Rochester area hail storm: Thursday, May 15, 2025
Detected from NOAA MRMS radar · page updated August 17, 2026
NOAA radar estimated hail up to 1.7": ping-pong-ball class, a common threshold for roof damage claims: across 16 Minnesota communities on Thursday, May 15, 2025, in 111 radar grid cells. The shaded areas below show where the signature reached 1 inch or larger.
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NOAA radar estimated hail up to 1.7 inches near Rochester, Minnesota on Thursday, May 15, 2025, across 16 communities including Onamia, McGrath, Rochester, Elk River, Millville, Bock, Baldwin, Brook Park, and 8 other Minnesota communities. Radar estimates hail aloft and does not confirm damage at any address.
Readers can check an address at https://www.mnhailbuddy.com/lookup. Storm page: https://www.mnhailbuddy.com/storms/2025-05-15-rochester
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References the May 15, 2025 storm · up to 1.7" radar-estimated hail
Source: NOAA MRMS MESH (maximum estimated size of hail), 24-hour maximum. Amber ≥ 1", orange ≥ 1.5", red ≥ 2". Radar estimates hail aloft: it does not confirm what reached the ground at any specific address.
Communities in or near the swath
Click a community for its full hail history.
1. Document now
Photograph gutters, downspouts, screens, AC fins, and anything else dented: from the ground, with today's date. Ground-level collateral damage is your best early evidence.
The first 72 hours →Tonight's checklist and supplies →2. Know your deadline
Your policy's "Suit Against Us" clause controls how long you have. Many Minnesota policies shorten hail suits to one year from the date of loss.
Start the clock →3. Vet the door-knockers
Crews will canvass this swath within days. Check the license, never sign day-one, and know that waiving your deductible is illegal in Minnesota.
Storm chaser red flags →Common questions about this storm
How big was the hail near Rochester on Thursday, May 15, 2025?
NOAA MRMS radar estimated hail up to 1.7 inches over the Rochester area: ping-pong-ball class, a common threshold for roof damage claims. Radar estimates hail aloft; it does not confirm what reached the ground at any specific address.
Which Minnesota cities were in the Thursday, May 15, 2025 hail swath?
The radar swath covered 16 communities, including Onamia, McGrath, Rochester, Elk River, Millville, Bock, Baldwin, Brook Park. Homeowners in or near the swath can run a free address lookup at mnhailbuddy.com/lookup.