Wray, CO Hail Storm – May 2025

What Happened

A severe hail storm moved through Wray, CO on May 14, 2025, with spotter-verified reports up to 1.25 inches and multiple rounds of hail through the early evening. The storm produced repeated NWS alerts from 5:23 PM MDT through 7:38 PM MDT as it crossed the area.

The first alert came at 5:23 PM MDT with 1.25-inch hail and spotter-reported confidence. A second alert at 5:58 PM MDT backed off to 1-inch hail, then the storm strengthened again with another 1.25-inch report at 6:10 PM MDT. By 6:54 PM MDT, the warning area again carried a 1.25-inch hail report from spotters. The final alert at 7:38 PM MDT listed 1-inch hail based on dual-polarization radar and NEXRAD hail detection.

Field reports lined up with that sequence. Around 6:58 PM MDT, mPING reported quarter-sized hail, and a social media report at 6:59 PM MDT described quarter to half dollar hail. At 7:00 PM MDT, another mPING report placed hail at half dollar size, or 1.25 inches. Later reports showed the storm’s debris and dust field still active, including blowing dust, very low visibility, and a tree powerline report tied to the same evening window.

Damage Assessment

The field reports show a storm that produced more than hail alone. Around Wray and nearby reporting points, observers documented accumulating hail, dust, and a short-lived visibility collapse as the storm passed. One report at 7:45 PM MDT described 50-foot visibility with blowing dust. Another at 7:48 PM MDT placed visibility at less than 100 yards in a wall of dust, with a reported 48 mph gust at the time. A later report at 7:15 PM MDT said visibility fell to zero because of dust.

The hail reports were close together in time and size. Quarter-sized hail was reported at 6:58 PM MDT. Half dollar-sized hail followed at 7:00 PM MDT. A 7:53 PM MDT social media report described dime to penny sized accumulation later in the event. That mix points to a storm with a heavier hail core earlier in the evening and a broader area of smaller stones and wind-driven debris on the back side of the path.

Damage reports beyond hail were tied to wind and dust. A tree powerline was reported at 7:10 PM MDT. Reports from the broader storm track also mentioned limb damage, including several 4-inch to 10-inch limbs down around Herndon at 8:00 PM MDT and a split tree trunk reported at 8:35 PM MDT. Those later observations were spotter-verified and fit the evening’s hail and wind sequence.

What Contractors Should Know

This event was not limited to one compact hail core. The storm produced multiple hail reports over a two-hour span, then left a trail of dust, low visibility, and scattered wind-related issues. For contractors working Wray and nearby eastern Colorado sites, that means checking roofs, soft metal, vents, and siding for repeated hail impacts rather than a single pass. Pay attention to slopes and edges where wind can push smaller hail under flashing and into exposed trim.