Hail history · St. Cloud area
When did it last hail in the St. Cloud area — and can you still file?
Every year since 2020 has put damaging hail somewhere in Stearns, Benton, or Sherburne County — from the 3.25-inch stones near Belgrade in 2023 to the July 4, 2026 storm that dropped half-dollar hail and flooded St. Cloud streets. Below: every major NWS-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 St. Cloud area hail, by date and zone
The catalog below lists every major NWS-documented hail event across Stearns, Benton, and Sherburne 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 St. Cloud 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
July 4, 2026
Max hailstone size: 1.5"
Affected zones
St. Cloud, Stearns & Todd counties
Independence Day storms dropped quarter to half-dollar hail across Stearns and Todd counties, with locally heavy rain — a St. Cloud observer measured 3.26" and flooding disabled vehicles at Highway 23 and 9th Ave. NWS published a full event summary.
Claim window
Open through July 2027
Date
July 18, 2025
Max hailstone size: 2.0"
Affected zones
St. Augusta & southern Stearns County
Quarter to half-dollar stones common, with several golf-ball reports around St. Augusta. Five NWS reports of 1"+ hail in the corridor.
Claim window
Open through July 2026 — closing soon
Date
April 28, 2025
Max hailstone size: 1.5"
Affected zones
St. Augusta & central Stearns County
Early-season event; ping-pong-ball hail photographed north of St. Augusta.
Claim window
Standard window closed April 2026
Date
July 13, 2024
Max hailstone size: 1.75"
Affected zones
Big Lake & eastern Sherburne County
Five NWS reports of 1"+ hail centered on the Big Lake area.
Claim window
Standard window closed July 2025
Date
July 13, 2023
Max hailstone size: 3.25"
Affected zones
Belgrade & western Stearns County
The largest stones of the period anywhere in the region — ten 1"+ reports across Stearns County, topping out at 3.25" near Belgrade.
Claim window
Standard window closed July 2024
Date
May 9–12, 2022
Max hailstone size: 2.0"
Affected zones
St. Cloud, Collegeville, Waite Park, Big Lake
Three storms in four days produced 34 separate 1"+ hail reports across Stearns and Sherburne counties — the busiest hail week of the period.
Claim window
Standard window closed May 2023
Date
August 28, 2021
Max hailstone size: 2.5"
Affected zones
Popple Creek & Benton County
Vehicle windows broken and siding damaged — one of the most destructive single reports of the period.
Claim window
Standard window closed August 2022
Date
June 2, 2020
Max hailstone size: 1.25"
Affected zones
St. Cloud
Three 1"+ reports in and around St. Cloud.
Claim window
Standard window closed June 2021
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?
Two events remain inside the standard one-year window: July 4, 2026 (St. Cloud / Stearns / Todd — open through July 2027) and July 18, 2025 (St. Augusta area — open through July 2026, which means weeks, not months). 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 St. Cloud area
Modern Exterior Systems is based in Eden Prairie and licensed across Minnesota (#BC762305). We take on St. Cloud 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.