Fountain, Lorson Ranch, and Widefield took a hard hit in late June. If that wasn't your neighborhood, don't get comfortable — El Paso County's hail season historically runs strong through August. Here's a five-minute, ground-level check you can do today.
In late June, a multi-day stretch of severe storms hit Fountain, Lorson Ranch, and Widefield hard, with hail reported up to 3 inches in some areas (we covered that storm in detail here). If your street wasn't in that path, it's tempting to file hail season away as "handled" for the year. It isn't. Along the Front Range, the most active stretch for large hail typically runs from May into August — which means we're roughly at the midpoint, not the finish line.
The practical risk of assuming you're "done" for the season isn't just missing an obvious hole — it's small, easy-to-miss damage sitting on your roof for weeks, getting reopened or worsened by the next storm, sun, and wind before anyone notices. A quick self-check now costs you five minutes. Finding it in September, after two more storms have compounded it, costs a lot more.
You don't need to get on a ladder or the roof itself to get a good read on whether your property took a hit. Adjusters and roofers look at exactly these spots first, because they're the easiest indicators visible from the ground.
Walk the perimeter and look for dents, dings, or gouges along the gutter edge and downspout runs. Soft aluminum shows hail impact clearly, even from small stones, and it's one of the most reliable proxies for what happened on the roof above it.
The thin aluminum fins on an outdoor AC or heat pump unit dent easily and hold that damage visibly. If you see dimpling or flattened patches on the fins, treat that as a strong signal your roof was in the same storm's path.
Torn or dented window screens, and small chip marks in painted wood trim, fascia, or garage doors, are both easy-to-spot signs of hail impact that don't require any climbing.
Patio furniture, grills, and vehicles left in the driveway all take hail damage the same way a roof does. If you remember hearing a storm and any of these show marks afterward, that's a strong cue to get the roof itself looked at.
A small pile of dark, sand-like granules at the base of a downspout or splash block is shingle granule loss — a sign of impact or wear that's easy to miss unless you're specifically looking for it.
Found something? A trustworthy local roofer can tell you whether it's significant enough to justify an insurance claim, or cosmetic and not worth the potential rate impact. Our full "Just Got Hailed On?" guide covers what to do next in detail.
Most homeowner insurance policies have a window for filing a hail claim after a storm — often one year, but check your specific policy, since some are shorter. That window matters less than most people think, though. What actually costs you time is the claims queue itself: during an active hail season, adjusters across the region get backed up fast, and the homeowners who get inspected and filed early get through the process faster than those who wait until the season's last storm sends everyone scrambling at once.
Getting ahead of that queue now — while contractors and adjusters aren't slammed — means a faster inspection, a faster claim if one's warranted, and a repair scheduled before the next storm has a chance to add to the damage. For the full rundown on Class 4 impact ratings, insurance discounts, and how Colorado's hail season works end to end, see our complete Hail Season Guide.
Whether or not your roof shows anything from this self-check, storm-chasing contractors tend to canvass wider and wider as hail season goes on. Get the sign up before the next storm hits your street, not after. It's a free printable sign for your door, with a summary of your rights as a Colorado homeowner on the back.
A print-ready sign for your door, plus a summary of Colorado's 72-hour cancellation right, deductible fraud law, and what to watch for from storm chasers — on the back.
Get the printable sign →If you do find damage and start getting knocks on the door, the fastest way to check whether a contractor is legitimate is to verify their license directly with the Pikes Peak Regional Building Department — the agency that licenses roofing contractors across El Paso County.
Search for any contractor's license status directly at the PPRBD Contractor and Mechanic Search →. If a contractor can't give you a license number, or the number doesn't show up as active, that's your answer.
Seasonal hail climatology referenced from NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information storm event data for the Front Range and Colorado Climate Center historical records.