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Hail history in Colorado

We counted the days with NOAA hail reports within 15 miles of the center of 5 Colorado cities since 2010.

Apartments and an office park below the mountains under green hail clouds
Hail days near Colorado Springs since 2010, the most in Colorado
150
Largest hail reported, near Denver
4.5 in
Colorado cities tracked
5

Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center

Data through November 1, 2026

Colorado cities by hail days

Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center

Data through November 1, 2026

CityHail days since 2010Largest hail
Colorado Springs1504.0 in
Denver1124.5 in
Greeley724.25 in
Boulder693.0 in
Fort Collins582.75 in

About this data

  • Each city counts reports within 15 miles of its center, not of any one property.
  • Reports come from trained spotters and the public, so they cluster near towns and roads.
  • No report does not mean no hail. Hail can fall where no one is there to report it.
  • This is not a damage or insurance assessment.

Storm risk in Colorado

Hail is the storm risk that matters most for buildings in Colorado; the National Weather Service says some of the biggest insurance losses each year come from large hail. Damaging wind, wind-driven wildfire, flash floods and heavy snow follow, and tornadoes are common on the eastern plains but mostly weak.4,7 The state climate summary places northeastern Colorado in Hail Alley, the most hail-prone area in the country, with 7 to 9 hail days a year on average. Colorado had 244 major hail events in 2025 by Storm Prediction Center counts, the sixth most of any state.2,3

How often storms hit Colorado

Storm hazards for Colorado buildings1,9,5,6,4,7,2,11,8
HazardHow oftenWhat it means for buildings
Hail58 to 150 hail days since 2010 within 15 miles of each of the five Colorado cities on this page, with hail up to 4.5 inches near Denver.Hail breaks roof covers, skylights, rooftop units and siding. IBHS says roofs in severe hail areas often need replacing every 7 to 10 years, against a 20 year lifespan for some roofs.
Damaging windThunderstorm gusts of 58 mph or more on the plains, and downslope windstorms along the Front Range, where NOAA says Boulder has some of the highest peak winds of any US city.Wind peels roof edges and membranes, topples rooftop equipment and fences, and spreads grass fires.
TornadoesAbout 50 a year over the past 20 years. Of 1,948 recorded from 1950 to 2012, 63 percent had the weakest rating, and an EF2 strikes somewhere in the state at least every two years on average.Most damage roofs, siding and trees. The NWS says strong tornadoes cause considerable damage to most buildings.
FloodingFlash floods from intense thunderstorms, most often in the lower foothills, and occasional river floods such as September 2013, which caused more than $1.5 billion in damage. Heavy rain on recent burn scars raises the risk.Water and debris damage ground floors, basements and site work. State rules set how high rebuilt floors must sit in mapped floodplains.
Winter storms and coldA statewide average of 18.3 nights a year at 0°F or below, 150 to more than 400 inches of snow a year in the high mountains, and occasional blizzards on the plains.FEMA says drifting snow and rain on snow can overload a roof past its design. Cold snaps freeze pipes and sprinkler lines.
WildfireDrought almost constantly since 2001, and the three largest wildfires on state record in 2020. Wind-driven fire reaches suburbs too: the 2021 Marshall Fire destroyed 7 commercial structures and damaged 30 more.Embers and flames ignite roofs, siding and landscaping. In mapped wildland-urban interface areas, a state code now governs roof replacement.

The hail counts are days with at least one NOAA hail report within 15 miles of a city's center, not hits on any one building. Reports come from people, the Colorado Climate Center notes, so they cluster in towns and along roads; a low count for a rural site does not mean hail missed it.1,5

Rules owners in Colorado should know

  • Insurer of last resort: The Colorado FAIR Plan, created by HB23-1288, writes commercial policies up to $5,000,000 combined for building and business personal property, at actual cash value, not replacement cost. Base cover is fire, lightning and smoke; windstorm or hail is a limited add-on. An owner may qualify after three declinations from standard insurers when the property is hard to insure, for example from wildfire exposure, claim history or age.12,13
  • Unreasonable delay or denial: Under C.R.S. 10-3-1115 and 10-3-1116, an insurer may not unreasonably delay or deny payment owed to a first-party claimant, which includes corporations, associations and partnerships. A claimant whose claim was unreasonably delayed or denied may sue for two times the covered benefit plus reasonable attorney fees and court costs.14,15
  • Claim timing: Under Division of Insurance Regulation 5-1-14 (3 CCR 702-5-1-14), property insurers must decide or pay within 60 days of a valid and complete claim unless there is a reasonable dispute, or the Commissioner may order 8 percent annual interest on benefits due. After a significant catastrophe, an insurer may ask for a deviation.16
  • Public adjusters: Under C.R.S. 10-2-417, public adjusters must hold a Colorado license. The same section caps their fee at 10 percent of the settlement after a catastrophic disaster and bars taking any fee or deposit before settlement. The insured may rescind the contract in writing within 72 hours of signing.17
  • Roofing contractors: Colorado's roofing law (C.R.S. 6-22) covers detached one- and two-family homes and townhome-style buildings up to three stories whose roofs an HOA or condo association maintains; apartment and commercial buildings fall outside it. On those roofs the contractor needs a written contract and cannot pay or waive the deductible, and the owner may cancel within 72 hours of a written claim denial, in whole or in part.18,19,20,21
  • Wildfire code: Under SB23-166 and the Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code (8 CCR 1507-39, adopted July 1, 2025), cities and counties in the wildland-urban interface that adopt building or fire codes must adopt one at least this strict within 3 months. There, replacing 25 percent or more of a roof covering means the whole covering must meet the new construction standard.22,23,24
  • Floodplain rules: Under Colorado Water Conservation Board rules (2 CCR 408-1, Rule 11), new, substantially damaged or substantially improved buildings in the 100-year floodplain must have the lowest floor, including basements, at least one foot above the base flood elevation. Non-residential buildings may instead be floodproofed watertight to that height.25

Before the next storm

  • Hail-rated roofs: When a roof is due for replacement, choose a hail-rated cover. IBHS recommends FM 4470 Class 1-SH or UL 2218 Class 4 for low-slope roofs and UL 2218 Class 4 or FM 4473 Class 3 or 4 for steep roofs, and the Division of Insurance suggests asking the insurer what savings a hail-resistant roof brings.10,26
  • Rooftop units and skylights: Fit hail guards over condenser fins and air intakes on rooftop units, and check that skylights carry a hail impact rating. IBHS recommends both, since hail on unguarded fins and intakes can impair a unit's operation.10
  • Wind and hail deductible: Know each building's wind and hail deductible before the season. The Colorado Division of Insurance points out that the owner pays the deductible, and damage estimated below it brings no payment.26
  • Weather warnings: Set up more than one way to get NWS warnings, such as Wireless Emergency Alerts and NOAA Weather Radio. When a watch is issued, meaning severe weather is likely within six hours, tie down loose items for wind and move vehicles under cover for hail.4
  • Snow loads: After heavy snow, have a qualified person check drifts at parapets, roof steps and rooftop equipment, where FEMA says snow piles into concentrated loads. FEMA's warning signs include sagging ceiling tiles, sprinkler heads dropping below the ceiling and doors that stick.11

Sources

Written by the Cloudbreak team. Numbers, dates and rules cite the published sources below.

  1. 1. Cloudbreak: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center storm reports, as counted on the Cloudbreak hail history page for Colorado
  2. 2. NOAA NCEI and North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies: Colorado: 2025 State Climate Summaries
  3. 3. Insurance Information Institute: Facts + Statistics: Hail
  4. 4. NWS Goodland: Colorado Severe Weather Awareness Week
  5. 5. Colorado Climate Center: Ramping up to peak severe thunderstorm and tornado season in Colorado
  6. 6. NOAA Physical Sciences Laboratory: Boulder Wind Events
  7. 7. Colorado Climate Center: Climatology of Colorado Tornadoes
  8. 8. NWS Boulder: Marshall Fire and High Wind on December 30 2021
  9. 9. IBHS: Hail Guidance for Home & Business Owners
  10. 10. IBHS: Commercial Roofs Best Practices Guide
  11. 11. FEMA: Snow Load Safety Guidance (FEMA P-957)
  12. 12. Colorado FAIR Plan: Consumer Coverage Resources: Residential & Commercial
  13. 13. Colorado Division of Real Estate: HOA Center Advisory: The FAIR Plan, an Insurer of Last Resort
  14. 14. Colorado Revised Statutes: C.R.S. 10-3-1115: Improper denial of claims
  15. 15. Colorado Revised Statutes: C.R.S. 10-3-1116: Remedies for unreasonable delay or denial of benefits
  16. 16. Colorado Division of Insurance: 3 CCR 702-5-1-14: Penalties for failure to promptly address property and casualty first-party claims
  17. 17. Colorado Revised Statutes: C.R.S. 10-2-417: Public insurance adjusters
  18. 18. Colorado Revised Statutes: C.R.S. 6-22-102: Roofing services, definitions
  19. 19. Colorado Revised Statutes: C.R.S. 6-22-103: Contracts for roofing services
  20. 20. Colorado Revised Statutes: C.R.S. 6-22-104: Residential roofing contract, right to rescind
  21. 21. Colorado Revised Statutes: C.R.S. 6-22-105: Waiver of insurance deductible prohibited
  22. 22. Colorado General Assembly: SB23-166 Establishment of a Wildfire Resiliency Code Board
  23. 23. Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control: Wildfire Resiliency Code Board
  24. 24. Colorado Division of Fire Prevention and Control: Colorado Wildfire Resiliency Code
  25. 25. Colorado Water Conservation Board: 2 CCR 408-1, Rule 11: Floodplain Management Regulations
  26. 26. Colorado Division of Insurance: Consumer Advisory: Division of Insurance Shares Tips After Hailstorm Batters Metro Denver

Storms in Colorado

Severe thunderstorms happen far more often in eastern Colorado than on the Western Slope, the Colorado Climate Center says.1 Statewide, tornado reports peak in early June, severe hail reports in mid-June, and days with severe thunderstorm wind gusts in early to mid-July.1 Other types of intense wind, outside of thunderstorms, tend to happen in winter and spring.1

Notable storms

  1. May 30, 2024A late evening hailstorm tracked from near Niwot across northern and eastern metro Denver, through Thornton, Northglenn and Commerce City. It left a swath of 1 to 2 inch hail, with baseball-size hail in the Northfield area. NWS Boulder reported dented vehicles, broken windshields and roof damage.2
  2. August 8, 2023Long-lived supercells in Yuma County produced several tornadoes, including an EF3 with peak winds near 150 mph southwest of the city of Yuma. A storm chaser measured a 5.25-inch hailstone between Kirk and Idalia, which the State Climate Extremes Committee confirmed as Colorado's record diameter.3,4
  3. December 30, 2021Mountain-wave winds gusting 80 to 100 mph fanned the Marshall Fire from near Marshall into Superior and Louisville. NWS Boulder reported 1,084 homes and 7 commercial structures destroyed and 149 homes damaged.5
  4. August 6, 2018Hail up to 4 inches across battered El Paso County and northern Pueblo County, including Colorado Springs, Fountain and Widefield. NOAA's Storm Events Database cites media reports of $172 million in damage and lists 8 people injured.6,7
  5. May 8, 2017A supercell from the foothills west of Denver dropped hail up to baseball size across Denver and western suburbs including Arvada, Lakewood and Wheat Ridge, damaging cars, homes and businesses. NWS Boulder puts the damage at $2.3 billion across metro Denver.8

Warnings and alerts

NWS offices in Boulder, Pueblo and Grand Junction cover most of Colorado, and NWS Goodland, Kansas, covers Yuma, Kit Carson and Cheyenne counties.9

Sources

  1. 1. Colorado Climate Center: Ramping up to peak severe thunderstorm and tornado season in Colorado
  2. 2. NWS Boulder: Denver Climate Summary, May 2024
  3. 3. NWS Goodland: Yuma Tornado And Hail August 8th 2023
  4. 4. Colorado Climate Center, State Climate Extremes Committee: Colorado State Record Hailstone in Yuma County
  5. 5. NWS Boulder: Marshall Fire and High Wind on December 30 2021
  6. 6. NOAA NCEI: Storm Events Database: El Paso County hail, August 6, 2018
  7. 7. NWS Pueblo: August 6th, 2018 El Paso County Hail Event
  8. 8. NWS Boulder: Top 12 Events of the 2010s in Colorado: May 8, 2017 Hailstorm
  9. 9. National Weather Service: Colorado County Warning Forecast Areas

Hail history in other states