121 verified events in the storm library touched El Paso County between 1997 and 2025; 103 were hail. The largest stones in those storms reached 4.5 inches (softball) on July 13, 2011, 51 events brought hail of 2 inches or more, and the 2010s had the most hail events (44). 6 of these storms carry an insured-loss figure, led by July 28, 2016 at $352.8 million (2016 dollars).
Storms with the largest hail
Each size is the storm's largest report anywhere it hit, which may be outside El Paso County.
| Date | Hail | Report locations | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| July 13, 2011 | 4.5 in. (softball) | Watkins, Buffalo Creek, Masonville, Drakes | Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association (RMIIA, now RMIA) |
| Aug. 9, 2004 | 4.5 in. (softball) | Ramah, Rush, Blende, Pueblo West | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information |
| Aug. 5, 2023 | 4 in. (grapefruit) | Schriever AFB, Fountain, Truckton, Peterson AFB | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information |
| Aug. 6, 2018 | 4 in. (grapefruit) | Widefield, Fountain, Fort Carson, Colorado Springs | NWS Pueblo |
| June 20, 2001 | 4 in. (grapefruit) | Calhan, Beulah, Colorado City, Ramah | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information |
| July 13, 2023 | 3 in. (teacup) | Pueblo Muni Airport, Vineland, Blende, Pueblo West | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information |
| July 4, 2023 | 3 in. (teacup) | Schriever AFB, Monument, Peterson AFB, Manitou Springs | NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information |
| June 18, 2018 | 3 in. (teacup) | Englewood, Greenwood Village, Arapahoe Park, Aurora Cherry Creek | RMIIA |
Hail events by decade
| Decade | Hail events | 2 in. or larger | Largest |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 35 | 17 | 4.5 in. |
| 2010s | 44 | 20 | 4.5 in. |
| 2020s | 24 | 14 | 4 in. |
One row per storm day or storm period in the library, not individual NOAA reports. The 2020s run only to 2025.
Costliest storms
- July 28, 2016: $352.8 million (2016 dollars) insured, hail to 2.5 in. (Hail Damage and Statistics: Colorado's Most Costly Hail Storms)
- June 6, 2012: $321.1 million (2012 dollars) insured, hail to 2.5 in. (Hail Damage and Statistics: Colorado's Most Costly Hail Storms)
- June 18, 2018: $276.4 million (2018 dollars) insured, hail to 3 in. (Hail Damage and Statistics: Colorado's Most Costly Hail Storms)
- June 13, 2018: $169 million (2018 dollars) insured, hail to 3 in. (Colorado Hailstorm Carries $169M Insurance Price Tag)
- July 13, 2011: $164.8 million (2011 dollars) insured, hail to 4.5 in. (Catastrophe Facts & Statistics: Most Costly Catastrophes in the Rocky Mountain Region)
- June 8, 2004: $146.5 million (2004 dollars) insured, hail to 2.25 in. (Colorado Storms Cost $350 Million in Insured Damage (citing RMIIA))
Insured losses cover every area each storm hit, in dollars of the loss year.
What the record means for roofs
- The median housing unit in El Paso County was built in 1989. (Median Year Structure Built (B25035), ACS 5-Year Estimates 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates)
- NOAA's Storm Events Database logged 1039 hail reports in El Paso County, Colorado from 2010 through 2025, 894 of them 1 inch or larger. (Storm Events Database, bulk CSV detail files (2010-2025), NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI))
- El Paso County, Colorado had 78 hail reports of 2 inches or larger (hen-egg size or bigger) in NOAA's Storm Events Database from 2010 through 2025. (Storm Events Database, bulk CSV detail files (2010-2025), NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI))
- The largest hail logged in El Paso County in NOAA's Storm Events Database from 2010 through 2025 was 4.00 inches, near Widefield on 06-AUG-18. (Storm Events Database, bulk CSV detail files (2010-2025), NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI))
- El Paso County (Colorado Springs) logged more hail reports than any other Colorado county from 2010 through 2025: 1039, nearly double second-place Weld County (568). (Storm Events Database, bulk CSV detail files (2010-2025), NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI))
- The National Weather Service equates 1-inch hail with quarter size. It is the NWS severe-hail threshold. (Storm Spotter Information: hail size chart, NOAA National Weather Service (Sioux Falls office))
- Hail as small as 1 inch can damage lightweight three-tab asphalt shingles, and 1 1/4-inch hail can damage heavyweight laminated shingles, per an IIBEC engineering table. (Asphalt Composition Shingle Damage: Hail or Manufacturing Defect? (Smith, IIBEC Interface, Feb 2013), IIBEC (International Institute of Building Enclosure Consultants))
- Concrete tile: hail damage threshold of about 1 3/4 inch, per a widely cited engineering table. (Asphalt Composition Shingle Damage: Hail or Manufacturing Defect? (Interface, Feb. 2013), IIBEC (table sourced to Professional Roofing, May 2009, Haag Engineering author))
Related pages
- Black Forest roofing
- Peyton roofing
- Monument roofing
- El Paso County roofing
- Calhan roofing
- Fountain roofing
- Manitou Springs roofing
- Palmer Lake roofing
- Cimarron Hills roofing
- Falcon roofing
- Security-Widefield roofing
- Stratmoor roofing
- Woodmoor roofing
- Denver metro hail history
- Every Colorado event in one table
Sources: Catastrophe Facts & Statistics (RMIIA); NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, episodes 53471, 55698 (NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information); NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, episode 1178800 (NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information); NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, episode 185130 (NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information); 2018 Summer Hail Storms (NWS Pueblo); NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, episode 129967 (NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information); NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, episode 1116609 (NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information); NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, episode 184129 (NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information); NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, episode 184126 (NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information); Hail Damage and Statistics: Colorado's Most Costly Hail Storms (RMIIA); NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, episodes 125435, 125436, 128035 (NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information); Insured losses from Colorado Springs hail storm estimated at US$352.8 million (Canadian Underwriter, 2016-08-23).
