Data current as of 2026-10-16 · Sourced from NOAA Storm Events
Over the past five years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has recorded 93 hail storms within 25 miles of Bismarck, ND. Of those, 77 produced hail at least quarter-size — the threshold most insurance carriers consider potentially damaging to asphalt shingles. The largest reported hail in this window was baseball-sized or larger, which can fracture shingle mat and dent metal flashing on contact. 2026 was the most active year on record locally, with 29 documented hail events.
Check Hail History for a Specific Address in Bismarck| Severity | Count | What it means for roofs |
|---|---|---|
| Catastrophic | 3 events | Baseball+ size, structural roof damage likely |
| Destructive | 21 events | Egg-size, expect mat fractures and gutter damage |
| Severe | 24 events | Ping pong-size, granule loss and bruising common |
| Significant | 29 events | Quarter-size, the standard insurance damage threshold |
| Moderate | 15 events | Marble-size, possible cosmetic damage |
| Minor | 1 event | Pea-size, unlikely to damage modern shingles |
| Year | Reported Hail Events Within 25 mi |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 29 events |
| 2025 | 23 events |
| 2024 | 21 events |
| 2023 | 6 events |
| 2022 | 14 events |
2026 was the busiest hail year on record locally for Bismarck, with 29 documented events inside the 25-mile radius. Storm activity in Bismarck typically peaks in spring and early summer, when the jet stream pushes Gulf moisture into the area and supercell thunderstorms become more frequent.
| Date | Location | Severity | Size | NOAA Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-29 | 3 SSE Bismarck, ND | Minor | 0.25" | Brief periods of small hail with heavy rain for about 10 minutes. |
| 2026-08-12 | 3 W Crown Butte Lake, ND | Severe | 1.75" | Photo shared by broadcast media. Hail lasted 17 minutes. |
| 2026-08-12 | Lincoln, ND | Significant | 1.25" | — |
| 2026-08-12 | 1 S Menoken, ND | Destructive | 2.75" | Social media report and photo of baseball sized hail south of Menoken. |
| 2026-08-12 | 2 S Lincoln, ND | Destructive | 2.50" | Multiple reports of large hail in and around Lincoln. Largest around tennis ball sized. |
| 2026-08-12 | Lincoln, ND | Destructive | 2.00" | — |
| 2026-08-12 | 8 N Menoken, ND | Significant | 1.00" | Mostly pea sized hail with a few nickel to quarter sized mixed in. Hail lasted 16 minutes ending at 1124 pm CDT. Little wind. 0.89 inches of rain. |
| 2026-08-12 | 1 NE Lincoln, ND | Significant | 1.00" | Report from mPING: Quarter (1.00 in.). |
| 2026-08-12 | 4 E Lincoln, ND | Destructive | 2.00" | Photo relayed through social media. |
| 2026-08-12 | 3 WSW Lincoln, ND | Moderate | 0.88" | — |
| 2026-08-12 | 3 W Menoken, ND | Destructive | 2.75" | Public social media report and photo of near baseball size hail south of Apple Valley. |
| 2026-07-19 | 6 N Menoken, ND | Significant | 1.25" | Report from mPING: Half Dollar (1.25 in.). |
| 2026-07-19 | 7 NE Bismarck, ND | Severe | 1.50" | Broadcast media relayed picture. Time based on radar. |
| 2026-07-19 | 6 NNE Bismarck, ND | Severe | 1.50" | Broadcast media relayed picture compared to a ping pong ball. Time based on radar. |
| 2026-07-19 | 5 NE Bismarck, ND | Significant | 1.25" | — |
| 2026-07-19 | 5 NNE Bismarck, ND | Significant | 1.00" | Social media picture of hailstone in the palm of a hand. |
| 2026-07-19 | 7 NW Menoken, ND | Severe | 1.75" | Broadcast media reported pictures. Time based on radar. |
| 2026-07-02 | Saint Anthony, ND | Moderate | 0.70" | — |
| 2026-06-29 | 4 N Bismarck, ND | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2026-06-29 | Mandan, ND | Destructive | 2.00" | Trained weather spotter reports hail up to 2 inches in Mandan. Hail ranged from 1.5 to 2.0 inches in size, and lasted for around 5 minutes. Also report numerous 1 inch tree branches down in their yard due to strong winds, and torrential rainfall. Time estimated by radar. |
NOAA has recorded 60 high-wind events within 25 miles of Bismarck, ND in the past five years. Of those, 60 reached severe-thunderstorm thresholds (58+ mph). The highest measured gust was 110 mph.
| Severity | Count |
|---|---|
| Destructive | 2 events |
| Severe | 35 events |
| Significant | 23 events |
| Date | Location | Gust (mph) | Severity | NOAA Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-03 | 4 W Huff, ND | 66 | Severe | Mesonet station EW9213 Huff Hills. |
| 2026-08-03 | 4 S Mandan, ND | 62 | Significant | AWOS station KY19 Mandan. |
| 2026-08-03 | 2 W Lincoln, ND | 58 | Significant | ASOS station KBIS Bismarck Airport. |
| 2026-07-24 | 1 E Mckenzie, ND | 73 | Severe | 73 MPH gust measured at 10M at McKenzie 2E NDAWN. 53 MPH measured at 3M. |
| 2026-07-24 | 1 E Mckenzie, ND | 75 | Severe | 75 MPH gust measured at 10M at McKenzie 2E NDAWN. 57 MPH measured at 3M. |
| 2026-07-24 | 2 SSW Baldwin, ND | 56 | Significant | Measured wind gust at private weather station. |
| 2026-07-10 | 9 SSW Saint Anthony, ND | 57 | Significant | 57 MPH wind gust at 10M recorded at 8SW St. Anthony NDAWN. |
| 2026-06-29 | 4 SSW Mandan, ND | 63 | Significant | 63 MPH wind gust at 10M measured from Mandan 4S NDAWN. |
| 2026-06-29 | MANDAN MUNI ARPT, ND | 63 | Significant | Mandan NDAWN station reported wind gusts up to 63 mph. |
| 2026-06-08 | 2 W Lincoln, ND | 68 | Severe | ASOS station KBIS Bismarck Airport. |
| 2026-06-07 | (BIS)BISMARCK MUNI A, ND | 68 | Severe | Bismarck Airport ASOS reported wind gusts up to 68 mph. |
| 2026-05-14 | 2 W Lincoln, ND | 52 | Significant | ASOS station KBIS Bismarck Airport. |
| 2026-05-14 | 1 E Mckenzie, ND | 57 | Significant | NDAWN 10 meter peak wind gust. |
| 2025-08-08 | BISMARCK, ND | 63 | Significant | — |
| 2025-08-08 | (BIS)BISMARCK MUNI A, ND | 70 | Severe | A five inch diameter cottonwood tree was snapped off near its base. |
| 2025-08-08 | BISMARCK, ND | 68 | Severe | — |
| 2025-08-08 | (BIS)BISMARCK MUNI A, ND | 62 | Significant | — |
| 2025-07-28 | (BIS)BISMARCK MUNI A, ND | 58 | Significant | — |
| 2025-07-22 | MANDAN MUNI ARPT, ND | 71 | Severe | — |
| 2025-06-27 | MC KENZIE, ND | 81 | Severe | Two large trees were uprooted and were laying across a road. |
The most recent quarter-size-or-larger hail storm recorded by NOAA within 25 miles of Bismarck was on August 12, 2026. HailCheck refreshes from the NOAA Storm Events database daily, so newer events appear here as they are reported.
Bismarck averages roughly 19 reported hail events per year within a 25-mile radius. Significant storms (quarter-size or larger) account for 77 of the 93 events recorded over the last five years.
The largest documented hail near Bismarck in the last five years was baseball-sized or larger. Most Bismarck-area hail falls in the marble-to-quarter range, with destructive storms (egg-size or larger) appearing roughly once every few years.
Most homeowners insurance policies in ND cover hail damage to roofs, siding, and gutters under the dwelling and other-structures coverage. Coverage typically requires the damage to be tied to a verifiable storm date — which is where the NOAA hail history above (and a HAAG-style test square validation) becomes important for the claim file.
Use the HailCheck address search to enter any street address in or near Bismarck. HailCheck returns every NOAA hail event within a configurable radius, along with severity bands, dates, and storm narratives for Pro members.
If your property in or near Bismarck took on hail during one of the storms above, the standard process for documenting damage is a 10×10 foot test square inspection. A HAAG-trained reviewer counts impact indicators — granule displacement, mat fractures, and bruising — within the marked square and produces a PASS or FAIL document for the claim file.
HailCheck offers a $99 photo-based HAAG-style test square validation. You submit photos from the field, our reviewer evaluates the impact indicators and cross-references the NOAA storm dates listed above, and a written PASS/FAIL determination is returned within one business day. We do not send anyone to the roof — the validation is built around the photos you submit.
Learn About $99 HAAG-Style ValidationBismarck sits inside the central United States hail belt, where warm Gulf moisture collides with cold continental air to produce supercell thunderstorms capable of dropping the hail documented above. Properties in this zone typically see at least one significant hail event every two to four years.