Aurora, CO Hail Storm – May 2025

What Happened

A hail storm crossed the Aurora, Colorado metro on May 18, 2025, with verified stones up to 2 inches and a long run of radar-confirmed warnings through the afternoon. The storm produced multiple hail calls from early afternoon into early evening, with the strongest radar signals concentrated from about 2:45 PM to 4:59 PM MDT.

The first field reports came in early. At 1:11 PM MDT, mPING returned a half-dollar-sized hail report at 1.25 inches. Fourteen minutes later, another spotter report listed ping pong ball hail at 1.5 inches. NWS alert areas followed with 1.25-inch hail at 1:09 PM MDT and again at 2:29 PM MDT, both tied to radar and spotter verification.

By mid-afternoon, the storm intensified. A 0.75-inch report came in at 2:23 PM MDT, then another at 2:52 PM MDT. Between those reports, warning areas carried radar-derived hail estimates of 1 inch at 2:38 PM MDT, 1.5 inches at 2:45 PM MDT and 2:53 PM MDT, and 1.75 inches at 2:56 PM MDT. The storm kept producing large hail estimates through the afternoon, including 1.5 inches at 3:00 PM MDT and 3:11 PM MDT, 1.25 inches at 3:25 PM MDT and 3:55 PM MDT, and 1 inch at 3:30 PM MDT.

Late afternoon brought another round of stronger detections. Radar-based hail calls returned 1.5 inches at 4:01 PM MDT and 1.25 inches at 4:26 PM MDT. The final surge came at 4:41 PM and 4:50 PM MDT, when dual-polarization radar again detected 2-inch hail. A final 1.75-inch hail call followed at 4:59 PM MDT. Spotter-verified 1.25-inch hail was also reported at 3:03 PM MDT and 4:48 PM MDT.

Damage Assessment

Field reports across the Aurora metro showed a mix of smaller and larger stones, with 0.75-inch, 1.25-inch, and 1.5-inch hail all confirmed during the event. The spread of observations suggests the storm core shifted across parts of the metro rather than producing one isolated strike point. The verified 1.5-inch report at 1:25 PM MDT and the 1.25-inch report at 1:11 PM MDT give the earliest ground truth. The later 0.75-inch reports at 2:23 PM and 2:52 PM MDT show weaker margins around the stronger radar echoes.

The radar detections stayed active long enough to support repeated roof, vehicle, and siding checks across the warning area. The 2-inch detections at 4:41 PM and 4:50 PM MDT are the highest confirmed hail size in the event. The repeated 1.5-inch and 1.75-inch calls in the middle of the afternoon point to a hail swath that held together across several warning cycles.

For field crews, the practical risk sits in the mix of hail sizes, not just the peak reading. A storm that produces 0.75-inch hail in one report and 2-inch hail later in the same metro can leave uneven damage patterns block by block. Inspections should start with exposed surfaces, gutters, roof elevations, window trim, and vehicles parked under open sky. In Aurora, the strongest reports clustered through the afternoon and into late day, so older roofs and southern exposures should get checked first.

Aurora, CO Hail Storm – May 2025

NWS WARNING AREAS · 82

What Happened

Damage Assessment

Storm Details

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