Storm reports for July 20, 1998

IndependentNot affiliated with NOAA or the National Weather Service. Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports. Data through November 6, 2026. Methodology

← Jul 19, 1998 All 1998 storm days · July 1998 Jul 21, 1998 →

Other storms on July 20 →

On July 20, 1998, 54 hail, 164 damaging-wind and 10 tornado reports were logged across 24 states. The largest hail reported was 3.00″ (teacup size) in Howard County, IA.

Storm day runs 7 a.m. to 7 a.m. Eastern (12:00–12:00 UTC), the convention the Storm Prediction Center uses. Radar hail estimates start October 2019.

Storm reports by state

Cities with hail reported within 5 miles

Hail reports (54)

Damage, injuries and deaths

National Weather Service offices recorded about $14 million in property damage, $12.8 million in crop damage and 7 injuries from hail, thunderstorm wind and tornadoes across the US on this storm day (251 events in 24 states). Injuries and deaths are those the events caused directly.

What the National Weather Service wrote

• Brown County, MN (near New Ulm) · Thunderstorm wind 96 mph · $7 million
  “4,000 trees blown down. 10 businesses lost portions of their roof. Mobile home destroyed. Maintenance hangar at airport destroyed, damaging several airplanes. 400 ft TV tower blown down. Poultry bldg levelled at fairgrounds. Reception hall lost its roof. Large trees blown down at local cemeteries.”
• Nicollet County, MN (near Nicollet) · Thunderstorm wind 92 mph · $4 million
  “Roof torn off high school gymnasium resulting in water damage to floor. Garage walls blown down at pair of houses in northwestern part of town. High winds affected 100,000 to 115,000 acres across Nicollet county. 50,000 acres of crops severely damaged. Damage estimate for entire county.”
• Crawford County, PA (near Linesville) · Tornado F1 · $75,000
  “A tornado touched down two miles west of Linesville and moved sporadically along its path. A livestock shed was destroyed. A house and barn suffered minor damage and numerous trees were downed.”
• Lamar County, GA (near Aldora) · Thunderstorm wind · $50,000
  “A slow moving thunderstorm continued to produce damaging winds over Lamar county. High winds caused a tractor-trailer to jacknife and overturn at Aldora near the intersection of highways 341 and 18. Road signs were twisted and nearly toppled.”
• Ottawa County, OH (near Oak Harbor) · Thunderstorm wind · $50,000
  “A barn and trees were downed in Salem Township, south of Oak Harbor.”
• Sandusky County, OH (near Countywide) · Thunderstorm wind · $50,000
  “Trees, power poles and power lines were downed, especially in the Fremont area.”

Event narratives from NWS Storm Data, shortened. Up to six per day, chosen by deaths, injuries, damage and size.

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), Storm Events Database, as entered by National Weather Service offices; data through July 31, 2026. Damage is in dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation.

Guides: What radar-estimated hail (MESH) is and isn't · Storm reports: preliminary vs final