Elbow Lake, MN Hail Storm – June 2026

A severe hail storm tracked through Elbow Lake, Minnesota on June 23, 2026, producing up to 2.5-inch stones and generating a series of radar-detected and NWS warning alerts across the late afternoon and evening.

What Happened

The event began in the late afternoon and persisted into the evening, with 11 NWS alerts issued between 2:59 PM CDT and 9:38 PM CDT. Early radar-detected hail returns appeared at 2:59 PM CDT indicating roughly 1-inch stones. Subsequent NEXRAD dual-polarization detections occurred at 4:04 PM CDT and again in the late evening at 7:57 PM CDT, while several NWS warning-only alerts tracked the storm through the county line corridor. Spotter-verified field reports tracked the surface impact as the storm moved east-southeast across local roads and farmsteads. At 6:00 PM CDT, spotters along the county line reported hail ranging from half-dollar to golf-ball size, which they estimated at about 1.75 inches. At 6:10 PM CDT a social-media photo relayed through spotters showed stones near 2 inches. A Pope County dispatch relayed a public report at 4:25 PM CDT noting smaller, dime-to-quarter sized hail in the northwest fringe. A later social-media photo with a radar-estimated time at 8:21 PM CDT documented additional 1-inch reports.

Damage Assessment

Field reports indicate the surface impact concentrated along the county boundary near Elbow Lake and in parts of Pope County. Spotter-verified images at 6:10 PM CDT showed broken siding panels and dented vehicle roofs on rural routes adjacent to the county line. Multiple spotters at 6:00 PM CDT described dense hail accumulation in ditches and on unpaved yards, with visible plant defoliation on exposed crops in the immediate county-line area. The 4:25 PM CDT public dispatch report described small window and screen pitting in residential areas northwest of Elbow Lake. Radar-detected returns at 5:57 PM CDT and 7:57 PM CDT correspond with the timing and location of the larger spotter reports, suggesting concentrated impact pockets rather than uniform coverage across the entire warning area. Observed damage in these pockets included dents to vehicle bodywork and shorn leaves on low-growing crops within farmyards directly under the stronger cores.

What Contractors Should Know

Prioritize inspections along the county line corridor and on properties cited in the 6:00 PM CDT and 6:10 PM CDT reports. Start with roofing membranes, metal flashings, and exposed HVAC units on the south and east-facing slopes of structures that received direct exposure to the stronger storm cores. Where spotters documented vehicle damage, photograph dents and impact patterns before any repair work. Take measurements of representative hail stones from any retained samples and log the collection location with GPS coordinates if possible.

For exterior materials, check vinyl siding joints, gutter seams, and solar panels for micro-fractures and edge chips. In the mapped pockets of denser accumulation, inspect attic ventilation screens and skylight domes for perforations or cracking caused by repeated impacts. Document crop and landscape damage by field block or parcel; the reports indicate localized high-impact strips rather than even field-wide loss, so sample multiple points along the reported county-line swath.