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 15 hail storms within 25 miles of Kalispell, MT. Of those, 11 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 egg-sized, which can fracture shingle mat and dent metal flashing on contact. 2026 was the most active year on record locally, with 9 documented hail events.
Check Hail History for a Specific Address in Kalispell| Severity | Count | What it means for roofs |
|---|---|---|
| Destructive | 1 event | Egg-size, expect mat fractures and gutter damage |
| Severe | 2 events | Ping pong-size, granule loss and bruising common |
| Significant | 8 events | Quarter-size, the standard insurance damage threshold |
| Moderate | 4 events | Marble-size, possible cosmetic damage |
| Year | Reported Hail Events Within 25 mi |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 9 events |
| 2025 | 1 event |
| 2024 | 2 events |
| 2022 | 3 events |
2026 was the busiest hail year on record locally for Kalispell, with 9 documented events inside the 25-mile radius. Storm activity in Kalispell 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-07-18 | 3 SSE Lupfer, MT | Significant | 1.00" | Lots of quarters, lasted about 3 minutes. |
| 2026-05-29 | 1 W Kalispell, MT | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2026-05-29 | 3 SW La Salle, MT | Moderate | 0.50" | — |
| 2026-05-29 | 3 WNW Kalispell, MT | Moderate | 0.75" | — |
| 2026-05-29 | 2 N Evergreen, MT | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2026-05-28 | 1 NNW Bigfork, MT | Moderate | 0.75" | — |
| 2026-05-28 | KALISPELL CITY ARPT, MT | Significant | 1.25" | A person located one mile west of Kalispell posted a photo with multiple hailstones placed on a ruler. This thunderstorm quickly developed severe hail within 15 minutes of forming south of Kalispell. |
| 2026-05-28 | EVERGREEN, MT | Significant | 1.25" | Multiple photos of oblong hail placed on top of a ruler were shared on Facebook. Another person who lives south of MT-83 reported that they lost their greenhouse and their patio furniture went flying across the patio. |
| 2026-05-28 | MARTIN CITY, MT | Moderate | 0.88" | — |
| 2025-05-11 | HALF MOON, MT | Significant | 1.00" | A trained spotter reported one inch diameter hail. A flight into Kalispell was diverted to Spokane due to the storm. |
| 2024-08-19 | HALF MOON, MT | Significant | 1.00" | A trained spotter measured one inch hail near Columbia Falls. |
| 2024-08-19 | SWAN LAKE, MT | Severe | 1.50" | The public measured 1.5 inch hail near Ferndale east of Big Fork. |
| 2022-07-09 | ROLLINS, MT | Severe | 1.50" | A spotter in Bigfork, MT sent in a photo showing 1 1/2 inch hail. Near Lakeside on Flathead Lake a cherry orchard reported a total loss of their cherry and apple crop from 125 trees, and they had to replace all their screens on one side of the house and a larger cherry producer in Bigfork reported a total loss. |
| 2022-07-07 | ROLLINS, MT | Significant | 1.00" | This storm that moved generally from Lakeside northeast to the Flathead Valley just north of Echo Lake produced two reports of 1 inch hail. One of those reports was from Somers and the other along HWY-35 just north of Bigfork, MT. |
| 2022-07-07 | KALISPELL CITY ARPT, MT | Destructive | 2.50" | There were multiple reports from Kalispell, MT of 1.75 to 2.5 hail which caused extensive body and windshield damage to vehicles. Additionally, multiple homes sustained damage, especially roofs that needed to be replaced. One homeowner spent $80,000 US dollars to replace their roof. A patio umbrella in Evergreen, MT was shredded. The property damage estimate could be underdone. |
NOAA has recorded 11 high-wind events within 25 miles of Kalispell, MT in the past five years. Of those, 6 reached severe-thunderstorm thresholds (58+ mph). The highest measured gust was 70 mph.
| Severity | Count |
|---|---|
| Severe | 2 events |
| Significant | 4 events |
| Moderate | 5 events |
| Date | Location | Gust (mph) | Severity | NOAA Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-02 | 1 SSE Woods Bay, MT | 54 | Significant | — |
| 2026-08-23 | La Salle, MT | 54 | Significant | ASOS station KGPI Kalispell. |
| 2026-08-23 | 6 N Whitefish, MT | 44 | Moderate | Mesonet station BIGMS 6.3 N Whitefish (GNP). |
| 2026-05-13 | 9 NE Bigfork, MT | 53 | Significant | Mesonet station MAEMT Mount Aeneas. |
| 2026-04-07 | 3 NNE Lake Mary Ronan, MT | 43 | Moderate | Mesonet station TT726 Blacktail. |
| 2026-04-07 | Hungry Horse, MT | 40 | Moderate | Mesonet station HNYM8 Hungry Horse Raws. |
| 2026-04-07 | Creston, MT | 41 | Moderate | Mesonet station MTM03 Creston (MT-MESO). |
| 2026-04-07 | 3 W Columbia Falls, MT | 43 | Moderate | Mesonet station MTBMN Blue Moon Us-2 Mp 133.9. |
| 2026-04-07 | 9 NE Bigfork, MT | 70 | Severe | Mesonet station MAEMT Mount Aeneas. |
| 2024-08-23 | HOLT, MT | 60 | Significant | Flathead Electric reported about 15,000 without power due to downed power lines and downed trees. There was a social media post reporting a 64 mph gust near Badrock. |
| 2023-08-22 | (FCA)KALISPELL INTL, MT | 68 | Severe | A wind gust of 68 mph was recorded at the Glacier Park International Airport. The thunderstorm resulted in a couple hundred customers without power in West Glacier and near Coram, according to Flathead Electric COOP. Numerous reports of downed trees were also received. |
The most recent quarter-size-or-larger hail storm recorded by NOAA within 25 miles of Kalispell was on July 18, 2026. HailCheck refreshes from the NOAA Storm Events database daily, so newer events appear here as they are reported.
Kalispell averages roughly 3 reported hail events per year within a 25-mile radius. Significant storms (quarter-size or larger) account for 11 of the 15 events recorded over the last five years.
The largest documented hail near Kalispell in the last five years was egg-sized. Most Kalispell-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 MT 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 Kalispell. 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 Kalispell 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 ValidationKalispell sits east of the traditional hail alley, where hail events are less frequent than the central plains but tend to be associated with strong squall lines and tropical systems. Local roof systems are less commonly hardened for hail, which can mean even moderate impacts produce claim-worthy damage.