Denver Metro Hit by Largest Hail in 35 Years as Baseball-Sized Stones Pummel Area
Published May 31, 2024 8:22am EDT
DENVER – The Denver metropolitan area experienced an intense hailstorm Thursday, which led to the largest hailstones recorded in the county in the last 35 years, resulting in widespread damage. The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a ‘destructive’ Severe Thunderstorm Warning for the Denver area late Thursday evening, emphasizing the life-threatening situation with baseball-sized hail and wind gusts up to 50 mph. The largest hail report in Denver County measured 2.75 inches in Commerce City on Thursday. It’s the largest hail report in the county since 1989, the FOX Forecast Center said.
Overall, there have been at least 55 hail reports of at least 1-inch diameter around the Denver area.
Aurora police said they had a busy night responding to security alarms as hail caused damage to vehicles, businesses, and homes after the storm passed through and triggered the alarms. “With the influx in calls regarding the alarms, we’re asking the affected public to safely check their property for damage or a triggered alarm if possible,” officers warned on social media.
After a tumultuous few days in eastern Colorado, the forecast for the beginning of the weekend remains more of the same. Severe storms are anticipated to develop early Saturday afternoon, bringing with them the potential for golf-ball sized hail, frequent lightning, and wind gusts exceeding 60 mph, particularly in the areas just east of Denver.