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 |
| $1281.4 million | NOAA lists 'Rockies and Plains Hail Storms (August 2018)' (2018-08-06 to 2018-08-07) among billion-dollar disasters affecting Colorado, at $1281.4 million CPI-adjusted ($1025 million unadjusted). Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), 2018 |
| 521 | NOAA's Storm Events Database logged 521 hail reports in Colorado in 2016, including 57 of 2 inches or larger. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI), 2016 |
| 50% | The U.S. saw 50% more hail claims in 2023 than in any of the previous four years, per Verisk. Source: Verisk (ISO ClaimSearch), 2023 |
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.
The July 28, 2016 hailstorm hit eastern Colorado Springs with hail up to 2.5 inches across over about five and a half hours, from just after 6 p.m. until nearly midnight, according to NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center, which logged 41 preliminary hail reports in El Paso County that night. Reports ran from south Colorado Springs and Security to Peterson Air Force Base, Black Forest, Falcon and Peyton, and the rush that followed drove up roofing prices and stretched schedules for months. Its main lesson for homeowners is simple: get inspected early, get a written scope, and hire someone who will still be here after the storm.
What the storm reports show
All times are Mountain Daylight Time, converted from the Storm Prediction Center’s preliminary reports for July 28, 2016.
| Time (approx.) | Where | Largest hail reported |
|---|---|---|
| 6:05 to 7:15 p.m. | South and north Colorado Springs, Security | 1 to 2 inches |
| 9:20 to 10:40 p.m. | Around Peterson Air Force Base, Black Forest, southwest of Falcon | 1 to 2.5 inches |
| 10:50 to 11:40 p.m. | Falcon, northeast of Black Forest, Peyton | 1 to 1.75 inches |
The Colorado Springs airport weather station (KCOS) reported 2.25-inch hail south of Peterson Air Force Base. The National Weather Service calls hail of one inch or more severe, and the Storm Prediction Center classes two inches or more as significant. The same storm system also dropped 1 to 1.5 inch hail in Lakewood, Golden and Littleton that night.
What we saw in the months after
These are our own observations from that season, not a market survey:
- Prices climbed. The average roof cost about $700 more in September than it had in July.
- Crews were scarce. Installers asked for 10 to 20 percent more than before the storm, and some contractors went roof to roof offering crews higher pay.
- Materials ran short. Shingle distributors brought in staff from other stores and added trucks, and getting shingles onto a roof took from several weeks to over a month.
- Insurers brought in outside adjusters, and scopes often missed components a full replacement needs, such as starter course, ridge, valley underlayment and true waste, which then had to be documented and supplemented.
- Out-of-town companies sold roofs as if they were local, then left before warranty questions came up.
Lessons for the next big storm
- Get inspected in the first weeks. Fresh hail bruises are easiest to document, and contractor calendars fill fast. Our after-the-storm checklist shows what to check from the ground first.
- Get a written, line-by-line scope. Colorado law requires a written contract with the scope and approximate costs before work begins, a 72-hour right to cancel, and no deductible waivers. A detailed scope is also how you make sure nothing gets missed in the claim.
- Expect permit waits. The Pikes Peak Regional Building Department says reroof inspections are not same-day or next-day after storms because of volume. Only the contractor who pulled the permit can request the inspection.
- Watch your depreciation deadline. Long waits can push you toward the deadline to finish repairs and recover depreciation; see how long you have to complete repairs.
- Budget for the surge. A percentage deductible plus post-storm prices can surprise you. We break that down in what a major hailstorm costs Colorado Springs homeowners.
- Choose a local roofer. A physical office and a PPRBD license matter after the crews from out of state move on.
An earlier storm followed the same pattern: see the June 6, 2012 hailstorm that hit Colorado Springs and south Denver. If you are trying to tell old hail marks from wear, our page on how a roofer inspects for hail damage explains what we look for.
A note on this page
The 2016 version of this article included a frustrated customer’s review and our reply written in the middle of that storm. We have replaced it with the facts above. At the peak of that season we paused new inspections to finish signed work; today we offer free inspections and reach out the same business day.
Talk to a Colorado Springs roofer who was here
Integrity Roofing and Painting is veteran-owned and has been family-run since 1990, with our office at 115 N Union Blvd and 650+ Google reviews. As an Owens Corning Platinum Preferred contractor, we install to the manufacturer’s specifications so the warranty holds. Call (719) 488-2800, book a free Colorado Springs roof inspection, or read about hail damage roof repair.
Sources: NOAA Storm Prediction Center, storm reports for July 28, 2016 (preliminary; times converted from UTC) and about SPC products; Pikes Peak Regional Building Department, Hail and Disaster Information; C.R.S. 6-22-103 and 6-22-105 (unofficial reproduction).
