Large Hail Storm Causes Damage in Castle Rock

A large severe storm moved through the area last night and caused damage along the East side of Castle Rock. The Founders and Castlewood Ranch areas were affected particularly hard. I have not seen or heard of too much damage in the meadows at this time though.

Sean Hakes (who has become my eyes and ears for severe weather when I'm out of town, thanks Sean!) captured this shot of hail in his neighborhood yeseterday.

Some other shots of hail from our viewers:

Official Hail Reports from the NWS

Here's a map of official hail reports from the National Weather Service. Not a ton came in but we saw a range generally between 1-2 inches in diameter across the area, large enough to be damaging for sure.

I imagine more of these hail reports will be put in throughout the next day or two so will update the map if needed.

Colorado Hail Season and Measuring Hail

Hail season in Colorado is generally recognized as mid-April through mid-September. We can get hail outside those times but that range is when most hail is observed in a year. June is on average, the month we see the most hail followed closely by July.

Hail size is estimated by comparing it to a known object.

• Pea = 1/4 inch diameter
• Marble/mothball = 1/2 inch diameter
• Dime/Penny = 3/4 inch diameter
• Nickel = 7/8 inch
• Quarter = 1 inch — hail quarter size or larger is considered severe
• Ping-Pong Ball = 1 1/2 inch
• Golf Ball = 1 3/4 inches
• Tennis Ball = 2 1/2 inches
• Baseball = 2 3/4 inches
• Tea cup = 3 inches
• Grapefruit = 4 inches
• Softball = 4 1/2 inches

 

When sending in pictures, always try to have either a rules or one of those common objects so the National Weather service can determine the size.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Severe Weather Outlook Saturday July 2

I will be brief for this bit, but there is a marginal risk of severe weather again today along mainly southern sections of the Front Range and into Southeast Colorado. As yesterday, the primary threat looks to be hail and while I believe the risk is low for us along the Palmer Divide the possibilty exists for hail again today.

Stay tuned and stay aware!