Hail, Black Hawk
- When
- July 27, 12:39 PM CST
- Where
- Black Hawk County, Hudson
- Measured
- 0.75 in hail
- Crop damage
- $5,000
- Coordinates
- 42.420, -92.450
Hail in Iowa, July 27, 1997
A very unstable air mass remained in place over Iowa with surface dew point readings around 80 degrees F. and cape values in excess of 5000 J/kg.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- None recorded
- Crop damage
- $5,000
- Events
- 1
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS DMX wrote it up.
A very unstable air mass remained in place over Iowa with surface dew point readings around 80 degrees F. and cape values in excess of 5000 J/kg. Thunderstorms formed over southeast South Dakota and moved across northern Iowa. These were just ahead of an approaching cold front. Most of the storms were not severe, however they did produce significant rainfall. One storm dropped three quarter inch diameter hail in Black Hawk County near Hudson. Another storm brought high winds into the Laurens area downing trees in the city. It also dumped between 5 and 6 inches of rain, however no significant flooding was reported. Another report of high winds was received from Sac County. Damage occurred on a farm near Schaller as strong winds swept through the area.
The radar
The Des Moines radar (KDMX), 130 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 18:40 UTC.
Event by event
1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
What these are
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Heat in Pennsylvania, July 27 to 28, 1997
- Hail in Colorado, July 27, 1997
- Flash Flood and Hail in West Virginia, July 27, 1997
- Damaging Wind in South Dakota, July 27, 1997
- Damaging Wind in South Dakota, July 27, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in South Dakota, July 27, 1997
- Flash Flooding and Hail in Ohio, July 27, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Michigan, July 27, 1997
- Damaging Winds in Georgia, July 27, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in South Dakota, July 27, 1997
- Flash Flooding and Lightning Strike in Colorado, July 27, 1997
- Damaging Wind in Iowa, July 27, 1997
More
Every storm in Iowa in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, July 1997
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5603133.