Wise River, MT Hail Storm – September 2026

A severe hail storm tracked through Wise River, MT on September 6, 2026, producing 4.35-inch stones and multiple radar-detected hail signatures into the overnight hours.

What Happened

The National Weather Service issued 32 alerts tied to this storm between 4:04 PM MDT on September 6 and 3:05 AM MDT on September 7. Alerts began with smaller radar-detected signatures in the late afternoon and escalated through the evening with repeated dual-polarization radar hail detections. Several alerts were marked as NWS warning only during the late-evening sequence.

Spotters reported quarter-sized (1.00-inch) hail in Wolf Creek at 6:30 PM MDT. That spotter-verified observation coincided with an early radar hail signature in the same corridor. After mid-evening, radar-detected hail signatures increased in intensity, with multiple detections exceeding two inches between about 10:24 PM and 12:01 AM MDT. The strongest radar returns occurred late in the sequence, near and after 10:40 PM MDT, before the system moved out of the local warning area.

Damage Assessment

Surface reports remain limited. Field reports from 6:30 PM MDT document quarter-sized hail in Wolf Creek with no additional ground-truth reports filed to the NWS or SPC observers for this storm. Local emergency dispatch and public reports did not return additional verified damage calls within the immediate Wise River metro area during the event window.

Radar shows a corridor of intense hail signatures tracking east of Wise River during the late-evening period. Those radar-detected signatures included multiple multi-inch returns near 10:24 PM and 10:40 PM MDT, indicating a high likelihood of large stones along the radar track beyond locations with spotter verification. On-the-ground impact in Wolf Creek was limited to pea-to-quarter-sized accumulations and localized vegetation scarring consistent with 1.00-inch hail.

Property damage reports have not been submitted to the NWS Local Storm Reports for Wise River itself. Given the radar footprint, inspectors should prioritize structures and vehicles located along the eastern portion of the NWS warning area that overlapped the strongest radar signatures between late evening and midnight.

What Contractors Should Know

Access and timing. The event produced its most intense radar signatures between approximately 10:24 PM and 10:40 PM MDT. Contractors should focus inspections on properties east of Wise River that lie inside the NWS warning area issued during that interval. Wolf Creek properties reported only 1.00-inch hail at 6:30 PM MDT; schedule Wolf Creek checks for cosmetic and minor shingle impact first, then move to the corridor covered by the late-evening radar returns.

Inspection priorities. Start with photographic documentation using a measurable scale. Check low-slope roofing, metal flashing, skylights, solar arrays, and HVAC equipment for denting and perforation. Look for hail pocks on soft metals and rounded impact marks on asphalt shingles; document hail size with a ruler or coin reference. Vehicle fleets should be inspected for rounded dents on hoods and roofs and for cracked windshields. For claims involving larger radar signatures, collect dated photos and coordinates of observed damage.