Mesa, AZ Hail Storm – October 2026

A severe hail storm tracked through Mesa, AZ on October 20–21, 2026, producing 2.89-inch stones and multiple radar-detected hail cores across the metro area.

What Happened

The event produced 82 NWS alerts between the evening of October 20 and late evening October 21. The first alert arrived at 9:49 PM MST on October 20 for 1.00-inch hail as a NWS warning only. Dual-polarization radar detections began producing larger returns after midnight, with notable radar-detected hail at 11:11 PM MST (1.62 inches), 1:13 AM MST (2.50 inches), and multiple cores later in the day including 2.53 inches at 4:29 PM MST and 2.61 inches at 9:00 PM MST on October 21. Those radar returns were interleaved with NWS warning-only alerts for smaller hail throughout the sequence.

Field reports were consistent with the radar progression. At 10:25 PM MST on October 20 spotters uploaded photos showing piles of hail stones around 2.00 inches in diameter. In mid-morning on October 21 multiple public reports via social media and a NWS employee described ping-pong ball-sized hail at about 9:38–10:43 AM MST, and several reports at 9:18 AM MST noted dents observed in a truck. A trained spotter reported golf ball-sized hail at 4:09 PM MST. The mix of radar-detected hail cores and spotter-verified observations indicates multiple pulses of severe hail tracked through the metro across a roughly 24-hour period.

Damage Assessment

Ground reports and spotter-submitted photos show localized vehicle and exterior impacts across the metro. At 9:18 AM MST public observers documented denting in a truck coincident with multiple reports of 1.50-inch ping-pong ball-sized hail. Two spotter photos uploaded at 10:25 PM MST show accumulations of roughly 2.00-inch stones in a residential area. Trained spotter and public posts at 10:34 AM MST and 4:09 PM MST reported golf ball-sized hail, and those reports align with radar-detected cores later in the afternoon.

The surface impact pattern is concentrated where spotter reports clustered in mid-morning and late afternoon. Photographic evidence shows hail accumulation in gutters and on pavement at the times cited. The 9:18 AM MST truck dent report provides a tied, time-stamped damage observation. Social-media reports of ping-pong and golf ball-sized hail repeat across multiple timestamps and were submitted by both the public and trained spotters. Those observations, combined with radar returns, indicate that vehicle panels, exposed rooftop elements, and soft coverings in the path of the storm are the primary observed damage points from this event.

What Contractors Should Know

Inspect vehicle fleets and exposed metalwork first. Multiple spotter reports documented vehicle dents around mid-morning on October 21. Start with windward-facing panels and rooflines where ping-pong and golf ball-sized impacts were reported. Photograph all panels with a date/time reference before any repair work.

Mesa, AZ Hail Storm – October 2026

NWS WARNING AREAS · 82

What Happened

Damage Assessment

What Contractors Should Know

Storm Details

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