Montague, CA Hail Storm – July 2025

What Happened

A hail storm moved through Montague, CA on July 3, 2025, with a peak confirmed hail size of 1.25 inches. The event produced 19 NWS alert-area hail detections from mid-afternoon into the evening, with the strongest radar-derived hail signals arriving late in the sequence.

The first alerts came in at 4:03 PM PDT, when dual-polarization radar indicated 1-inch hail. Similar 1-inch detections followed at 4:20 PM, 4:22 PM, 4:26 PM, 4:43 PM, and 4:48 PM. The storm held that size range into the late afternoon, with another cluster of 1-inch alerts at 5:12 PM and 5:40 PM, then a 1.25-inch detection at 5:15 PM and another at 5:43 PM.

By early evening, the hail signal remained steady. Radar again showed 1-inch hail at 5:44 PM, 6:15 PM, 6:46 PM, 7:17 PM, 7:24 PM, and 8:40 PM. Two later alerts carried spotter-verified confidence at 6:08 PM and 6:43 PM, both tied to 1-inch hail. The 6:43 PM report came from Emigrant Lake, where a public report described quarter-size hail.

Damage Assessment

The field reports point to localized hail impact rather than a broad damage pattern. At Emigrant Lake, spotters reported 1.00-inch hail at 7:00 PM PDT, and the same report was repeated in the record. The reported stone size matched the radar trend, which stayed near the 1-inch to 1.25-inch range through the afternoon and evening.

For an event built around repeated hail detections, the ground truth is concentrated in a small number of verified reports. That leaves a narrow but clear footprint for roof, vehicle, and exposed-surface checks in and around the Montague area, especially where the storm core held together into the evening hours.

The report set does not include a wide spread of debris, flooding, or wind damage. It does show a hail event with enough duration to put repeated surfaces in the path of multiple hail cores. In practice, that means some properties may show isolated roof spatter, soft-surface marks, or minor impacts even where the storm did not produce obvious exterior damage.

What Contractors Should Know

Montague sits in the Shasta Valley corridor, and this event developed over several hours rather than as a brief, fast-moving burst. That kind of storm path can leave patchy hail exposure. One block may show only light evidence, while another sees repeated hits from separate hail cores. Crews should not assume uniform conditions across the metro area.

The best field checks start with the spots most likely to hold clear evidence from a July hail event. Look at south- and west-facing slopes, open parking areas, metal trim, skylights, and vehicles left outside near the afternoon and early evening window. Emigrant Lake gives you one confirmed point in the event track, so nearby properties deserve priority when building a canvass route.

The radar sequence also shows repeated hail returns after the first verified report. That means late inspections still matter. A roof that looked clean at sunset may still show bruising, granular loss, or soft metal strikes once the light improves. For multi-zone work, map the whole Montague area in bands rather than treating it as one uniform impact zone.