Bondurant, IA Hail Storm – September 2026

A severe hail storm tracked through Bondurant, Iowa on September 8, 2026, producing 3.75-inch stones and a sequence of radar-detected and spotter-verified impacts in the early evening.

What Happened

The event began with a dual-polarization radar detection at 5:50 PM CDT indicating 1.22-inch hail along the storm's initial approach. Three minutes later, at 5:53 PM CDT, broadcast media relayed a field report of 2.25-inch hail in the Bondurant area. Dual-polarization radar flagged a stronger core at 6:21 PM CDT with a 1.9-inch detection, and multiple ground observers submitted photos and mPING reports between 6:08 PM and 6:31 PM CDT documenting ping-pong ball (1.50-inch) and golf ball (1.75-inch) stones.

An on-scene trained spotter at 6:08 PM CDT reported the largest hail observed at that location as about 1.50 inches and noted minor siding damage on a residence. Public photos submitted around 6:10 PM CDT and 6:20 PM CDT showed half-dollar (1.25-inch) and golf ball-sized (1.75-inch) hail. After the concentrated early-evening activity, the NWS issued additional warning-area alerts later in the night at 6:55 PM CDT (1.00-inch), 8:18 PM CDT (0.88-inch), 8:50 PM CDT (0.75-inch), and 9:07 PM CDT (0.88-inch) identified as NWS warning-only detections.

Radar and the timing of spotter reports indicate the primary damaging core moved northeast across Bondurant between about 5:50 PM CDT and 6:35 PM CDT, with smaller cores and warning-area activity continuing into the late evening.

Damage Assessment

Field reports and public photos show surface impacts concentrated in and immediately around Bondurant during the early-evening core. A trained spotter logged minor siding damage at 6:08 PM CDT at a location inside the warning area. Broadcast media and spotter submissions documented stones up to 2.25 inches in diameter on the ground, and multiple social media photos showed half-dollar and golf ball-sized hail taken between 6:08 PM CDT and 6:20 PM CDT.

Damage reported in the ground-truth submissions was localized rather than uniform across the entire warning area. The siding damage was observed adjacent to several eyewitness hail measurements in the 1.25- to 1.75-inch range. Vehicle and exterior finish impacts are present in the social media photos submitted from Bondurant addresses photographed near 6:20 PM CDT. Later warning-area radar detections into the evening correspond with scattered, smaller-stone reports rather than new, widespread severe impacts.

Inspectors should treat the 6:08 PM CDT trained-spotter location and the cluster of photographs submitted between 6:09 PM CDT and 6:31 PM CDT as priority contact points for on-the-ground verification and measurements. Documented photo timestamps and the mPING submissions provide specific times and visual evidence tied to individual properties.

What Contractors Should Know