Key numbers
Colorado had 380,066 hail loss claims from 2017 to 2019, second only to Texas (637,977), per the National Insurance Crime Bureau (National Insurance Crime Bureau, 2017-2019).
| $129 million | State Farm paid $129 million in Colorado hail claims in 2022, eighth among states. Source: State Farm (newsroom), 2022 |
|---|---|
| 310 | Colorado logged 310 preliminary reports of hail larger than 1 inch in June 2023, which if confirmed would be the most in any single month on record. Source: Colorado State University (Colorado Climate Center), 2023 |
| 4.83 | Colorado's state-record hailstone fell near Bethune on August 13, 2019, measuring 4.83 inches across and weighing 8.5 ounces. Source: NOAA NCEI State Climate Extremes Committee / Colorado Climate Center, 2019 |
The hailstorm of June 6, 2012 was a long evening of severe storms that moved from Colorado Springs north into the south Denver suburbs. NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center logged 29 preliminary hail reports in El Paso County between about 6:50 and 8:45 p.m., with stones up to 1.75 inches, and 19 more across Douglas, Arapahoe, Jefferson and Denver counties into the early hours of June 7, topping out at 2 inches in Centennial. Gusts reached 60 mph in Colorado Springs and 66 mph at Denver International Airport, and spotters reported tornadoes on the plains. Roofs, gutters and cars took the worst of it.
Colorado Springs: hail and 60 mph wind
| Time (MDT, approx.) | Where | Hail size reported |
|---|---|---|
| 6:50 to 7:05 p.m. | North, northeast and southeast Colorado Springs, south of Black Forest | 1 to 1.5 inches |
| 7:10 to 7:30 p.m. | North, northeast and west Colorado Springs, near Peterson Air Force Base | 1 to 1.75 inches |
| 7:30 to 8:15 p.m. | Across the city, mostly the south and southeast side | 1 to 1.75 inches |
| 8:45 p.m. | North of Security | 1 inch |
One report 6 miles northeast of Colorado Springs says the hail ripped gutters off a house. Wind gusts of 60 mph were reported north of Colorado Springs and near Peterson Air Force Base. The National Weather Service treats hail of one inch or more as severe, so every one of these reports met that bar.
South Denver: Parker to Centennial
The storms continued north through the evening:
- Parker and The Pinery: 1 to 1.75 inch hail, with nickel to quarter size hail several inches deep near The Pinery.
- Highlands Ranch and Lone Tree: 1 to 1.75 inch hail, covering the ground two inches deep in Lone Tree.
- Centennial: 2-inch hail around 11 p.m., covering the ground three inches deep.
- Lakewood and south Denver: ping-pong size hail at Kipling and Hampden around midnight, and 1.25-inch hail near Quebec and C-470 after 1 a.m.
Street flooding was reported northwest of Highlands Ranch. Gusts reached 66 mph at Denver International Airport.
What a storm like this does to a roof
- Hail of 1 to 2 inches bruises and cracks asphalt shingles, dents gutters, vents and flashing, and shreds window screens. Older roofs fail at the smaller end of that range.
- 60 mph gusts lift shingles at the edges and ridge and drive hail into the sides of the house.
- Hail piled inches deep melts against the eaves and can back water up under the first course of shingles.
Our guides cover the steps that follow a night like this: what to check after a Colorado Springs hail storm, how to tell hail damage from normal wear, and for Denver-area homes, the Denver hail repair timeline.
A correction to the 2012 post
Our original 2012 article gave a $321.1 million damage estimate, hail “nearly 8 inches deep” and five tornado touchdowns. We could not confirm those figures in NOAA’s records, so we have replaced them with the Storm Prediction Center’s reports above. Those reports are preliminary; NOAA’s Storm Data publication is the final record.
What has changed since 2012
Since then, more Colorado homeowners carry percentage wind and hail deductibles, and more roofs are replaced with impact-rated shingles. The storm that hit eastern Colorado Springs four years later, the July 28, 2016 hailstorm, followed the same pattern and was followed by months of price increases; we explain those costs in what a major hailstorm costs Colorado Springs homeowners.
Have your roof checked
Integrity Roofing and Painting is veteran-owned and family-run since 1990, an Owens Corning Platinum Preferred contractor with 650+ Google reviews and offices in Colorado Springs and the Denver area. In Colorado Springs, call (719) 488-2800 or book a free Colorado Springs inspection. In the Denver area, call (303) 209-0152 or book a free Denver inspection.
Sources: NOAA Storm Prediction Center, storm reports for June 6, 2012 (preliminary; times converted from UTC to MDT) and about SPC products; National Weather Service, glossary: severe thunderstorm.
