Severe hail storms hit Sterling, Logan County in Colorado outbreak

Logan County officials said hail that fell shortly before 5 p.m. Monday damaged almost all the north-side windows at the Sterling courthouse and spread from Sterling to Merino, Atwood and outlying areas. Marilee Johnson, the county public information officer, said the storm brought hail ranging from pea-sized to baseball-sized and left damage to residential properties, farms, vehicles, windshields, roofs, windows and crops, with no injuries reported.

The courthouse damage put a public building on the list of hard-hit properties as residents across Sterling began checking roofs, siding and vehicles for bruises, cracks and broken glass. County officials were still calculating the financial impact.

In Wiggins, golf ball-sized or larger hail shattered windows on multiple homes and vehicles. One homeowner said the storm sounded like baseballs striking the roof and lasted about 10 to 15 minutes. The Morgan County Sheriff said the most significant damage appeared to be in the Wiggins area, although the full assessment was still pending.

Across eastern Colorado, the severe-weather stretch from June 21 through June 26 produced 15 tornadoes, 65 hail reports and 37 damaging-wind reports, including hail up to 4 inches in diameter and a wind gust of 113 mph. A Logan County fire department confirmed a tornado in the county during the same stretch.

Colorado’s Front Range sits in the heart of Hail Alley, the region with the highest frequency of large hail in North America. The Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association says Colorado hailstorms have caused more than $5 billion in insured damage over the last 10 years. Colorado’s hail season typically runs from mid-April to mid-September, and NOAA’s Storm Events Database keeps severe-weather records dating back to 1950.