The August 6, 2018 Colorado Springs hailstorm dropped baseball and softball hail across the south side of the city on a Monday afternoon. NOAA logged 31 hail reports in El Paso and Teller counties, most between 2 and 3 p.m., topped by a 4-inch (softball) stone east of Widefield. Eight people were taken to the hospital from the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, four zoo animals died, and NCEI records the damage at $172.8 million to vehicles, trees, roofs, siding, windows and skylights.
What happened on August 6, 2018
The National Weather Service in Pueblo described it as “another severe hail event,” coming less than two months after the overnight storm of June 13. The first report, quarter-size hail, came from near Divide in Teller County at about 1:30 p.m. By 2 p.m. the storm was over the south side of Colorado Springs and Fort Carson with 2.75-inch hail, and over the next hour it worked east across Security, Widefield, Fountain and Falcon. The 4-inch stone east of Widefield came at about 2:57 p.m. A later report of 2.75-inch hail near the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, where eight people were injured, has an estimated time and size.
NOAA lists the hardest-hit places as portions of Colorado Springs, the Broadmoor area, the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Fountain and Widefield. Reports in the Storm Prediction Center log run from Manitou Springs to the area northeast of Pinon in northern Pueblo County.
Where the hail fell
| Area | Largest hail on record | Size name |
|---|---|---|
| East of Widefield | 4.00 in. | Softball |
| Southeast of Fountain | 3.00 in. | Tea cup |
| South Colorado Springs and the zoo area | 2.75 in. | Baseball |
| Near Fort Carson | 2.75 in. | Baseball |
| North of Fountain | 2.50 in. | Tennis ball |
| Southwest Colorado Springs | 2.50 in. | Tennis ball |
| Security and Falcon | 1.50 in. | Ping pong ball |
| Manitou Springs, Black Forest and Divide | 1.00 in. | Quarter |
Tile, slate and premium shingle roofs take large hail differently from standard shingles, so the material on your roof changes what an inspection looks for.
What baseball and softball hail does to a roof
Stones of 2.75 to 4 inches carry many times the energy of golf ball hail. On asphalt shingles they punch holes, tear tabs and can crack the roof deck. Concrete and clay tile cracks and breaks into pieces, and broken tile pieces can slide down the roof and block valleys and gutters. Slate chips and cracks, and metal panels dent deeply even when they do not leak. Skylights, solar panels and the plastic covers on roof vents shatter.
At this size, the question after an inspection is less often repair or replace and more often how much of the roof system, including the deck and flashing, has to come off.
How to check a roof for this storm
- Note when the roof was last replaced. A roof installed after August 2018 never saw this storm.
- On tile and slate roofs, look from the ground for missing or slipped pieces and for broken fragments in the gutters.
- Check the attic on a bright day for pinholes of light or stained decking under the slopes that faced the storm.
- Have the roof inspected and photographed. If it also went through the June 13, 2018 storm, ask the inspector to note which hits look older.
Claim timing for a Colorado storm
Colorado sets no single deadline to report roof damage; your policy does, often as prompt notice. A Colorado homeowner's policy cannot give you less time to sue than the statute of limitations (C.R.S. 10-4-110.8(12)), and the Division of Insurance advises calling your insurer or agent soon after a hailstorm. Replacement cost policies usually hold back depreciation until the work is done: see finishing repairs to recover depreciation and how long you have to file a hail claim.
This storm is now 8 years old, and hail marks weather. An inspection shows whether marks look fresh or aged, which an adjuster weighs when tying damage to a date. General information, not legal advice; the claim is always yours, and our part is the inspection, dated photos and written scope.
Colorado Springs, CO inspection and hail help
If you live in Colorado Springs and El Paso County, start with our Colorado Springs hail damage repair page, book a free Colorado Springs roof inspection, or read Colorado hail season guide. Integrity Roofing and Painting is veteran-owned and family-run since 1990, an Owens Corning Platinum Preferred contractor with 650+ Google reviews, and we respond the same business day. Call (719) 488-2800.
Other recorded storms in Colorado Springs and El Paso County
- August 5, 2023 Hailstorm: hail to 4 in.
- August 5, 2020 Hailstorm: hail to 2 in.
- June 13, 2018 Hailstorm: hail to 3 in.
- July 28, 2016 Colorado Springs hailstorm (full write-up)
- June 6, 2012 hailstorm, Colorado Springs and south Denver (full write-up)
- July 4, 2010 Hailstorm: hail to 2 in.
- Full storm archive: Colorado Springs, Denver and Austin
Sources: NOAA SPC storm reports, August 6, 2018; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, event 778864 (Cheyenne Mountain Zoo area, $172.8 million); NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, event 778861 (Widefield, 4.00 in.); NWS Pueblo, August 6, 2018 El Paso County hail; NWS hail size reference; C.R.S. 10-4-110.8 (unofficial reproduction); Colorado Division of Insurance, hail consumer advisory (May 22, 2024).
