Malta, ID Hail Storm – June 2025

What Happened

A severe thunderstorm crossed the Malta, ID area on June 11, 2025, producing verified hail up to 1.75 inches. The storm sent nine hail alerts across the afternoon, with the strongest signals centered from 2:24 PM to 3:13 PM MDT.

Radar first supported 1-inch hail at 1:53 PM MDT. By 2:15 PM MDT, the alert area had advanced to 1.25-inch hail, and a spotter report from WFO Pocatello confirmed the same size at that time. The storm intensified again at 2:24 PM MDT and 2:42 PM MDT, when dual-polarization radar continued to support 1.75-inch hail. A later alert at 2:53 PM MDT briefly dipped to 1.25 inches before the system renewed its stronger hail signal.

The most sustained high-end signatures came in the midafternoon. At 3:12 PM MDT, radar and spotter input again supported 1.75-inch hail. Another 1.75-inch alert followed at 3:13 PM MDT. By 3:43 PM MDT, the alert area had eased to 1.5-inch hail, then to 1.25 inches at 4:04 PM MDT. A separate spotter report at 3:41 PM MDT noted a funnel cloud just south of Downey with 0.75-inch hail nearby. That report placed the storm footprint across a broader patch of southeastern Idaho.

Damage Assessment

The field reports show a storm that produced confirmed large hail, but the surface impacts were uneven across the warning area. The WFO Pocatello spotter report at 2:15 PM MDT verified 1.25-inch hail in the storm path. Later reports kept the event active into the afternoon, including the 3:41 PM MDT funnel cloud observation south of Downey with smaller hail near the same storm system.

The radar record shows repeated high-confidence hail detection during the core of the event. That sequence points to multiple rounds of damaging hail within the same convective system rather than a single brief burst. The strongest hail signals clustered from late early afternoon into the middle of the afternoon, then trended downward after 3:43 PM MDT.

For property owners, the main concern is localized impact. A storm like this can leave one block with obvious roof and siding damage while nearby locations see only brief hail or none at all. Vehicles, shingles, soft metal trim, and exposed agricultural equipment are the first places to check after a storm with this profile. In and around Malta, the most likely damage pattern follows the path of the strongest afternoon cores rather than the entire broader alert area.

If you are documenting losses, look for fresh granule loss on shingles, denting on metal flashing, gutter bruising, and cracked skylight or vent covers. Check north- and west-facing roof slopes if the storm arrived on a moving core, then inspect vehicles parked outdoors during the 2:15 PM to 3:43 PM MDT window. In rural areas south and east of town, the combined hail and funnel cloud reports make it worth checking outbuildings, fence lines, and exposed farm gear as well.