Kaycee, WY Hail Storm – July 2025

What Happened

A severe hail storm moved through Kaycee, Wyoming, on July 23, 2025, producing 1.5-inch hail at peak and a later spotter report of pea to dime sized hail at a gas station in town. The storm was tracked across the afternoon, with multiple NWS warning-area hail estimates ranging from 1 to 1.5 inches.

The first radar-derived hail alert came at 12:54 PM MDT with a 1.25-inch estimate. The threat held through early afternoon, with alerts at 1:12 PM MDT for 1 inch and 1:18 PM MDT for 1.5 inches. Another 1-inch alert followed at 1:27 PM MDT.

The storm strengthened again later in the day. Dual-polarization radar supported 1.5-inch hail estimates at 2:32 PM MDT and 3:02 PM MDT, followed by a 1.25-inch alert at 3:06 PM MDT. A 1-inch estimate was issued at 3:59 PM MDT.

By 5:15 PM MDT, the final alert in the sequence carried a 1-inch hail estimate with radar and spotter verification. Four minutes later, at 5:19 PM MDT, a spotter reported pea to dime sized hail at a gas station in Kaycee. That report placed measured surface impacts beneath the larger radar estimates seen earlier in the storm.

Damage Assessment

Field reports from Kaycee show a mixed hail footprint. Radar found pockets capable of larger stones earlier in the event, while the observed surface report in town was smaller, with pea to dime sized hail at a gas station. No large damage report was included in the available ground-truth data.

The report at a commercial location matters because it confirms the storm reached the town center and did not stay confined to open country. The hail size observed at the surface was modest compared with the radar estimates issued earlier in the afternoon. That spread between radar and ground truth is common in hail storms with a narrow core and shifting stone size along the path.

For contractors, the key detail is the timing. The storm produced repeated hail signatures from 12:54 PM MDT through 5:15 PM MDT, which points to a long-lived hail-producing cell or a cluster of cells moving through the Kaycee area. Roof, gutter, and soft-metal checks should focus on buildings that were under the warning area during the early afternoon and again near evening.

The local report from the gas station suggests the storm remained active in town late in the event. Ground-level hail there was not extreme, but it still supports inspection calls for exposed surfaces, fleet vehicles, rooftop units, and accessory structures that sit in the open.

What Contractors Should Know

Kaycee sits in a broad service area where hail can hit scattered properties along the highway corridor, at fuel stops, and on outlying ranch structures. The storm on July 23 produced several radar-confirmed hail estimates above 1 inch, then ended with a spotter-confirmed report in town. Crews should treat the day as one with a defined hail corridor, not a single isolated report.