NOAA-verified historic hailstorm
July 31, 1986 El Paso County, CO Hailstorm
On July 31, 1986, NOAA's Storm Events Database recorded hail in the 2.5″+ size class in El Paso County, Colorado, across 2 hail events. These are records of hail exposure, not of damage: size is a class, not a measurement, and a hail record near a property is not a finding that the property was damaged.
Peak hail size: 3", recorded between 4:20 PM MDT and 6:31 PM MDT.
On July 31, 1986, NOAA recorded hail up to 3" in El Paso County, Colorado — 2 hail events between 4:20 PM MDT and 6:31 PM MDT. Source: NOAA Storm Events Database (NCEI), via HailScore. Data current as of October 2, 2026.
The 3rd-largest hailstorm recorded in El Paso County since 2015 — out of 154 separate hail days on NOAA's record.
The biggest on record: August 5, 2023 — 4" hail.
Storm map
Each pin marks one NOAA-recorded hail event. Larger pins = larger hail.
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database (NCEI). Coordinates are NWS-reported event locations.
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Official Hail History Report
Every hail event recorded within 1 mile of your address over the past 10 years — each with its date, size, distance, and government source ID — plus an optional date-of-loss check for one specific storm. Built to hand to an adjuster, a buyer, or your own file.
It documents the storm record for an address. It is not a roof inspection or a damage assessment.
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Contractors, adjusters and public adjusters run this same storm record across a whole pipeline. A free dashboard account includes 10 date-of-loss verifications a month; Team is $49/mo for 25 storm-history PDFs — $1.96 per report instead of $9.95.
Hail history for cities in El Paso County
Every recorded storm for each area, not just this one:
Hail size distribution
Below the 1″ inspection threshold
Can bruise asphalt shingles
Can crack shingles and dent soft metal
Inspection is the normal next step
Individual NOAA event records
Every record carries a unique NOAA event ID adjusters can independently verify.
| Time | Hail size | Location | NOAA event ID |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6:31 PM MDT | 3" | 38.720, -104.670 | 9985851 |
| 4:20 PM MDT | 0.75" | 38.830, -104.820 | 9985850 |
Frequently asked questions
Did it hail in El Paso County, Colorado on July 31, 1986?+
On July 31, 1986, NOAA's Storm Events Database recorded hail in the 2.5″+ size class in El Paso County, Colorado, across 2 hail events. These are records of hail exposure, not of damage: size is a class, not a measurement, and a hail record near a property is not a finding that the property was damaged.
What was the largest hail size on July 31, 1986 in El Paso County?+
NOAA's Storm Events Database recorded a peak hail size of 3" during the July 31, 1986 storm in El Paso County, Colorado. Hail at 3" is large enough that a professional roof inspection is the normal next step for roofs in the storm path. Only a licensed roof inspection can determine whether a specific roof was damaged; coverage depends on the policy and carrier.
How many hail events were recorded during this storm?+
2 individual hail observations were recorded in El Paso County on July 31, 1986, between approximately 4:20 PM MDT and 6:31 PM MDT. Each NOAA record represents either a ground-verified observation by a National Weather Service spotter or a radar-derived measurement.
Can I file an insurance claim for hail damage from this storm?+
Many standard homeowner's policies include hail under a "wind and hail" peril. Claim deadlines and coverage rules vary by carrier and policy — confirm yours with your insurer or, in Colorado, the Colorado Division of Insurance (doi.colorado.gov). July 31, 1986 is the date NOAA recorded hail in El Paso County — a record of exposure an adjuster can check against your address, not a finding that any property was damaged. If your address was in the storm path, a professional roof inspection is the standard first step.
How accurate is NOAA's hail size measurement?+
NOAA combines ground-verified reports (hail reported by trained spotters, NWS offices, law enforcement and others) with NEXRAD radar-derived size estimates. Ground reports are the stronger evidence of what actually fell. Radar estimates are a class rather than a measurement: MESH is tuned so that roughly 75% of measured hail comes in at or below the estimate — a bias, not a symmetric error bar. Each event in NOAA's Storm Events Database has a unique event ID that adjusters can independently verify.
Was my property in the storm path?+
The storm map above shows the location of each individual hail event in this storm. Enter your address in the HailScore lookup tool for a property-level report that searches NOAA Storm Events, NEXRAD radar and MRMS radar, plus CoCoRaHS volunteer reports, around your exact coordinates.