Clear Lake, Iowa Hail Report and Map: May 15, 2026
Was there hail in Clear Lake, IA on May 15, 2026? Radar estimated hail up to 2.11 inches inside the town limits of Clear Lake on May 15, 2026 (Eastern time). Radar estimates of at least 0.5 inch covered 99% of the town. Across the report area, the maximum radar estimate was 3.54 inches. The strongest part of the swath was about 153 miles west of Mason City, IA. Radar detected hail aloft in this area between about 5:50 p.m. and 9:25 p.m. CT on May 15, 2026.
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Hail estimates at a glance
| Storm date (Eastern time) | May 15, 2026 (Friday) |
|---|---|
| Maximum radar estimate across the area | 3.54 inches; strongest part of the swath about 153 miles west of Mason City, IA |
| Maximum radar estimate inside Clear Lake | 2.11 inches |
| Share of Clear Lake with radar estimates of at least 0.5 inch | 99% |
| Approximate radar timing | Between about 5:50 p.m. and 9:25 p.m. CT on May 15, 2026 (Central time) |
| County coverage includes (0.5 inch or larger) | Buena Vista County (417 sq mi), Hancock County (382 sq mi), Kossuth County (374 sq mi), Cerro Gordo County (344 sq mi), Pocahontas County (323 sq mi) and Woodbury County (287 sq mi) |
| Area with radar estimates of 0.5 inch or larger | about 3,978 square miles |
| Area with radar estimates of 1 inch or larger | about 1,251 square miles |
| Source | NOAA MRMS radar hail estimates (MESH) |
Which towns had hail on May 15, 2026?
Radar estimated hail of at least 0.5 inch inside these town limits, using U.S. Census boundaries. Each percentage is the share of town area with those estimates.
| Town | County | Maximum radar estimate inside town limits | Town area with estimates of at least 0.5 inch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Climbing Hill, IA | 2.58 inches | 100% | |
| Thornton, IA | 2.34 inches | 100% | |
| Clear Lake, IA | Cerro Gordo County | 2.11 inches | 99% |
| Kanawha, IA | Hancock County | 1.83 inches | 100% |
| Ventura, IA | Cerro Gordo County | 1.76 inches | 100% |
| Anthon, IA | Woodbury County | 1.74 inches | 100% |
| Titonka, IA | 1.6 inches | 100% | |
| Rockford, IA | Floyd County | 1.57 inches | 100% |
| Cherokee, IA | Cherokee County | 1.56 inches | 99% |
| Bancroft, IA | Kossuth County | 1.53 inches | 100% |
| Burchinal, IA | 1.44 inches | 100% | |
| Alta, IA | Buena Vista County | 1.36 inches | 100% |
| Humboldt, IA | Humboldt County | 1.27 inches | 100% |
| Oto, IA | 1.27 inches | 100% | |
| Garner, IA | Hancock County | 1.26 inches | 100% |
| Rembrandt, IA | 1.25 inches | 100% | |
| Storm Lake, IA | Buena Vista County | 1.23 inches | 46% |
| Sioux Rapids, IA | Buena Vista County | 1.2 inches | 100% |
| Ida Grove, IA | Ida County | 1.19 inches | 95% |
| Aurelia, IA | Cherokee County | 1.18 inches | 100% |
| Meriden, IA | 1.13 inches | 100% | |
| Albert City, IA | Buena Vista County | 1.11 inches | 100% |
| Nemaha, IA | 1.01 inches | 100% | |
| Hayfield, IA | 1.01 inches | 100% | |
| Holstein, IA | Ida County | 1 inch | 100% |
| Rolfe, IA | Pocahontas County | 0.96 inch | 100% |
| Thor, IA | 0.93 inch | 100% | |
| Marcus, IA | Cherokee County | 0.92 inch | 79% |
| Mason City, IA | Cerro Gordo County | 0.89 inch | 37% |
| Jolley, IA | 0.86 inch | 100% | |
| Paullina, IA | O'Brien County | 0.85 inch | 100% |
| Early, IA | Sac County | 0.85 inch | 78% |
| Battle Creek, IA | Ida County | 0.82 inch | 66% |
| Lu Verne, IA | 0.82 inch | 84% | |
| Pomeroy, IA | Calhoun County | 0.81 inch | 100% |
| Newell, IA | Buena Vista County | 0.8 inch | 100% |
| Le Mars, IA | Plymouth County | 0.78 inch | 28% |
| Armstrong, IA | Emmet County | 0.76 inch | 100% |
| Marathon, IA | 0.76 inch | 100% | |
| Calumet, IA | 0.75 inch | 100% |
How big was the hail in Clear Lake?
Radar estimated hail up to 2.11 inches inside the town limits of Clear Lake. Among the listed towns, the highest estimate was 2.58 inches inside the limits of Climbing Hill. The maximum estimates in Mason City, Storm Lake and Le Mars were 1.23 inches or less. A town's maximum isn't an estimate for every home. Check the swath for estimates around an address.
What time did radar detect hail?
Radar detected hail aloft in this area between about 5:50 p.m. and 9:25 p.m. CT on May 15, 2026. We used 776 NOAA radar hail detections in this area to estimate the window. We trim outlying detection times when enough are available, then round down to five-minute marks. It doesn't give an arrival time at an address.
Data source and limits
We use NOAA's MRMS radar product MESH (Maximum Estimated Size of Hail) for hail-size estimates. Each town's figure is the maximum inside its Census town limits. The percentage is the town area with estimates of at least 0.5 inch. A town's maximum isn't an estimate for every home. Each storm date covers one calendar day in Eastern time. A late-evening storm west of the Eastern time zone can appear under two dates. Radar estimates don't confirm hail on the ground or roof damage. Hail of 0.5 to 0.75 inch can damage roofs, especially older roofs. An estimate below 1 inch doesn't rule out damage. Read how we calculate sizes and times.