Key numbers
103 verified hail storms with stones of 1.5 inches or larger reached El Paso County, which includes Colorado Springs, from 2000 to 2025 in the storm records we keep; the largest measured 4.5 inches (softball size) on July 13, 2011 (NOAA NCEI).
| Hail storms by decade, 2000 to 2025 | 2000s: 35, 2010s: 44, 2020s: 24 Source: Storm library: El Paso County hail history |
|---|---|
| Largest hail | 4.5 in. (softball), July 13, 2011 Source: NOAA NCEI |
| Costliest hail storm | $352.8 million insured losses (2016 dollars), July 28, 2016 Source: RMIIA |
| $352.8 million | The July 28, 2016 Colorado Springs hailstorm caused $352.8 million in insured losses. Source: Denver7 (KMGH), citing Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association, 2016 |
| About 84,500 | The July 28, 2016 Colorado Springs hailstorm generated about 84,500 auto and homeowners insurance claims, including 33,200 property claims totaling more than $188.2 million, per RMIIA. Source: Canadian Underwriter (reporting RMIIA), 2016 |
| $366.8 million | RMIIA put the July 2016 Colorado Springs hailstorm at an estimated $366.8 million in insured losses as of June 2018. Source: Insurance Journal (reporting RMIIA), 2016 |
A storm counts when the library lists El Paso County among the areas it hit. Each hail size is the storm's largest report, which may have fallen in a neighboring county, and insured losses cover every area the storm hit.
After a Colorado Springs hail storm, you can usually tell whether your roof needs an inspection without going up a ladder. Look for granules collecting at the downspouts, fresh dents in gutters and metal vents, torn window screens, and dings on the air conditioner, then check the official hail reports for your area. If the storm dropped hail an inch or larger near you, or you find any of those signs, have the roof inspected before you file a claim or sign with a contractor.
Step 1: Find out what fell on your street
Hail is patchy. One side of a neighborhood can get pea-size stones while the other gets golf balls. Our Colorado hail season guide explains why: at any one spot, hail usually falls for only a few minutes.
- Check the storm reports. NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center publishes a daily list of preliminary hail reports with size, time and location. On July 28, 2016, for example, it logged 41 hail reports in El Paso County, from 1 inch in south Colorado Springs to 2.5 inches near Peterson Air Force Base and Falcon. You can read about that storm in our July 28, 2016 Colorado Springs hailstorm page.
- Know the thresholds. The National Weather Service calls hail one inch across or larger severe, and the Storm Prediction Center calls two inches or larger significant.
- Save your own evidence. Photograph hailstones next to a coin or ruler, and note the date and time. You will need a date of loss for any claim.
Step 2: Walk the outside of the house
Start at ground level and work around the whole house.
- Downspouts and splash blocks. A pile of dark granules that looks like coarse sand means hail knocked the surface off the shingles.
- Gutters, downspouts and fascia. Fresh dents, dings or split seams are a strong sign the roof took the same hits.
- Window screens and wrap. Hail tears and punctures screen mesh and dents aluminum window wrap.
- The air conditioner. Look for dented fins on the outdoor condenser.
- Fences, decks, cars and siding. Spatter marks on a weathered fence and dents on cars show the size and direction of the hail.
- The roof from a distance. Stand back in the yard or across the street with binoculars. Dented metal ridge vents and roof caps are visible from the ground.
Step 3: Check inside
Look at ceilings and the tops of walls, especially below valleys and around chimneys, for new stains after the next rain. In the attic, look for damp insulation or drips. Hail damage often leaks weeks later rather than the same night, which is why we explain how to tell hail damage from normal wear and when leaks show up.
Step 4: Get a trained inspection before you file
A homeowner’s walk-around tells you whether to call someone; it does not tell you whether shingles are functionally damaged. That takes someone on the roof who knows what a hail bruise feels like and where to look. Our page on how a roofer inspects a roof for hail damage walks through exactly what we check. An inspection first also protects you: if the roof is fine, you avoid opening a claim for nothing.
What Colorado Springs rules mean for your repair
Repairs in Colorado Springs and most of El Paso County go through the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department (PPRBD).
- Licensed contractor and permit. PPRBD tells homeowners to make sure the contractor is licensed with PPRBD and that a permit is pulled for roof, siding and stucco replacement.
- Only the permit holder schedules the inspection. The contractor that obtained your permit must request it. A homeowner can buy a homeowner permit only if the homeowner is doing the work.
- Expect waits after big storms. PPRBD says reroof inspections are not done same-day or next-day because of volume.
- Permits last 180 days, with one free 180-day extension.
Money is the other question after a storm. Many Colorado policies now carry a percentage hail deductible, and we explain what a major storm costs homeowners in the financial impact of a Colorado Springs hailstorm. Hail reaches south of town as well; see hail damage in Pueblo.
Book a hail inspection
Integrity Roofing and Painting is veteran-owned, family-run since 1990, and an Owens Corning Platinum Preferred contractor with 650+ Google reviews. Our office is at 115 N Union Blvd in Colorado Springs. We inspect the roof, gutters, vents and attic, photograph every hit, and tell you plainly whether you have damage worth a claim. Call (719) 488-2800, book a free Colorado Springs roof inspection, or read more about our hail damage roof repair.
Sources: NOAA Storm Prediction Center, storm reports for July 28, 2016 (preliminary); National Weather Service, glossary: severe thunderstorm; Storm Prediction Center, about SPC products (significant severe hail); Pikes Peak Regional Building Department, Hail and Disaster Information.
