Herman, MN Hail Storm – September 2026

A strong hail-producing storm moved through Herman, Minnesota on September 11, 2026, producing 3.15-inch stones and a concentrated radar-detected hail swath in the early evening.

What Happened

The storm evolved rapidly after 6:20 PM CDT and remained active across the Herman metro corridor into the late evening. The National Weather Service issued a sequence of 20 alerts between 6:24 PM and 9:24 PM CDT, beginning with 1.00-inch hail warnings shortly after 6:20 PM and escalating to larger radar-derived hail detections later in the event. Dual-polarization radar flagged several intensified cores between about 7:05 PM and 7:50 PM CDT, with repeated radar-detected signatures near Artichoke and the surrounding rural sections northeast of Herman.

Field observers tracked the event on the ground. A trained spotter reported golf ball-sized hail 8 miles northeast of Artichoke at 7:54 PM CDT. Multiple mPING submissions at 7:53–7:54 PM CDT corroborated 1.75-inch reports in the same sector. Earlier, spotter and mPING reports described half dollar-size stones around 7:05–7:10 PM CDT and quarter-size hail as early as 6:29 PM CDT while the system was intensifying. Several radar detections between 7:30 PM and 7:50 PM CDT matched those spotter observations and indicated maintained updraft cores as the storm tracked through the area.

Damage Assessment

On-site reports and radar signatures show the strongest surface impact northeast of Artichoke around 7:50–7:55 PM CDT. Trained spotter observations and multiple citizen reports from that sector describe consistent golf ball-size hail, which aligns with the radar-detected intense cores crossing that corridor. Earlier reports from 7:05–7:15 PM CDT recorded bursts of half dollar-size hail that were short-lived but concentrated along a narrow path indicated by dual-polarization returns.

Damage calls in the immediate aftermath focused on exposed assets along local county roads northeast of Artichoke and portions of the Herman metro outskirts. Field reports indicate vehicle panel dents and broken skylights in that northeast sector; several accounts noted paint chipping and surface abrasions on metal roofing. The 6:29 PM CDT observation that hail was increasing in size corresponds with radar growth of the convective core before the larger impacts recorded near 7:50 PM CDT. Reports of brief pea-to-half-inch hail around 7:15 PM CDT suggest a broader area of minor surface scouring outside the tighter hail swath.

What Contractors Should Know

Inspect roofs and horizontal siding first in properties located northeast of Artichoke and along the storm track through the Herman metro. Focus initial walks on south- and west-facing exposures and on any seams, valleys, and ridge caps where impact patterns concentrate. Prioritize photographic documentation of hail dents on metal panels and granule loss on asphalt shingles. Record the spotter times when present; the strongest reports in this event were clustered around 7:50 PM–7:55 PM CDT.