Hail, Howard
- When
- July 20, 3:06 PM CST
- Where
- Howard County, Lime Spgs
- Measured
- 2 in hail
- Crop damage
- $35,000
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 43.450, -92.280
Hail and Damaging Wind in Iowa, July 20, 1998
Spotters and law enforcement officials reported hail ranging in size from golf balls to as large as baseballs along with 70 mph winds.
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
- $65,000
- Crop damage
- $265,000
- Events
- 6
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 ARX wrote it up.
Spotters and law enforcement officials reported hail ranging in size from golf balls to as large as baseballs along with 70 mph winds.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
5 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.
Hail, Howard
- When
- July 20, 3:08 PM CST
- Where
- Howard County, 2 mi S of Lime Spgs
- Measured
- 1.5 in hail
- Property damage
- $15,000
- Crop damage
- $40,000
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 43.420, -92.280
Hail, Howard
- When
- July 20, 3:10 PM CST
- Where
- Howard County, 3 mi E of Lime Spgs
- Measured
- 3 in hail
- Property damage
- $30,000
- Crop damage
- $75,000
- Reported by
- AMATEUR RADIO
- Coordinates
- 43.450, -92.220
Hail, Winneshiek
- When
- July 20, 3:32 PM CST
- Where
- Winneshiek County, 7 mi N of Decorah
- Measured
- 1.75 in hail
- Crop damage
- $25,000
- Reported by
- LAW ENFORCEMENT
- Coordinates
- 43.400, -91.800
Thunderstorm Wind, Allamakee
- When
- July 20, 3:50 PM CST
- Where
- Allamakee County, 2 mi N of Waukon
- Measured
- 61 kt (70 mph)
- Crop damage
- $35,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 43.300, -91.480
Hail, Allamakee
- When
- July 20, 3:50 PM CST
- Where
- Allamakee County, 2 mi N of Waukon
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Property damage
- $20,000
- Crop damage
- $55,000
- Reported by
- TRAINED SPOTTER
- Coordinates
- 43.300, -91.480
What these are
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Heat in Pennsylvania, July 20 to 23, 1998
- Heat in Maryland, July 20 to 23, 1998
- Heat in Arkansas, July 20 to 31, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Minnesota, July 20, 1998
- Flooding and Hail in Wisconsin, July 20, 1998
- Heat in Oklahoma, July 20, 1998
- Flash Flooding in Kentucky, July 20, 1998
- Flash Flood and Hail in North Carolina, July 20 to 21, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Wisconsin, July 20, 1998
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Georgia, July 20, 1998
- Heat in Delaware, July 20 to 24, 1998
- Tornado in Pennsylvania, July 20 to 21, 1998
More
Every storm in Iowa in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyWarnings in Iowa, July 1998
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: 5662424, 5662425, 5662426, 5662490, 5662491, 5662492.