Elgin, AZ Hail Storm – September 2025

What Happened

A hail storm crossed Elgin, AZ on September 25, 2025, producing 1-inch stones and a mix of dual-polarization radar detections and spotter-verified reports through the afternoon and evening.

The first round of alerts came in late morning at 11:47 AM MST, with repeated 1-inch hail signals at 12:24 PM, 12:51 PM, and 1:26 PM. Radar confidence remained consistent during that early cycle. Field reports began to catch up soon after. A social media report tied to radar timing placed 1-inch hail near 2:13 PM, followed by another at 2:20 PM. A trained spotter also reported dime-sized hail at 2:15 PM.

By early afternoon, the storm kept producing verified hail. At 1:11 PM, 2:04 PM, 2:18 PM, 3:43 PM, and 10:49 PM MST, alerts were paired with radar and spotter verification. Additional dual-polarization detections came in at 2:28 PM, 2:54 PM, 7:36 PM, and 8:15 PM. The sequence shows multiple hail-producing pulses rather than a single isolated burst.

A later field report at 3:52 PM documented a 51 mph wind gust nearby with 0.88-inch hail. That same event added wind to the hail footprint without changing the overall hail size ceiling. The final ground report came in at 11:59 PM, when a delayed report described swift water rescue for five people and 12 to 18 inches of running water in a wash that crossed a roadway.

Damage Assessment

The field reports point to localized surface impact with scattered hail covering several hours, not a short-lived single cell. The most consistent ground truth was 1-inch hail, confirmed by multiple radar-backed alerts and spotter timing in the early afternoon. The dime-sized report at 2:15 PM suggests hail size varied within the storm path, with some pockets smaller than the peak values.

The 3:52 PM report adds a nearby wind component. A 51 mph gust is below severe wind criteria, but it supports a broader convective storm environment with enough force to move debris and complicate roof or gutter checks. The hail report attached to that same observation came in at 0.88 inch, slightly below the peak but still large enough to warrant a close inspection of exposed surfaces.

The late-night water rescue report stands apart from the hail observations. It documents roadway flooding in a wash, with 12 to 18 inches of running water and five people rescued. That report does not add hail size, but it does place the storm in a broader monsoon-type setup with runoff issues after earlier convective activity.

For roofs, vehicles, and soft metals in the Elgin area, the damage picture is most consistent with isolated to scattered hail marks rather than uniform coverage. The repeated alerts through the afternoon and evening suggest more than one pass through the same general area.

What Contractors Should Know

This was not a one-window event. The alert sequence ran from late morning into late evening, and the strongest field reports clustered around the early-to-mid afternoon period. Contractors working Elgin should treat this as a multi-pulse hail day with overlapping hail footprints and a separate water rescue report later in the evening.

Elgin, AZ Hail Storm – September 2025

NWS WARNING AREAS · 47

What Happened

Damage Assessment

What Contractors Should Know

Storm Details

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