Olney Springs, CO Hail Storm – April 2026

What Happened

Olney Springs, CO saw a concluded hail storm on April 11, 2026, with peak hail at 1.5 inches. The event unfolded from mid-afternoon into late afternoon across the Haswell, CO metro area.

The first alert came at 3:33 PM MDT with 1.25-inch hail detected by dual-polarization radar. A stronger signal followed at 3:43 PM MDT with 1.5-inch hail. Two more alerts came later in the storm, at 3:57 PM MDT and 4:33 PM MDT, both at 1 inch. The final alert was issued at 4:46 PM MDT with 1.25-inch hail. In all, five NWS alerts were tied to this storm.

The radar sequence showed a hail-producing storm that maintained severe hail potential for more than an hour. The largest hail signal appeared during the 3:43 PM MDT alert. Later detections stayed in the severe range through the end of the warning period.

Damage Assessment

Hail in the 1 to 1.5 inch range can leave a mixed damage pattern across roofs, siding, vehicles, and exterior trim. The storm did not produce uniform impact across the full warning area. Some properties will show only minor cosmetic damage. Others will show more concentrated loss on roof slopes, vents, soft metals, window screens, and exposed equipment.

In the field, 1.25-inch and 1.5-inch hail often lines up with dented vehicle panels, bruised roof coverings, broken or split gutter runs, and impact marks on north- and west-facing exposures when wind-driven hail is present. Flat roofing, skylights, and older asphalt shingles can show sharper loss patterns than newer impact-resistant materials, though the result varies by construction and exposure.

For contractors, the key point is the spread between the first and strongest alerts. A warning area that holds multiple hail detections over an extended period can produce patchy damage rather than a single continuous swath of equal intensity. Inspection routes should account for roof age, slope direction, and tree cover. Ground-level findings can differ sharply from roof-level results.

What Contractors Should Know

Start with the strongest alert time and work outward. In this case, the most intense hail signal came at 3:43 PM MDT, with additional hail detections before and after that point. That timing gives a narrow inspection window for likely impact on the most exposed structures near the storm path.

Prioritize roofs with visible granule loss, bruising, lifted tabs, and collateral damage to vents, flashing, and gutters. Check vehicles, patio covers, soft metals, and screen enclosures in the same canvass zone. If the roof surface shows limited wear but exterior metal and plastics are marked, the storm may have produced localized hail loading rather than broad roof failure.

Document each property by street, roof pitch, and exposure. Avoid assuming equal damage across the warning area. The difference between 1 inch and 1.5 inches is material in the field, especially when the larger hail size appears in a later alert after the storm has already produced earlier hail reports.