Nogales, AZ Hail Storm – September 2026

Nogales, AZ experienced late-afternoon hail on September 23, 2026, producing peak hail of 1.54 inches during a short-lived severe thunderstorm. The storm generated an NWS warning and a radar-detected hail track through the metro.

What Happened

The main hail-producing pulse moved through Nogales in the late afternoon of September 23. The National Weather Service issued a warning for 1.00-inch hail at 2:54 PM MST (21:54 UTC) for the Nogales area. Radar hail-detection points during and after the warning showed hail estimates reaching 1.54 inches within the NWS alert area. The event concluded within a matter of hours and no additional warnings were active for this cell after the late-afternoon pulse.

Ground-based spotter reports were limited in number for this event. The warning was characterized as NWS warning only, with the larger 1.54-inch estimates derived from radar hail-detection and post-event analysis. The hail track crossed central sections of the Nogales metro, focused inside the single warning polygon issued for the storm.

Damage Assessment

Hail measuring 1.54 inches in diameter commonly produces visible deformation to unprotected vehicle body panels. Expect denting of sheet metal, cracked or deformed plastic trim, and localized paint damage. Rooftop impacts are likely to dislodge shingle granules and can cause fracture points in three-tab and older architectural shingles. Asphalt shingle substrates may show granule loss concentrated on windward roof planes.

Solar panels and skylights in the immediate hail track are at elevated risk for impact fractures. Exterior building components such as vinyl siding and exposed HVAC condenser fins can sustain indentations and fin damage at this size. The distribution of impacts within Nogales will be uneven; damage severity will concentrate along the radar-derived hail track inside the NWS alert area.

What Contractors Should Know

Inspect properties in the municipal and central Nogales corridor where the warning polygon overlapped populated areas. Prioritize photographic documentation with time and location metadata. On roofs, check for missing granules, fractured tabs, and circumferential fracture lines. Record material type and age for each roof. For vehicles, document dents and paint scuffs on multiple panels and capture wide-angle shots showing context.

Estimate repair versus replacement decisions based on patch count, shingle lifecycle, and local building code. For impacted HVAC units, straighten or replace bent condenser fins and verify refrigerant pressure before declaring equipment fully operational. Provide customers with concise written estimates and advise immediate temporary measures for active leaks. Coordinate with insurers and include location-stamped imagery in all claims paperwork.

A paid Strike Map is available for this event and shows the radar-confirmed hail swath and the damage zone for the Nogales storm.