Colorado Springs hail and cold data
El Paso County gets hail on about 13.8 days a year, almost all between May and August, and the Colorado Springs airport drops to freezing on about 156 nights a year. Below is what 30 years of public NOAA records show, and where the garages are.
Average days per month with a hail report, El Paso County
Hail days per year, El Paso County
Hail
- How often: 1,631 hail reports on 415 separate days, 1996-2025. That averages 13.8 hail days and 54.4 reports a year.
- When: 95% of hail days fell between May and August. June averages 4 hail days and July 3.6.
- How big: 1,193 reports were 1 inch (quarter size) or larger, the size the National Weather Service uses for a severe storm. 234 were golf ball size or larger and 104 were 2 inches or larger.
- Largest: 4.5 inches near Ramah on August 9, 2004; 4 inches near Schriever AFB on August 5, 2023; 4 inches near Widefield on August 6, 2018; 4 inches near Calhan on June 20, 2001.
- Busiest years: 2004 (23 days, 78 reports), 2016 (22 days, 157 reports), 1996 (20 days, 64 reports), 2007 (20 days, 53 reports). In 2025 there were 15 hail days and 92 reports.
Storms that hit Colorado Springs homes
- July 28, 2016. 42 hail reports in the county, stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball). The National Weather Service summary cites damage of about $353 million. Reports came from the airport and Falcon among other places.
- June 13, 2018. 12 hail reports in the county, stones up to 3 inches (baseball). The National Weather Service summary cites damage of about $169 million. The storm hit before dawn, centered on Fountain and Security-Widefield.
- August 6, 2018. 30 hail reports in the county, stones up to 4 inches (softball). The National Weather Service summary cites damage of about $172 million. Reports spread from Manitou Springs east to Falcon.
- August 5, 2023. 36 hail reports in the county, stones up to 4 inches (softball). Reports came from Peterson and Peyton north to the Air Force Academy.
Hail reports by place
Storm reports are tagged with the nearest named place. Places with more spotters and bases (the city, Peterson, the Academy) collect more reports, so treat this as where hail was seen, not a precise risk map.
| Place | County | Reports | Hail days | Largest | Latest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado Springs | El Paso | 317 | 150 | 2.75 in | July 6, 2025 |
| Black Forest | El Paso | 162 | 75 | 3 in | July 6, 2025 |
| Peterson AFB | El Paso | 153 | 48 | 3 in | August 24, 2025 |
| Falcon | El Paso | 145 | 67 | 3 in | July 6, 2025 |
| Monument | El Paso | 89 | 57 | 2.5 in | July 21, 2023 |
| Air Force Academy | El Paso | 86 | 48 | 3 in | July 4, 2025 |
| Calhan | El Paso | 82 | 55 | 4 in | August 9, 2025 |
| Fountain | El Paso | 75 | 49 | 3.25 in | July 16, 2025 |
| Peyton | El Paso | 69 | 52 | 2.75 in | May 27, 2025 |
| Ellicott | El Paso | 67 | 50 | 2 in | August 1, 2024 |
| Manitou Springs | El Paso | 58 | 31 | 1.75 in | July 6, 2025 |
| Security | El Paso | 53 | 35 | 2.5 in | September 7, 2024 |
| Schriever AFB | El Paso | 39 | 24 | 4 in | June 17, 2025 |
| Woodland Park | Teller | 36 | 26 | 1.75 in | June 13, 2021 |
| Ft Carson | El Paso | 35 | 27 | 2.75 in | July 6, 2025 |
| Ramah | El Paso | 34 | 28 | 4.5 in | August 19, 2024 |
| Widefield | El Paso | 31 | 20 | 4 in | July 16, 2025 |
| Rush | El Paso | 29 | 26 | 2.75 in | July 3, 2024 |
| Yoder | El Paso | 28 | 24 | 2 in | June 22, 2023 |
| Truckton | El Paso | 28 | 21 | 2.5 in | August 5, 2023 |
| Divide | Teller | 25 | 23 | 1.75 in | July 20, 2023 |
| Colorado Springs Airport | El Paso | 25 | 15 | 2.5 in | June 15, 2025 |
| Cripple Creek | Teller | 20 | 15 | 1.75 in | May 30, 2025 |
| Palmer Lake | El Paso | 10 | 8 | 1.25 in | May 24, 2025 |
Cold and wind
- Freezing nights: 156 a year at or below 32 degrees, and 3.6 a year below zero. The coldest reading since 1996 was -18 degrees (February 3, 1996). The second coldest was -16 degrees in 2021.
- Freeze and thaw: about 86 days a year start at 28 degrees or colder and warm to 40 or more. The average day swings 27.4 degrees from low to high.
- Fast drops: the daily high falls 30 degrees or more from one day to the next about 3.3 times a year. The largest drop on record here was 54 degrees, from 70 to 16, on November 11, 2014.
- Wind: 18.1 days a year with a gust of 50 mph or more and 2.5 at 60 or more. The strongest gusts since 1996: 97 mph on March 13, 2019; 92 mph on December 15, 2021; 80 mph on January 9, 2017.
- Snow: about 34.4 inches a year at the airport, with 11.6 days of an inch or more.
Average nights per month at or below 32 degrees, Colorado Springs airport
Garages by ZIP code
The Census does not count garages, so we use single-family detached homes as the closest stand-in. Owner occupancy matters because owners, not renters, pay for door repairs.
| ZIP | Area | Detached homes | Share detached | Median year built | Built 2000 or later | Owner occupied |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 80918 | Northeast / Rockrimmon east | 13,007 | 63% | 1982 | 14% | 64% |
| 80911 | Security-Widefield | 11,772 | 94% | 1978 | 19% | 86% |
| 80831 | Falcon / Peyton | 11,132 | 94% | 2006 | 70% | 92% |
| 80920 | Briargate | 10,705 | 72% | 1993 | 30% | 65% |
| 80909 | Central East / Knob Hill | 10,267 | 61% | 1964 | 3% | 54% |
| 80906 | Broadmoor / Cheyenne Mountain | 9,783 | 59% | 1984 | 15% | 65% |
| 80132 | Monument | 9,512 | 88% | 2000 | 50% | 88% |
| 80923 | Stetson Hills / Ridgeview | 9,455 | 72% | 2006 | 76% | 68% |
| 80817 | Fountain | 9,321 | 79% | 2000 | 51% | 74% |
| 80922 | Cimarron Hills (east) / Stetson Hills | 9,316 | 80% | 2002 | 60% | 70% |
| 80908 | Black Forest | 8,203 | 90% | 2010 | 68% | 91% |
| 80919 | Rockrimmon / Mountain Shadows | 8,169 | 67% | 1989 | 17% | 75% |
| 80916 | Southeast / Stratmoor | 7,791 | 50% | 1987 | 27% | 54% |
| 80921 | Northgate / Gleneagle | 7,718 | 70% | 2005 | 65% | 73% |
| 80907 | North Central / Patty Jewett | 7,164 | 54% | 1972 | 14% | 56% |
| 80904 | Old Colorado City / West Side | 6,778 | 58% | 1972 | 14% | 56% |
| 80917 | Palmer Park / Village Seven | 6,737 | 50% | 1979 | 12% | 59% |
| 80915 | Cimarron Hills (west) | 6,137 | 64% | 1981 | 21% | 71% |
| 80925 | Lorson Ranch / Southeast | 5,691 | 96% | 2012 | 80% | 85% |
| 80910 | Southeast / Hillside | 5,677 | 40% | 1976 | 20% | 47% |
| 80905 | Southwest / Ivywild | 5,039 | 56% | 1964 | 16% | 48% |
| 80924 | Wolf Ranch / Cordera | 4,823 | 68% | 2015 | 94% | 66% |
| 80863 | Woodland Park | 4,670 | 81% | 1987 | 27% | 78% |
| 80903 | Downtown / Old North End | 3,900 | 47% | 1940 | 18% | 39% |
| 80927 | Banning Lewis Ranch | 2,776 | 96% | n/a | 98% | 92% |
| 80829 | Manitou Springs | 2,119 | 73% | 1959 | 13% | 65% |
| 80808 | Calhan | 1,813 | 66% | 1992 | 31% | 82% |
| 80951 | Northeast (Marksheffel) | 1,587 | 94% | 2006 | 98% | 76% |
| 80133 | Palmer Lake | 921 | 87% | 1988 | 21% | 89% |
| 80809 | Cascade / Green Mountain Falls | 668 | 95% | 1961 | 15% | 86% |
| 80938 | Northeast (Banning Lewis north) | 368 | 76% | 2018 | 98% | 94% |
Area names are our shorthand for the main neighborhoods in each ZIP. Census ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates (tables B25024, B25034, B25035, B25003), via Census Reporter. Fort Carson, the Air Force Academy and a few rural ZIPs are left out.
How we built this
Hail. Every hail event in El Paso County (and Teller County for Woodland Park and Divide) from the NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database bulk files, 1996-2025. The modern Storm Events format starts in 1996. A hail day is a date with at least one report. Reports come from trained spotters and the public as well as the National Weather Service, so more people means more reports. NOAA adds events months after they happen, which is why 2026 is left out.
Cold and wind. NOAA NCEI daily summaries for Colorado Springs Municipal Airport (station USW00093037), 1996-2025, with data through October 24, 2026. Wind is the fastest 5-second gust each day.
Homes. US Census American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates by ZIP Code Tabulation Area, via Census Reporter.
Limits. One airport station does not describe every neighborhood. Monument and Woodland Park sit higher and run colder. Use this to understand the area, not to diagnose your door.
Using this data. Anyone may cite or republish these charts and tables with a link to this page (CC BY 4.0).