Stratton, CO Hail Storm – October 2025

What Happened

A severe hail storm moved through Stratton, Colorado, on Oct. 16, 2025, with the strongest alert calling for 2-inch hail in the late afternoon. Five NWS alerts covered the storm from 3:52 PM MDT through 6:13 PM MDT, with radar and spotter-verified confidence on each alert.

The storm first drew attention at 3:52 PM MDT with 1-inch hail in the warning area. Another 1-inch alert followed at 4:44 PM MDT. By 5:10 PM MDT, hail size guidance increased to 1.25 inches. The peak alert came at 5:43 PM MDT, when the warning area was updated for 2-inch hail. A final 1-inch alert came in at 6:13 PM MDT as the storm continued east through the Stratton area.

Field reports lined up with the storm timing. At 5:49 PM MDT, spotter reports through mPING described dime-size hail at 0.75 inch. One minute later, three separate reports came in for quarter-size hail at 1 inch. Those reports placed measurable hail on the ground in the same late-afternoon window when the storm was still active over the metro area.

Damage Assessment

The surface impact in Stratton was consistent with repeated hail cores moving through the same general corridor rather than a single brief pulse. The spotter reports show hail near 0.75 inch and 1 inch during the 5:49 PM to 5:50 PM MDT window, and the alert sequence kept hail in the severe range for more than two hours.

This event produced a mixed hail profile. Some locations saw quarter-size hail, while the warning area later supported a 2-inch report in the official alert stream. The spread between the early field reports and the later peak alert points to uneven hail loading across town and nearby properties. Roofs, vehicles, and exposed exterior finishes in the path of the stronger cores are the first places to check.

The repeated 1-inch and 1.25-inch alerts also suggest more than one damaging pass. In a town the size of Stratton, that often means one side of a neighborhood can take a different hail load than another side across the same afternoon. Contractors should expect that pattern here and verify each address on its own merits.

Walkable evidence matters on storms like this. Look for spatter marks on siding, bruising on soft metals, and shallow impacts on gutters, downspouts, and window trim. On vehicles, check horizontal panels, mirrors, and any surface that faced the storm during the late-afternoon window. The field reports confirm hail reached the ground, and the alert sequence shows the storm kept producing hail as it moved through.

What Contractors Should Know

Stratton sits in open country with scattered structures and broad exposures. That setup can produce uneven hail loss. Two homes a few blocks apart can show different damage levels if one sat under the stronger hail core and the other stayed on the edge of the warning area.

Use the timing from the reports to narrow canvassing. The strongest field-confirmed hail came in around 5:49 PM MDT and 5:50 PM MDT, after the storm had already produced multiple severe alerts. Start with properties that face the storm path during that late-afternoon period, then work outward from there. Check schools, commercial roofs, detached garages, metal sheds, and vehicles parked in open lots.