Gildford, MT Hail Storm – August 2026

A severe hail storm tracked through Gildford, Montana on August 23, 2026, producing 2.11-inch hail and a sequence of radar-detected alerts and spotter reports in the late afternoon. The event generated multiple NWS warning-area updates and social-media photos that documented surface impacts.

What Happened

Dual-polarization NEXRAD flagged the first significant returns in the area in the mid-afternoon. At 2:43 PM MDT radar-detected hail signatures returned values consistent with 1.4 inches. Additional radar-derived alerts followed at 2:51 PM MDT and again at 3:33 PM MDT, with the strongest radar echo observed during the mid-3 PM pulse. The NWS issued a series of warning-area updates through the evening, for a total of 13 alerts across the event window.

Surface reporting was limited but consistent where available. A spotter-corrected social-media photo submitted around 3:30 PM MDT noted hail and corrected an earlier Kremlin report. Another spotter-provided image near 3:47 PM MDT showed hail on paved surfaces and was logged as spotter-verified. Later evening alerts transitioned to warning-only updates with repeated 1.0-inch values as the cells moved off to the east.

The radar record shows multiple cells traversing the same corridor through the Gildford metro, producing repeated updraft pulses and localized strong hail cores. Radar-detected hail sizes in the early sequence exceeded routine small-stone returns, while later NWS warning-area messages maintained 1.0-inch guidance as the activity weakened.

Damage Assessment

Field photos submitted in the 3:30–3:47 PM MDT timeframe show concentrated surface impacts in and immediately around Gildford. Images depict intact stones on driveways and lawns and localized accumulation in gutters and low spots. The spotter-corrected submission referencing an earlier Kremlin entry shows similar evidence of surface cover rather than widespread structural failure.

No multi-site photographic evidence of roof penetration, broken windows, or major vehicle panel damage was collected in the publicly available reports. Radar-detected stronger returns earlier in the sequence indicate where larger hail cores likely occurred, but the ground-truth photos captured by spotters show mostly small-to-moderate stone effects on lawns and pavement within the reported time window.

NWS warning-area updates intersected the town and nearby rural sections multiple times. Those warning areas indicate where the storms were expected and where response teams should prioritize visual inspections. Specific damage reports remain limited to the two spotter-verified photo submissions and accompanying notes tied to late-afternoon observations.

What Contractors Should Know

Inspect roofs in the corridors indicated by the late-afternoon spotter photos first. Check for granular loss, bruising, and shingle edge damage on south- and west-facing exposures where hail typically accumulates after wind-driven events. Pay particular attention to gutters, downspouts, and skylight flashings shown in the 3:30–3:47 PM MDT images.