Data current as of 2026-10-16 · Sourced from NOAA Storm Events
Over the past five years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has recorded 7 hail storms within 25 miles of Clifton, CO. Of those, 2 produced hail at least quarter-size — the threshold most insurance carriers consider potentially damaging to asphalt shingles. The largest reported hail in this window was ping pong ball-sized, which can fracture shingle mat and dent metal flashing on contact. 2026 was the most active year on record locally, with 3 documented hail events.
Check Hail History for a Specific Address in Clifton| Severity | Count | What it means for roofs |
|---|---|---|
| Severe | 1 event | Ping pong-size, granule loss and bruising common |
| Significant | 1 event | Quarter-size, the standard insurance damage threshold |
| Moderate | 2 events | Marble-size, possible cosmetic damage |
| Minor | 3 events | Pea-size, unlikely to damage modern shingles |
| Year | Reported Hail Events Within 25 mi |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 3 events |
| 2025 | 1 event |
| 2024 | 3 events |
2026 was the busiest hail year on record locally for Clifton, with 3 documented events inside the 25-mile radius. Storm activity in Clifton typically peaks in spring and early summer, when the jet stream pushes Gulf moisture into the area and supercell thunderstorms become more frequent.
| Date | Location | Severity | Size | NOAA Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-26 | 1 SSW Grand Junction, CO | Minor | 0.25" | Pea sized hail, large rain drops and no wind. |
| 2026-04-11 | 1 N Fruitvale, CO | Minor | 0.25" | — |
| 2026-04-01 | 2 WNW Fruita, CO | Minor | 0.25" | — |
| 2025-06-06 | FRUITA, CO | Severe | 1.75" | Between 1625 and 1650 MST, a severe storm tracked southeast through the Grand Valley from Fruita through Orchard Mesa, including the Redlands and Grand Junction, with numerous reports of severe hail from 1 inch to 1.75 inches in diameter, which is up to golf ball size. Multiple injuries occurred as a result of the large hail at the Mesa County Fairgrounds where an outdoor concert event was being held. Multiple reports of damage to windshields, roofs and siding of homes as well. The extent of injuries and damage is unknown at this time. |
| 2024-06-27 | FRUITVALE, CO | Moderate | 0.88" | COOP Observer reported hail of an estimated 0.88 inches, comparable to a Nickle, in the Orchard Mesa area southeast of Grand Junction on the afternoon of the 27th. This hail was reported to have caused damaged to crops within a roughly 2 mile radius. |
| 2024-06-20 | GRAND JCT, CO | Significant | 1.00" | A severe thunderstorm moved across the Grand Junction area from downtown to the airport, producing 0.75 to 1 inch diameter hail. Hail caused some damage with skylights broken at the Walmart on the south side of town. |
| 2024-05-12 | PALISADE, CO | Moderate | 0.88" | Nickel size hail was reported 2 miles west of Palisade in Mesa County. |
NOAA has recorded 41 high-wind events within 25 miles of Clifton, CO in the past five years. Of those, 32 reached severe-thunderstorm thresholds (58+ mph). The highest measured gust was 68 mph.
| Severity | Count |
|---|---|
| Severe | 3 events |
| Significant | 29 events |
| Moderate | 9 events |
| Date | Location | Gust (mph) | Severity | NOAA Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-11 | 4 N Grand Junction, CO | 45 | Moderate | — |
| 2026-08-22 | 3 N Grand Junction, CO | 44 | Moderate | — |
| 2026-07-27 | 12 SE Whitewater, CO | 51 | Significant | Mesonet station CO119 050w054 Mesa County Line South. |
| 2026-07-27 | 3 NW Fruitvale, CO | 56 | Significant | ASOS station KGJT Grand Junction Rgnl AP. |
| 2026-07-20 | 3 NW Fruitvale, CO | 48 | Significant | ASOS station KGJT Grand Junction Rgnl AP. |
| 2026-07-15 | 3 NNE Grand Junction, CO | 48 | Significant | — |
| 2026-07-14 | 12 SE Whitewater, CO | 46 | Significant | Mesonet station CO119 050w054 Mesa County Line South. |
| 2026-06-27 | 3 NW Fruitvale, CO | 45 | Moderate | ASOS station KGJT Grand Junction Rgnl AP. |
| 2026-06-25 | 3 NW Fruitvale, CO | 47 | Significant | ASOS station KGJT Grand Junction Rgnl AP. |
| 2026-06-25 | 4 NE Cameo, CO | 50 | Significant | Mesonet station CO118 070e051 Beaver Tail Tunnel. |
| 2026-06-20 | 2 S Cameo, CO | 45 | Moderate | Mesonet station CO097 070e044 Palisade. |
| 2026-06-20 | 4 NE Cameo, CO | 46 | Significant | Mesonet station CO118 070e051 Beaver Tail Tunnel. |
| 2026-06-15 | 3 NW Fruitvale, CO | 63 | Significant | ASOS station KGJT Grand Junction Rgnl AP. |
| 2026-06-14 | 3 NW Fruitvale, CO | 45 | Moderate | ASOS station KGJT Grand Junction Rgnl AP. |
| 2026-06-10 | 3 NW Fruitvale, CO | 61 | Significant | ASOS station KGJT Grand Junction Rgnl AP. |
| 2026-06-10 | 2 W Orchard Mesa, CO | 48 | Significant | Mesonet station FW5772 16 NW Moab. |
| 2026-06-10 | 7 NNW Cameo, CO | 55 | Significant | Mesonet station PNRC2 Pine Ridge, Cameo 6NW. |
| 2026-06-09 | 3 NW Fruitvale, CO | 51 | Significant | ASOS station KGJT Grand Junction Rgnl AP. |
| 2026-06-08 | 15 NW Escalante Forks, CO | 48 | Significant | Mesonet station JCRC2 Jacks Canyon, Grand Jct 21S. |
| 2026-06-08 | 3 NW Fruitvale, CO | 45 | Moderate | ASOS station KGJT Grand Junction Rgnl AP. |
The most recent quarter-size-or-larger hail storm recorded by NOAA within 25 miles of Clifton was on June 6, 2025. HailCheck refreshes from the NOAA Storm Events database daily, so newer events appear here as they are reported.
Clifton averages roughly 1 reported hail event per year within a 25-mile radius. Significant storms (quarter-size or larger) account for 2 of the 7 events recorded over the last five years.
The largest documented hail near Clifton in the last five years was ping pong ball-sized. Most Clifton-area hail falls in the marble-to-quarter range, with destructive storms (egg-size or larger) appearing roughly once every few years.
Most homeowners insurance policies in CO cover hail damage to roofs, siding, and gutters under the dwelling and other-structures coverage. Coverage typically requires the damage to be tied to a verifiable storm date — which is where the NOAA hail history above (and a HAAG-style test square validation) becomes important for the claim file.
Use the HailCheck address search to enter any street address in or near Clifton. HailCheck returns every NOAA hail event within a configurable radius, along with severity bands, dates, and storm narratives for Pro members.
If your property in or near Clifton took on hail during one of the storms above, the standard process for documenting damage is a 10×10 foot test square inspection. A HAAG-trained reviewer counts impact indicators — granule displacement, mat fractures, and bruising — within the marked square and produces a PASS or FAIL document for the claim file.
HailCheck offers a $99 photo-based HAAG-style test square validation. You submit photos from the field, our reviewer evaluates the impact indicators and cross-references the NOAA storm dates listed above, and a written PASS/FAIL determination is returned within one business day. We do not send anyone to the roof — the validation is built around the photos you submit.
Learn About $99 HAAG-Style ValidationClifton sits inside the central United States hail belt, where warm Gulf moisture collides with cold continental air to produce supercell thunderstorms capable of dropping the hail documented above. Properties in this zone typically see at least one significant hail event every two to four years.