Del Norte, CO Hail Storm – July 2025

Del Norte, CO saw a concluded hail storm on July 18, 2025, with a maximum confirmed hail size of 1.5 inches. Three warning areas covered the event across the day.

What Happened

The first hail alert came at 1:25 PM MDT, with 1 inch hail flagged by dual-polarization radar. A second alert followed at 2:06 PM MDT, also for 1 inch hail. A later alert at 6:16 PM MDT raised the hail size to 1.5 inches. All three alerts carried dual-polarization radar confidence.

The storm produced multiple hail-producing periods rather than one isolated pulse. The early alert pair placed hail potential in the early afternoon. The 6:16 PM MDT alert marked the stronger late-day phase. The event is concluded.

Damage Assessment

Hail in the 1 inch range is enough to leave visible impact on softer exterior materials. It can mark asphalt shingles, dent gutters and downspouts, and leave bruising on exposed siding, screens, and roof accessories. Vehicles parked in the open can show roof and hood dents, especially on thinner panels.

The 1.5 inch peak increases the field risk on roofs and exterior trim. Larger hail stones can crack brittle shingles, break window screens, chip painted surfaces, and damage ridge caps, vents, skylights, and soft metals. Properties that took repeated passes from the storm may show mixed impact levels from one block to the next.

For contractors, the key point is the spread between the first two 1 inch alerts and the later 1.5 inch peak. That pattern calls for a roof-by-roof review, not a single-pass assumption. Exterior claims often depend on where the hail core tracked and which structures sat inside the heaviest path.

What Contractors Should Know

Start with roofs, gutters, and vehicle exposure in the areas that sat under the later alert window. Check slopes, ridges, penetrations, and soft metal components for fresh impact marks. Photograph slope-specific bruising, granule loss, and metal dents before cleanup begins. If there is mixed damage on the same property, separate the early-afternoon impact from the later, stronger hail period in the file notes.

Use field observations to sort likely claim value from cosmetic impact. Window screens, condensers, fence caps, mailbox tops, and trim often show the clearest hail signature on smaller events. On the larger end of this storm, look for broken seals, fractured accessories, and wider dent fields on metal surfaces. Coordinate inspections with visible storm timing, since a property inside the early alert area may not have the same exposure as one reached during the late-evening peak.

For route planning, focus crews on the warning areas that aligned with the 1.5 inch alert and leave a second pass available for properties with partial-tree cover or sheltered roof planes. Short field visits are usually enough to rule in or rule out obvious impact on harder surfaces, but roof evaluations need a slower pace and consistent photo angles.