USAF Academy, CO Hail Storm – June 2026

A severe hail core swept through the United States Air Force Academy, Colorado on June 23, 2026, producing stones up to 4.33 inches in diameter and a prolonged sequence of radar-detected hail signatures. The storm produced 73 NWS alerts covering the academy warning area from late afternoon into the early hours of June 24.

What Happened

The event began in the late afternoon with repeated dual-polarization radar hail detections over academy grounds and adjacent neighborhoods. NWS warning-area messages started at 4:16 PM MDT and continued intermittently into the pre-dawn hours, with a concentrated period of multi-inch radar cores between roughly 8:50 PM and 12:10 AM MDT. Spotter inputs tracked with the radar timeline. mPING submissions recorded quarter- to half-dollar sized hail in the 4:30–5:20 PM MDT window. A media-relayed field report at 6:50 PM MDT noted 1.4-inch stones across parts of the installation. Around 8:57 PM MDT a spotter-verified report identified 2.75-inch hail, followed shortly by two separate mPING entries at 9:07 PM MDT reporting 2.00-inch stones.

Dual-polarization radar continued to show alternating cores of large and moderate hail through the evening. Several later radar alerts flagged 2–3 inch signatures near the academy and on approaches to nearby residential sectors. A small number of NWS messages in the sequence were issued as warning-area notifications without accompanying radar-derived hail size estimates.

Damage Assessment

Field reports and radar detections indicate concentrated surface impacts on academy grounds and nearby residential streets. Spotters documented multiple locations with dime- to hen-egg-sized hail early in the event, and later reports recorded larger stones in training-area sectors and housing clusters. The 8:57 PM MDT spotter-verified 2.75-inch report and the 9:07 PM MDT mPING records of 2.00-inch hail correspond with radar cores that passed directly over academy property.

Initial ground reports referenced roof denting on parked vehicles and loss of siding granules on housing units near the central campus. Media-relayed observers at 6:50 PM MDT reported 1.4-inch impacts on exterior fixtures in the south-central portion of the installation. Multiple mPING entries and local spotter messages also recorded repeated quarter- and half-dollar impacts across perimeter neighborhoods between 4:30 PM MDT and early evening.

Radar-detected multi-inch cores persisted long enough to produce patchy but severe surface effects rather than a single isolated strike. Damage clusters align with the stronger radar signatures to the northwest and east of the main academy campus. Several later NWS warning-area messages covered the same corridor where spotters reported the largest stones.

What Contractors Should Know

Inspect priority assets first: housing units along the south-central campus corridor, fleet and privately owned vehicles parked near training grounds, and low-slope roof sections on administrative buildings. Start with exterior scans for fractured shingles, depressed metal panels, dented vehicle bodies, and displaced siding. Document damage with time-stamped photographs and reference the local spotter times (for example, 8:57 PM MDT and 9:07 PM MDT) when filing initial estimates.

USAF Academy, CO Hail Storm – June 2026

NWS WARNING AREAS · 73

What Happened

Damage Assessment

What Contractors Should Know

Storm Details

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