Buffalo, WY Hail Storm – June 2026

A hail-producing thunderstorm tracked through Buffalo, Wyoming on June 22, 2026, producing stones up to 2.89 inches and a sequence of radar-detected alerts across the metro. The storm ran from early afternoon into late evening and generated 21 separate NWS alerts.

What Happened

NWS issuances began at 1:34 PM MDT and continued through 10:36 PM MDT. Twenty-one alerts were issued for the Buffalo metro and surrounding counties. Dual-polarization radar repeatedly flagged hail signatures across the area, with several NWS warnings issued without radar estimates at select times.

Radar-detected estimates varied through the afternoon. Early afternoon echoes first showed 1.0-inch signatures. A cluster of stronger returns developed in the mid- to late-afternoon, including radar hail estimates near 1.88 inches at 4:23 PM MDT and 2.45 inches at 4:47 PM MDT. The storm produced additional radar-detected hail signatures during early evening and again after 6:30 PM MDT.

Spotters and local observers provided ground-truth along the track. Around 3:23 PM MDT, emergency management reported hail along Highway 387 near Wright and noted no reported structural damage at that site. Around 7:07 PM MDT, spotters arrived at a location to find golf ball–sized hail and areas with up to two-inch stones still on the ground; the arrival time was recorded at about 7:35 PM MDT with the hail timing estimated by radar. At 6:49 PM MDT, observers at Rawhide Mine reported brief ground coverage by hail. A social media video posted shortly after 7:13 PM MDT showed impacts consistent with 1.25-inch stones. A 4:05 PM MDT spotter noted small hail with very little wind accompanying the fall.

Damage Assessment

Field reports show localized surface accumulation and recurring hail impacts in multiple spots across the Buffalo metro and nearby corridors. Spotter visits documented golf ball–sized stones and pockets of two-inch hail still present on the ground at around 7:35 PM MDT. Rawhide Mine recorded brief ground coverage, and video evidence supports 1.25-inch impacts near the same early evening period.

Emergency management in Wright reported no structural damage along Highway 387 despite 1.75-inch spotter observations at about 3:23 PM MDT. No widespread structural failures or community-scale damage reports were filed in the spotter submissions received. Observers did note limited wind with the hail at 4:05 PM MDT, which corresponded to smaller hail measurements and reduced lateral damage potential at that site.

Where accumulation occurred, vehicle finishes, exposed outdoor equipment, and unshielded crop or livestock cover should be prioritized for inspection. Photographic evidence and time-stamped spotter notes show the largest surface impacts concentrated in discrete pockets rather than across a continuous corridor.

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