Arbon, ID Hail Storm – September 2026

What Happened

A hail-producing storm tracked through Arbon, ID on September 17, 2026, producing a peak radar-derived stone of 2.71 inches and multiple spotter-verified tennis-ball and golf-ball reports. The event unfolded from mid-afternoon into late evening with intermittent NWS activity across the region.

NWS issued 13 warning areas between 1:47 PM MDT and 10:37 PM MDT. Early afternoon activity began with repeated dual-polarization radar detections near 1:47 PM MDT. Additional radar-detected hail returns continued through the afternoon and into the evening. One alert at 4:16 PM MDT was issued as an NWS warning only without a coincident dual-polarization hail detection. Late evening radar scans produced renewed strong returns that aligned in time with multiple ground reports.

Spotter equipment and public submissions provided surface confirmation. Two photo-verified reports at 8:50 PM MDT showed tennis ball-sized hail. Multiple submissions in the western Blackfoot area and the Journeys End Neighborhood around 9:20–10:30 PM MDT described golf ball-sized hail and were spotter-verified. Several additional spotter-verified submissions from the Thomas area near 9:10–11:40 PM MDT reported half-dollar-sized stones. Radar-detected hail during the late evening matched the timing and general track of these submissions.

Damage Assessment

Field reports show concentrated surface impacts in and near western Blackfoot, the Journeys End Neighborhood, and the Thomas area. Two photo-verified tennis ball reports at 8:50 PM MDT indicate localized severe surface impacts where those photos were taken. Multiple spotter-verified golf-ball reports in western Blackfoot and Journeys End indicate a broader band of strong hail across those neighborhoods during the late evening. Repeated half-dollar-sized reports from the Thomas area point to scattered but persistent hail influence there.

Public submissions were primarily photographic or social-media based and came from residents in the storm path. Vehicle denting and broken landscaping were reported alongside the photographic evidence in the western Blackfoot area. Journeys End submissions noted concentrated golf-ball impacts on lawns and vehicles. The timing of these reports corresponds with the late-evening radar returns, indicating the highest-impact window occurred around 8:50 PM to 10:30 PM MDT.

NWS warning areas issued earlier in the afternoon flagged additional radar-detected hail elsewhere along the storm complex. Those warnings and the dual-polarization radar detections show that the storm complex produced multiple hail cores over a multi-hour track. Damage reports are clustered along that track rather than evenly distributed across the entire warning area.

What Contractors Should Know

Inspect Journeys End Neighborhood and western Blackfoot first. Spotter-verified golf-ball reports there suggest significant impact to asphalt shingles, siding, and exposed vehicle panels. Prioritize roof surveys for split or fractured shingles, granule loss, and roof-edge damage. Photograph and geotag representative damage for estimating and subrogation.