Colorado Hail, September 20–25, 2026

Three of the six dates from September 20 to 25, 2026 count as Colorado hail days: September 20, 21 and 25. The largest new radar estimate was 2.98 inches, on September 20, on the eastern plains. Inside the Denver metro, only Douglas County on September 20 and Adams County on September 25 recorded hail of an inch or more.

Every count, size and date below was measured from HailScore™'s live radar record on November 9, 2026. Radar-estimated exposure is not proof of damage.

What the Radar Recorded, Day by Day

A cell is one square on the radar grid, about one kilometer across. Each cell is counted once per day, however many times the radar re-read it. The size column shows the largest estimate among each date's own new cells.

September 22 through 24 were quiet, not missing. The radar record holds 15 snapshots on each of those dates, and none showed hail of an inch or more in Colorado.

September 26 sits just outside the window, and it is the clearest refusal of the week. All 132 of its cells had already been reported on September 25, so it adds no new hail.

The same effect inflates the first two rows. September 20's record shows a 3.61-inch reading, but that is September 19's storm still inside the 24-hour window. Its own largest new estimate is 2.98 inches. September 21's record shows 2.98 inches for the same reason, and its own largest is 2.48.

September 20 carried 390 new cells at 2 inches or larger, September 21 carried 18 and September 25 carried 5. No new cell on any of the three days reached 3 inches.

Where It Hit

September 20: El Paso and Pueblo Counties

• El Paso County: the storm record peaks at a radar-estimated 2.69 inches, 10 miles southeast of Fountain, across 211 cells. Three of those cells stood alone on the grid, so this post counts 208. Twenty-four were 2 inches or larger.
• Pueblo County: the storm record peaks at 2.36 inches, 17 miles north of Pueblo, across 94 cells. One stood alone, so this post counts 93.

Most of the day's hail fell outside the Front Range. Of 2,268 counted cells, 1,954 were beyond the 11 Front Range counties HailScore™ tracks county by county, largely on the plains. The largest estimates, 2.98 inches, were 12 miles north of Eads and 19 miles east of Limon. Others reached 2.41 inches 8 miles south of Holyoke and 2.39 inches 4 miles south of Elizabeth.

September 21: Pueblo County, Then Ordway

• Pueblo County: the storm record peaks at 1.59 inches, 8 miles west of Boone, across 26 new cells. That page sets aside another 93 cells as September 20's storm still in the 24-hour window.

The day's largest estimate, 2.48 inches, was in Ordway, in a group of 232 cells nearest that town. El Paso County had 5 cells, peaking at 1.11 inches, which is below the 1.5-inch bar for a county storm record.

September 25: Adams County

• Adams County: the storm record peaks at 2.06 inches, 6 miles northwest of Bennett, across 33 cells. One cell reached 2 inches.

The day's largest estimate, 2.17 inches, was 15 miles northeast of Trinidad, in a group of 79 cells. Smaller groups sat south of Lamar and southeast of Walsenburg.

The Front Range, County by County

Counts are new, corroborated cells of 1 inch or larger.

No counted cell on any of the three days sat within 5 miles of the center of Denver, Aurora, Colorado Springs or Pueblo. For the longer record, see the Pueblo, Colorado Springs and Ordway hail history pages.

How These Days Were Counted

Source: NOAA's Multi-Radar Multi-Sensor (MRMS) MESH hail estimate. HailScore™'s MRMS record begins February 28, 2026, so this window is fully covered. The rules are the ones the Colorado hail statistics page uses:

• The hail-day rule. A hail day is a distinct Mountain Time date with new hail of 1 inch or larger somewhere in Colorado. MRMS publishes a trailing 24-hour maximum, so cells that only repeat the previous date do not count.
• No lone readings. A reading needs at least three other cells of 1 inch or larger within about 5 kilometers on the same date. Nine readings on September 20 and five on September 21 failed this and were set aside.
• The 8.0-inch cap. A date resting only on a storm core above 8.0 inches, the largest hailstone measured in the United States, is refused. Nothing here came close. The largest reading anywhere in these dates was 3.61 inches.
• The 2-inch corroboration rule. A reading of 2 inches or more is published only if another hail record of at least 1 inch lies within 25 kilometers, on that date or the day either side. All 413 new cells at 2 inches or more across these three days passed. That check says hail fell nearby. It does not verify the size.

By that count, September 25 was the 91st hail day of Colorado's 2026 season. September 28 and 29 brought the final total to 93.

The four storm records linked above are preliminary radar records. NOAA's ground-verified Storm Events records usually publish two to four months after a storm, and those pages upgrade when they do.

What These Sizes Mean, and What They Don't

MESH is a model estimate, tuned so that roughly 75% of measured hail comes in at or below it. Read a size as a class, within about one tier, rather than as a measured stone. Our MESH reference page explains the limits.

2.98 inches was the strongest cell in the state that day, not what fell on any particular street. HailScore™ measures hail exposure recorded in NOAA data. Radar-estimated exposure is not proof of damage. Two houses on one block can come out of the same storm differently.

Check Your Own Address

1. Look up the address. A free hail check by address shows the score, map and dated hail history near a property, drawn from 48.4M+ NOAA-linked hail records across all sources.
2. Test one date. The hail date check answers whether radar recorded hail near an address on a date you name. A limited number of address checks each month are free without an account.
3. Look for ground signs. Gutters, downspouts, window screens and vent fins dent at lower hail sizes than roofing does, and you can see them from the driveway.
4. Book a licensed on-roof inspection if the record and the ground signs agree. It is the only way to learn the condition of the roof itself.

For the storms just before these, see the September 9–10 Colorado hail recap. The full year is in our 2026 Colorado hail season review.

Data current as of November 9, 2026. HailScore™ documents radar-recorded hail exposure near an address. It does not confirm roof damage.