Hail on the West Side of the Twin Cities

The west-metro record

The counts are from NOAA's Storm Events Database. Hennepin County's 20 reports of 2-inch or larger hail are the most of any Minnesota county covered on this site, and the database also lists 139 thunderstorm wind events there over the same decade.

August 5, 2019: one afternoon, four counties

• Delano, Wright County: 4-inch hail, a stone the report says was measured with a ruler.
• Brooklyn Park, Hennepin County: 3-inch hail that caused major damage to cars, a camper and siding near 92nd and Hampshire avenues.
• Independence, Hennepin County: 3-inch hail.
• Ramsey, Anoka County: 3-inch hail.
• Watertown, Carver County: 2.5-inch hail.

Other storms worth knowing

• August 11, 2023, Minneapolis. The database logs 3-inch hail with a $5 million estimate; in the Bryn Mawr neighborhood the stones were mostly golf ball size, with a few of 2.5 to 3 inches.
• July 13, 2024, Monticello. Hail of 3.5 inches was reported with a photo and size measurement.
• June 16, 2025, Waconia. An NWS employee reported 3.25-inch hail. Twelve days later, EF1 tornadoes tracked near Mayer and near Victoria.
• August 9, 2020, Victoria. Very large hail fell for nearly 40 minutes from Victoria east to the Carver-Hennepin county line, topping out at 2.75 inches.
• July 18, 2019, Scott County. Hail up to baseball size fell from southern Prior Lake through Credit River Township to Savage.
• May 22, 2011, St. Louis Park to North Minneapolis. An EF1 tornado crossed Golden Valley and North Minneapolis on its way to Anoka County; the record lists one death, 48 injuries and $166 million in damage. FEMA declared DR-1990 for Anoka and Hennepin counties.

Before you hire a west-metro roofer

Minnesota's roofer license rules are the same in every west-metro city. Look the company up through DLI's license and registration lookup, and check that the name matches the contract. DLI lists roofing subcontractors separately: they must register through its Contractor Registration Program rather than hold a license.

If you live in Minneapolis, the city keeps its roofing requirements for one- and two-family dwellings on its roofing page. For an insurance-paid job, Minnesota's 72-hour cancellation right and deductible rules are explained on the homepage, and NRD's Minnesota roofing licensing page collects the state rules in one place.

West-metro roofers on the National Roofing Directory

The directory has city pages for Minneapolis, Bloomington, Plymouth and Maple Grove.

Frequently asked questions

What is the biggest hail recorded in the west metro recently?

The 4-inch stone measured at Delano in Wright County on August 5, 2019 is the largest in this page's counties for 2016 through 2025. In Hennepin County, the largest stones in the database from 2000 through 2025 are 3 inches, most recently in Minneapolis on August 11, 2023.

Does a Minneapolis roofer need a city license or a state license?

A residential roofing company needs a state license from DLI. The City of Minneapolis handles permits and posts its roofing requirements for one- and two-family dwellings on its own website.

How often does large hail hit Hennepin County?

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 102 hail events of 1 inch or larger in Hennepin County from 2016 through 2025, spread over 27 separate days, or close to three such days a year on average.