Colorado’s May hailstorm among weather disasters costing over $1B in 2024: NOAA

DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado’s extreme weather has a high price tag this year, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

One storm in particular was labeled among 19 various weather and climate disasters recorded in the U.S. during 2024 that have caused at least $1 billion in damages . A May 30 hailstorm decimated areas of Colorado, dropping baseball-sized hail in Denver, Thornton and Commerce City, as well as parts of Weld, Jefferson, Boulder and Yuma counties.

One 2.75-inch hailstone was recorded in Commerce City — which is comparable to a baseball and considered on the high side of “very rare.” When hailstones are the size of a quarter (1 inch), the National Weather Service will issue severe thunderstorm warnings.

The hailstones were reported as the largest hail in 35 years by the NOAA, and the agency is estimating the total cost of the storm to be about $1.9 billion.

According to the NOAA’s data, Colorado’s five-year average cost for weather damage is about $3 billion each year (adjusted with the consumer-price index). This includes the Marshall Fire in 2018. The NOAA said 2018’s combined cost of weather disasters in the state amounted to between $5 and $10 billion.

The cost estimates are based on the amount of damage to homes, vehicles, businesses and other infrastructure. FOX31’s Vicente Arenas visited Green Valley Ranch after the May storm and found a plethora of broken windshields covered with plastic tarps due to the heavy hail.

The hailstones damaged windows , knocked off car door handles and left drifts of the icy material across the area. FOX31’s Greg Nieto was out in the storm , which broke the news vehicle’s windshield that night as well.

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