.
Documentation wins claims
Measured stones, dated photos, and a written scope — the same standard NWS uses for the events on this page.
Which claim windows are still open?
One event remains inside the standard one-year window: August 27, 2025, north of Stewartville near the Rochester airport — open through August 2026. Everything earlier has passed the standard window.
Filing windows vary by policy — most Minnesota policies allow one to two years from the date of loss. If your event is near or past the standard window, check your policy before assuming the door is closed. You file your own claim and pay your own deductible; that's Minnesota law, and how it should be.
How Modex works in the Rochester area
Modern Exterior Systems is based in Eden Prairie and licensed across Minnesota (#BC762305). We take on Rochester area projects on request — same crews, same documentation standards, and the same lifetime workmanship warranty we put on every residential install. If you've got storm damage from one of the events above, we'll walk the roof, photograph what's actually there, and give you an honest read — full claim, small repair, or no damage at all.
Think one of these storms hit your roof?
Free inspection, real photos, and a written line-item assessment — no pressure, no same-day close.