Rochester, MN Hail Storm – August 2026

A severe hail storm tracked through Rochester, MN on August 18, 2026, producing 2.09-inch hail and prompting 24 separate NWS alerts across the metro. The event evolved from mid-afternoon into early evening with both NWS warning-only notices and radar-detected hail signatures.

What Happened

The sequence began in mid-afternoon. The first NWS warning-only alert issued at 1:55 PM CDT called for 1.5-inch hail near the western metro fringe. Multiple warning-only updates followed through the afternoon, with reported hail sizes of 0.75 to 1.5 inches at various times between 1:55 PM and 6:54 PM CDT. Dual-polarization radar identified concentrated hail echoes later in the afternoon, with radar hail detections reported at 2:47 PM CDT, 3:55 PM CDT, and 4:11 PM CDT. Those radar returns corresponded with the most intense pulses observed on NEXRAD.

Local storm spotters provided surface confirmation in one neighborhood. Two spotter-verified Local Storm Reports at 4:50 PM CDT recorded quarter-size hail in Fond du Lac. Those reports are the primary ground-truth for surface impacts from this event. The NWS issued 24 alerts across the metro during the storm’s lifecycle, alternating between warning-only messages and radar-detected hail advisories as the storm cluster moved through the area.

Damage Assessment

Field reports show limited surface impact concentrated in Fond du Lac at 4:50 PM CDT, where two spotters recorded quarter-size hail. No additional spotter-verified damage or hail observations were filed to the NWS for other Rochester neighborhoods during the event window.

Radar-derived hail signatures extended beyond the single spotter location. The radar swath indicated elevated hail echoes along the storm’s path through the metro, though ground confirmation was sparse. NWS warning-only alerts listed widespread small-to-moderate hail sizes across several updates, but those alerts did not include additional spotter-verified damage reports.

On-site inspections should expect isolated cosmetic damage where collectors and vehicles were exposed in the Fond du Lac area. Roofing granule loss, chipped sidings, and dings on aluminum trims are the most likely observations in the locations that overlapped with spotter reports. There were no additional verified large-damage field reports logged to the NWS for the Rochester metro during this event window.

What Contractors Should Know

Begin inspections in Fond du Lac. Prioritize vehicle fleets, exposed skylights, and asphalt shingles on south- and west-facing slopes where quarter-size impacts were observed at 4:50 PM CDT. Document granular loss on shingles with close-up photographs and an itemized log of affected roof planes. For metal flashings and gutters, check for denting and deformation along seams and downspouts.

Expand the canvass along the radar-detected hail swath into adjacent neighborhoods of the Rochester metro. Use a tiered approach: quick exterior walk-arounds to flag candidates, then focused ladder and rooftop inspections for those properties. Record GPS coordinates or addresses and include the timestamp of inspection. When reaching out to owners, reference the local spotter time of 4:50 PM CDT for Fond du Lac to align observations with the event timeline.