Marquette, MI Hail Storm – July 2026

A severe hail storm tracked through Marquette, MI on July 20, 2026, producing 3-inch stones and a sequence of radar-detected and spotter-verified hail reports in the late afternoon and early evening.

What Happened

The event produced 32 NWS alerts between 5:09 PM and 11:48 PM EDT. Early NWS warning-only alerts began at 5:09 PM with an initial 1-inch estimate. Dual-polarization radar detected progressive intensification during the late afternoon – notable radar-derived hail estimates included 1.16 inches at 5:34 PM, 1.39 inches at 5:46 PM, and a radar peak of roughly 2.02 inches at 6:22 PM. Multiple spotters reported larger stones in the early evening.

Spotter reports clustered across northern Marquette County. At 6:23 PM several observers reported golf-ball or larger hail in locations north of Rapid River, recorded as about 1.75 inches. At 6:54 PM three near-identical Local Storm Reports corrected an earlier Trenary report to Brampton, each listing 2.75-inch stones and noting baseball-sized hail roughly 15 miles north of Rapid River. Earlier in the sequence, mPING entries at 6:04 PM recorded quarter-inch hail, and a Spread Eagle report at 6:35 PM described nickel-to-quarter size hail falling for about 90 seconds. Later evening alerts were largely NWS warning-only messages with intermittent zero-hail estimates as the system weakened.

Damage Assessment

Field reports and local storm reports place concentrated surface impacts in Brampton, the Rapid River corridor north of town, Spread Eagle, and the area near Trenary that was corrected to Brampton. Multiple spotters at 6:54 PM recorded 2.75-inch stones in Brampton and nearby areas, and those observers repeated the same location correction in consecutive reports. The Rapid River area received reports described as "baseball sized hail" from observers at the same timestamp. Several short-duration reports document intense bursts rather than long-lived hail—examples include a one-minute report of 1-inch hail and a 90-second report of nickel-to-quarter size hail in Spread Eagle.

No Local Storm Report listed specific structural collapse or widespread roof failure. The recorded observations focused on hail diameter and duration. Radar-derived hail estimates align with the spotter cluster across northern Marquette County, showing a concentrated swath of strong returns where spotters recorded the largest stones. Vehicle panels, exposed outdoor equipment, and unprotected skylights in the Brampton–Rapid River track are the most likely places to show visible impact given the reported stone sizes and the brief, intense nature of some bursts.

What Contractors Should Know

Prioritize inspections in Brampton, the Rapid River corridor north of Rapid River, Spread Eagle, and properties south of Trenary that were referenced in corrected reports. Start with vehicles and exterior glass on properties in those locations. Then move to roofing systems on the windward sides of structures and to gutters, skylights, soffits, and HVAC external units. Field reports show short, intense bursts; look for localized patterning of damage rather than uniformly distributed granule loss.