…Earliest severe size hail in North Dakota reported yesterday

February 21, 2017…

 

Around 635 PM CST yesterday February 21, 2017 one inch diameter

hail fell 6 miles north of Hettinger, Adams County. This

is the earliest report of severe size hail ever in North Dakota

in the calendar year, based on National Weather Service records.

This is the only report of severe hail in the month of February

in North Dakota.

 

The previous earliest severe hail report was on March 26, 2003

with 0.88 inch hail reported at McHenry in Foster County. This

day also had the earliest tornado report in North Dakota. A

tornado occurred near Edmunds in Stutsman County. The tornado was

produced by the same thunderstorm as the hail. This earliest hail

record was tied on March 26, 2004 when 0.88 inch hail fell in

Bowman, Bowman County.

 

Again the hail that fell yesterday was the only severe hail ever

reported in February in North Dakota.

 

Here are all of the March severe hail reports for North Dakota.

 

03 26 2003    0.88 inch    McHenry, Foster County

03 26 2004    0.88 inch    Bowman, Bowman County

03 27 2004    0.88 inch    Taylor, Stark County

03 27 2004    0.88 inch    North of Hettinger, Adams County

03 27 2004    0.88 inch    Lehr, Logan County

03 27 2004    0.75 inch    Pekin, Nelson County

03 28 2007    1.00 inch    Max, McLean County

03 29 2012    1.00 inch    Ashley, McIntosh County

03 31 1999    1.00 inch    Englevale, Ransom County

 

Note that the definition of severe hail changed from 0.75 inch

diameter to 1.00 inch diameter in 2010.