Stanford, MT Hail Storm – June 2025

What Happened

A severe hail storm crossed the Stanford, Montana area on June 15, 2025, with confirmed stones up to 2.5 inches and a long sequence of radar and spotter alerts through the afternoon and evening. Field reports placed the first significant hail near 2:10 PM MDT, then repeated reports built through late afternoon and early evening.

The earliest alerts showed 1.75-inch hail near 1:53 PM MDT and again at 2:12 PM MDT, with dual-polarization radar support. By 2:23 PM MDT, the warning area was still showing 1.5-inch hail potential, followed by 1-inch alerts at 2:33 PM MDT and 3:05 PM MDT. Radar-estimated hail increased again at 3:23 PM MDT and 3:49 PM MDT, then continued to pulse through the afternoon.

Spotter reports sharpened the picture. A public caller updated the hail size to golf ball size at 2:10 PM MDT. Later reports placed hail near 4:30 PM MDT at about 2.5 inches, with another trained spotter reporting egg to tennis ball size hail at 4:48 PM MDT and providing images. Radar and spotter verification continued into the evening, including 2-inch reports at 9:22 PM MDT and 9:35 PM MDT.

Damage Assessment

Field reports pointed to concentrated surface impact rather than a brief, isolated hit. The 4:30 PM MDT reports described hail lasting about 15 minutes, with multiple spotter-verified accounts placing stones at 2.5 inches. That included social media images from Highwood showing golf ball sized hail and a trained spotter report of egg to tennis ball size hail with images provided.

Later reports from Spotter Network at 6:19 PM MDT confirmed 2-inch hail, and several other spotter-verified reports held the evening hail around 1.75 to 2 inches. The event did not stay fixed at one size. It cycled through smaller radar estimates and then returned to larger confirmed stones, which is consistent with a storm that produced several hail cores across the warning area.

The reports also included hail paired with strong wind estimates. One social media report at 5:05 PM MDT noted golf ball sized hail with estimated 60 mph gusts. That combination can create scattered impacts to vehicles, siding, gutters, and roof accessories, especially where hail fell hard enough to be photographed and shared soon after the storm.

For public mapping and sales review, the event should be treated as a multi-zone hail storm with the strongest field-confirmed impacts centered on the Stanford and Highwood reports. The confirmed 2.5-inch size is supported by both spotter accounts and radar-backed alerts.

What Contractors Should Know

This event produced a broad hail sequence, not a single isolated strike. Crews should expect mixed exterior findings across the Stanford area, with heavier impact pockets where the 4:30 PM MDT and 4:48 PM MDT spotter reports lined up with the largest confirmed stones. Prioritize direct inspection of roof slopes that took the first hail core, then check metal accessories, soft metals, vents, and roof penetrations.

Stanford, MT Hail Storm – June 2025

NWS WARNING AREAS · 214

What Happened

Damage Assessment

What Contractors Should Know

Storm Details

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