At 3:04 p.m. on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, the National Weather Service in Phoenix issued a severe thunderstorm warning that listed Sun City, Youngtown and Sun City West among the locations impacted. The storm was then over Avondale, moving north at 45 mph, with 60 mph gusts and quarter-size hail. Updates at 3:27 p.m. and 3:34 p.m. kept Sun City on the list and raised the hail estimate to two inches, then to baseball size. A second warning at 1:20 a.m. Thursday, October 22, placed a storm near Sun City West, moving north with possible quarter-size hail, and again named Sun City.
If you live here, it is fair to wonder what that means for your roof. The record answers some of it.
What the warnings do and do not tell you
Every one of these warnings gave its source as “radar indicated.” Forecasters saw a storm capable of those hazards. That is not a report that hail fell on your street. The hail sizes also moved with the storm. At 3:27 p.m. the storm was over downtown Glendale. At 3:34 p.m., when the warning said baseball-size hail, it was centered over Metro Center in Phoenix, moving northeast and away from Sun City.
The storm reports logged by the Weather Service tell a narrower story. Between about 3:25 and 3:45 p.m. on October 21, people reported hail from one inch to two inches around Glendale, eastern Peoria and Deer Valley. When we checked the log at midday Thursday, it held no hail or wind report from Sun City, Youngtown or Sun City West for October 20 through 22.
No report is not proof of no hail. A report only exists if someone measured and sent it in. But it does mean nobody can tell you, as a fact, that Sun City was hit hard this week. Be wary of anyone who does.
How to settle it for your own house
- Look at soft metal from the ground. AC units, gutters, vent caps and patio cover edges dent easily. Fresh round dents point to hail at your address.
- Check under any flat section. If a flat or foam roof covers your carport or Arizona room, look at that ceiling for new stains.
- Compare notes with neighbors. Hail can change within a few blocks.
- Write it down. Note the date and time you noticed anything, and take photos.
Our earlier post on checking your roof after the October 20 and 21 storms covers how tile, foam and shingle roofs show hail differently. If someone knocks offering a free roof check, our guide to trusted roofing companies in Arizona lists what to ask.
If you want a second look
Apex Roofing Systems will inspect your Sun City roof for free and show you photos of what we find. If the answer is that nothing needs doing, we will say so. Request a free roof inspection or call (480) 808-ROOF (7663).
Sources: NWS Phoenix, Severe Thunderstorm Warning, 3:04 p.m. Oct. 21, 2026; NWS Phoenix, Severe Weather Statement, 3:27 p.m. and 3:34 p.m. Oct. 21; NWS Phoenix, Severe Thunderstorm Warning, 1:20 a.m. Oct. 22; NWS Phoenix local storm reports, Oct. 20 to 22 (archived by Iowa Environmental Mesonet); NWS Phoenix.