Colorado saw record-breaking hail reports during the 2023 water year, according to the year-in-review report from the Colorado Climate Center at Colorado State University.
A water year, in which precipitation is measured, begins Oct. 1 of any year and ends Sept. 30 of the following year. Colorado saw its 31st wettest water year on record this water year, with some areas northeast of Denver, including Denver International Airport and some of the northern suburbs, recording their wettest year.
Colorado saw nearly 800 reports of hail over an inch, and hail reports at every inch mark from one to four inches set a record in 2023, according to the report.
There were 796 reports of hail over one inch in 2023, over 200 reports higher than the previous record of 561 reports in 2018.
Reports of hail over two inches nearly doubled the previous record of 91 also set in 2018, with 176 reports in 2023.
The 37 three-inch-and-over and the 15 four-inch-and-over hail reports in 2023 tripled the previous records of 12 set in 2019 and five set in 2005, respectively
Also included in the review, a 5.25-inch hailstone from Yuma County recorded in August by storm chaser Dan Fitts was the single largest hailstone reported in the state.
