Here’s why Colorado is ‘hail alley’

Dara Bitler

3 years ago

DENVER (KDVR) — The Pinpoint Weather Team has issued a Pinpoint Weather Alert Day due to the risk of severe storms on Tuesday.

Large hail and damaging wind gusts are possible this afternoon between 3-6 p.m.

Hail in Colorado

Severe hail is growing problem across Denver and the Front Range. We are technically in “hail alley”, a term used by Meteorologist Chris Tomer.

Not only does hail fall several times a year in Colorado, it’s also incredibly costly for our state.

The costliest storm to date was on May 8, 2017. It resulted in about $2.3 billion in hail-related insurance claims.

That storm surpassed the historic storms of July 20, 2009 and July 11, 1990.

A $1.1 billion hailstorm hit the state in July of 2009. Thornton was buried under 8 inches of hail during that event.

Here’s a look at some of the hail that has fallen in Colorado over the past few years:

june 26 20 castle rock hail

Photo taken in Elizabeth Sunday afternoon. Robyn Cooper – Robync@hotmail.com

Hail in south east Fort Collins. Our trees are shredded and cars damaged.

Mike Uhrich (YOO-Rick) photo of our garden dweller near Monaco and Yale

Lydia Ker, Castle Rock. My children and I watched the hail go from pea-sized, to marble-sized, to golf ball size in a matter of moments. It fell with great velocity and shattered in the street and sidewalk. I’ve never seen hail explode on impact the way it did today!

Elizabeth Hamilton

Hail that woke me up tonight! At least as big or bigger than dime sized!

Mark Kaiser

3 in of hail covering in brighton

Hail no not again…

Hail and rain storm flooding

Ron Allen, an employee with the Manitou Springs Penny Arcade, and other employees dig out of hail drifts.

Baseball size hail! Centennial Hail

Hail in Northeast Fort Collins. Fell in 7 minutes. Can of sunscreen for scale.

Permission to post. Northern Greeley bear Island Grove Centennial Village

disk shaped, jellyfish hail 6.18.18

Hail the size of a peach! Broken windshield

North Thornton 06/18/18

Hail in Superior, Colorado. Photo credit: Alycia Gilliland

Hail covers US 36 near Louisville, Colorado

This was at Chambers and Evens

Hail this afternoon

Hailstorm south of Buena Vista this evening! Mudslide closed the west side of Hwy 285 in that area. Ditches filled with water.

Huge hail

3 cute kids with 3 bowls of golf ball size hail

Hail in may that looks like snow

Larger than quarters

wheat Ridge hail

Hail at Bijou and Bonfoy in Colorado Springs. (Photo: Eric Sellers)

Pictures of hail storm at 4 pm 2 miles west of Julesburg Colorado. Snake was crawling around in hail!

Colorado Springs hail – Lynsey Kennedy

Aurora hail – Tiffany Moreiko

Aurora hail Quincy and Chambers – Teresa Halvorsen Butts

Hail from Southwest Denver – photo by Kiki on Twitter @rgk_x

Hail in Colorado Springs. Courtesy: KRDO

Quarter-sized hail in Highlands Ranch

Hail piled up at 56th and Chambers (Photo: Adrianna Morales)

Hail in Aurora (Photo: Edgar Rivera Lopez)

Hail in downtown Castle Rock (Flint Gatrell)

This was taken 8/10/13 around 7:30pm just East of Parker

Hail by Wellington (Tim Singewald)

flood

Its beginning to look a lot like christmas

Hail storm in Windsor (Mike Klemmer)

Hail north of Wellington on Saturday, August 3 (Photo: Shane Bennett)

Hail at Centennial Airport. June 7, 2012

gold ball sized hail

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