Bluff, UT Hail Storm – August 2025

What Happened

Bluff, UT was hit by a hail-producing storm on 2025-08-26. The event delivered 1-inch hail in the warning area and ended with spotter-verified hail by late afternoon.

The storm moved through in several rounds. An initial NWS warning came in at 3:07 PM MDT with 1-inch hail confidence. A radar-derived alert followed at 3:17 PM MDT, also tied to 1-inch hail. Another warning-only alert came at 3:23 PM MDT with the same hail size. By 5:54 PM MDT, the event was carrying radar and spotter-verified confidence.

Field reports put the surface impact in clearer focus. At 5:38 PM MDT, a spotter reported heavy rain and hail lasting about 20 minutes and measured hail at 0.7 inch. That report fits a storm that kept producing hail over a broad part of the warning area, with size held near the 1-inch mark while intensity varied by location and time.

The sequence shows a storm that did not arrive as a single short burst. It built, refreshed, and continued into the late afternoon. The radar and warning timeline tracked that persistence. The ground report added a direct account from the field, with hail and heavy rain lasting long enough to affect exposed surfaces.

Damage Assessment

The available reports point to a moderate hail event with limited but real surface impact. The spotter note of 0.7-inch hail and 20 minutes of hail and heavy rain indicates enough accumulation and pounding to affect unprotected roofs, soft metals, and vehicle surfaces in the storm path.

No widespread damage report was included in the field data, but the mix of warning-only, radar-derived, and spotter-verified alerts shows a storm that was not just model-driven. It produced hail that was observed on the ground and confirmed by more than one source. In Bluff, that usually means the first check should focus on vehicles parked outdoors, roof openings, gutters, downspouts, and any north- or west-facing siding that took direct exposure during the late-afternoon passage.

The strongest ground evidence in this event comes from the spotter report at 5:38 PM MDT. Heavy rain and hail for 20 minutes can drive water under loose trim and stress older roof penetrations, even when hail size stays below severe threshold levels in some locations. In a small community like Bluff, damage can remain scattered and easy to miss until a close inspection finds bruised shingles, dented metal accents, and chipped paint on exposed equipment.

What Contractors Should Know

This storm is a good field check for mixed hail and rain exposure in a compact area. The hail size ranged from 0.7 inch in the spotter report to 1 inch in the warning and radar alerts, so inspection crews should not assume uniform impact across the community. Roofs, vehicles, and exterior finishes may show different results block to block, especially where the storm core shifted during the afternoon.