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 33 hail storms within 25 miles of Williston, ND. Of those, 26 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 10 documented hail events.
Check Hail History for a Specific Address in Williston| Severity | Count | What it means for roofs |
|---|---|---|
| Catastrophic | 1 event | Baseball+ size, structural roof damage likely |
| Destructive | 6 events | Egg-size, expect mat fractures and gutter damage |
| Severe | 9 events | Ping pong-size, granule loss and bruising common |
| Significant | 10 events | Quarter-size, the standard insurance damage threshold |
| Moderate | 7 events | Marble-size, possible cosmetic damage |
| Year | Reported Hail Events Within 25 mi |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 10 events |
| 2025 | 7 events |
| 2024 | 1 event |
| 2023 | 8 events |
| 2022 | 7 events |
2026 was the busiest hail year on record locally for Williston, with 10 documented events inside the 25-mile radius. Storm activity in Williston 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-06 | 11 NNE Alexander, ND | Significant | 1.25" | — |
| 2026-09-03 | Williston, ND | Significant | 1.00" | Multiple reports of penny to quarter size hail. |
| 2026-06-08 | 5 N Alexander, ND | Destructive | 2.00" | Relayed from broadcast media. Time estimated from radar. |
| 2026-06-08 | 3 NE Rawson, ND | Destructive | 2.00" | Local media reported severe hail around 7:50 PM CDT. |
| 2026-06-08 | Arnegard, ND | Destructive | 2.00" | Relayed through social media. Time estimated from radar. |
| 2026-06-08 | Williston, ND | Severe | 1.75" | In the city of Williston. Hail ongoing. |
| 2026-06-07 | ALEXANDER, ND | Destructive | 2.00" | — |
| 2026-06-07 | ARNEGARD, ND | Destructive | 2.00" | — |
| 2026-06-07 | ARNEGARD, ND | Destructive | 2.00" | — |
| 2026-06-07 | WILLISTON, ND | Severe | 1.75" | — |
| 2025-08-07 | EPPING, ND | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2025-07-25 | (ISN)SLOULIN FLD WIL, ND | Moderate | 0.75" | — |
| 2025-07-25 | (ISN)SLOULIN FLD WIL, ND | Severe | 1.50" | — |
| 2025-07-25 | (ISN)SLOULIN FLD WIL, ND | Moderate | 0.75" | — |
| 2025-07-25 | WILLISTON, ND | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2025-06-18 | BONETRAILL, ND | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2025-06-18 | WILLISTON, ND | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2024-07-14 | WHEELOCK, ND | Severe | 1.50" | — |
| 2023-08-30 | FAIRVIEW, ND | Moderate | 0.88" | — |
| 2023-08-30 | ARNEGARD, ND | Severe | 1.75" | A supercell thunderstorm passed through the Arnegard and surrounding areas, resulting in an extended period of large hail. The largest hail was the size of golf balls. Vehicles were damaged. |
NOAA has recorded 51 high-wind events within 25 miles of Williston, ND in the past five years. Of those, 51 reached severe-thunderstorm thresholds (58+ mph). The highest measured gust was 96 mph.
| Severity | Count |
|---|---|
| Severe | 20 events |
| Significant | 31 events |
| Date | Location | Gust (mph) | Severity | NOAA Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-14 | 8 NNE Snowden, MT | 58 | Significant | US-2 @Stateline US2 DOT sensor. |
| 2026-09-14 | 10 NW Williston, ND | 60 | Significant | AWOS station KXWA Williston Airport. |
| 2026-09-07 | 5 NNW Charbonneau, ND | 60 | Significant | NDAWN station Charbonneau 5 NW. |
| 2026-06-28 | 6 NNW Charbonneau, ND | 63 | Significant | Mesonet station 321480 6 NNW Charbonneau (NDAWN). |
| 2026-06-28 | 6 ESE Fort Union Tradin, ND | 67 | Severe | 67 MPH wind gust at 10M recorded at Buford 3SE NDAWN. |
| 2026-06-28 | 5 S Bonetrail, ND | 60 | Significant | Report from private weather station. |
| 2026-06-28 | 12 SSW Bonetrail, ND | 72 | Severe | 72 MPH gust at 3M measured at Pioneer NDAWN. |
| 2026-06-28 | 10 NW Williston, ND | 69 | Severe | AWOS station KXWA Williston Airport. |
| 2026-06-27 | BUFORD, ND | 67 | Severe | Buford NDAWN station reported wind gusts up to 67 mph. |
| 2026-06-27 | CHARBONNEAU, ND | 63 | Significant | Charbonneau NDAWN station reported wind gusts up to 63 mph. |
| 2026-06-27 | BONETRAILL, ND | 60 | Significant | Personal weather station reported wind gusts up to 60 mph. |
| 2026-06-27 | BONETRAILL, ND | 73 | Severe | Pioneer NDAWN station reported wind gusts up to 72 mph. |
| 2026-06-27 | TRENTON, ND | 96 | Severe | Significant storm damage caused by powerful thunderstorm wind gusts across nearly a mile in a neighborhood west of Williston. Emergency manager reported debris in a southwest to northeast orientation, consistent with straight line winds. Notable damage includes two homes with roofs uplifted and partially blown off. One roof blown 100 yards away. Other damage includes sheds, enclosed trailers, and campers damaged or destroyed. Some tree damage also noted. Damage is consistent with winds around 95 mph. |
| 2026-06-27 | (ISN)SLOULIN FLD WIL, ND | 70 | Severe | Emergency manager reported damage from strong wind gusts in Williston. Power lines are down in the city and there was damage to the top of a tall car dealership sign. |
| 2026-06-27 | (ISN)SLOULIN FLD WIL, ND | 69 | Severe | Williston Airport ASOS reported wind gusts up to 69 mph. |
| 2026-05-15 | 2 W Arnegard, ND | 60 | Significant | NDDOT sensor. |
| 2026-05-14 | 6 NNW Charbonneau, ND | 63 | Significant | Mesonet station 321480 6 NNW Charbonneau (NDAWN). |
| 2026-05-14 | 6 ESE Fort Union Tradin, ND | 60 | Significant | 10 m wind gust at NDAWN site Buford 3 SE. |
| 2026-05-14 | 10 N Fort Union Trading, MT | 66 | Severe | Mesonet station MTSTA 7.8 N Snowden (MT DOT). |
| 2026-05-14 | 5 WSW Williston, ND | 63 | Significant | 10 m wind gust at NDAWN site Williston 5 SW. |
The most recent quarter-size-or-larger hail storm recorded by NOAA within 25 miles of Williston was on September 6, 2026. HailCheck refreshes from the NOAA Storm Events database daily, so newer events appear here as they are reported.
Williston averages roughly 7 reported hail events per year within a 25-mile radius. Significant storms (quarter-size or larger) account for 26 of the 33 events recorded over the last five years.
The largest documented hail near Williston in the last five years was baseball-sized or larger. Most Williston-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 Williston. 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 Williston 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 ValidationWilliston 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.