San Manuel, AZ Hail Storm – September 2025

What Happened

A severe hail storm moved through San Manuel, Arizona, on September 12, 2025, producing 2-inch hail and a long run of warning updates through the afternoon and evening. The most intense phase came late in the day, with radar-derived hail signals rising from 1 inch early to 2 inches by 3:35 PM MST.

The first alert came at 11:09 AM MST with 1-inch hail in the warning area, backed by radar and a spotter report. A second spotter report followed at 11:25 AM MST, then additional radar-based alerts at 11:57 AM MST and 12:40 PM MST kept the storm in place through the late morning. By midafternoon, the hail threat renewed at 2:16 PM MST and 2:53 PM MST with continued dual-polarization radar confidence.

The storm peaked at 3:35 PM MST, when the hail estimate climbed to 2 inches. Radar then held the core at 1.5 inches at 4:14 PM MST, followed by a spotter report at 4:44 PM MST confirming 1.5-inch hail. Around the same window, a field report noted an overturned semitruck at 3:47 PM MST. Another spotter report at 4:00 PM MST described hail accumulation on roadways roughly 8 inches deep, and a second report at 4:24 PM MST placed 1.5-inch hail along Highway 191.

Later alerts kept the hail threat active into the night. Warning-only hail estimates continued at 5:46 PM MST, 8:17 PM MST, and 9:57 PM MST, with spotter reports at 8:28 PM MST, 9:10 PM MST, and 10:55 PM MST confirming repeated hail reports in the broader storm path.

Damage Assessment

Field reports point to concentrated surface impact along road corridors in and near San Manuel, especially Highway 191. The 4:00 PM MST report of hail accumulation roughly 8 inches deep on roadways indicates heavy localized loading in the storm path, not just brief stone fallout.

The overturned semitruck reported at 3:47 PM MST fits the same corridor-level impact. The report did not describe widespread structural loss, but it does show hazardous travel conditions during the peak hail period. The later 1.5-inch hail report along Highway 191 at 4:24 PM MST places the heaviest verified stones directly on a primary route through the area.

The overnight flood fatality report at 9:30 PM MST sits outside the hail core but remains part of the same multi-zone event. Two people were swept away after entering a flooded wash. One was rescued. One died. That report adds a separate flash-flood hazard to the same storm system.

The damage picture is consistent with repeated hail cores crossing the same general area through the day. Roads took the first hit. Vehicle exposure followed. The hail reports then continued into the evening at lower confirmed sizes, which kept the storm footprint active after the peak had passed.

What Contractors Should Know

San Manuel saw multiple hail passes on September 12, not a single isolated strike. Crews should treat the afternoon corridor around Highway 191 as the highest-priority field zone, with the strongest verified impacts reported between 3:47 PM MST and 4:24 PM MST. That is the window tied to the overturned semitruck, the 8-inch road accumulation report, and the 1.5-inch hail on the highway.