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Hail history in Kansas

We counted the days with NOAA hail reports within 15 miles of the center of 2 Kansas cities since 2010.

Stores, an office park and apartment buildings on open plains under a supercell
Hail days near Wichita since 2010, the most in Kansas
127
Largest hail reported, near Wichita
7.75 in
Kansas cities tracked
2

Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center

Data through November 1, 2026

Kansas cities by hail days

Source: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center

Data through November 1, 2026

CityHail days since 2010Largest hail
Wichita1277.75 in
Topeka825.25 in

About this data

  • Each city counts reports within 15 miles of its center, not of any one property.
  • Reports come from trained spotters and the public, so they cluster near towns and roads.
  • No report does not mean no hail. Hail can fall where no one is there to report it.
  • This is not a damage or insurance assessment.

Storm risk in Kansas

For commercial and multifamily buildings in Kansas, hail and damaging thunderstorm wind are the most frequent storm risks, followed by tornadoes, then flooding and winter storms. Kansas had the second most large hail events of any state in 2025 and averages the second most tornadoes a year, behind Texas in both.2,4 Severe storms made up 71 of the 102 billion-dollar weather disasters that affected Kansas from 1980 to 2024, NOAA counts.5

How often storms hit Kansas

Storm hazards for buildings in Kansas1,2,3,4,5,6,7
HazardHow oftenWhat it means for buildings
Hail375 hail events with stones 1 inch or larger in 2025, second to Texas. Wichita had 127 hail days since 2010 within 15 miles of its center, and within 124 nautical miles of the Wichita radar hail was reported on 63 days a year on average (1980 to 2006).Roof covers, skylights and rooftop HVAC condenser fins take the hits, and the same roof can be struck more than once in a season.
Damaging thunderstorm windDamaging wind reports on 55 days a year on average within 124 nautical miles of the Wichita radar (1980 to 2006). The area ranked first of 141 US radar areas for significant severe reports, such as gusts of 65 knots or more and hail 2 inches or larger.Straight-line gusts peel roof edges and membranes, shift rooftop units, break windows and drop trees on buildings and parking.
Tornadoes81 a year on average (1994 to 2023), second only to Texas. Over 90 percent since 1950 have been rated F/EF0 to 2, and at any one point within 124 nautical miles of the Wichita radar the yearly chance of a tornado is 0.052 percent.A direct hit on one building is rare, but across a portfolio the odds add up, and the strongest tornadoes can destroy a structure.
Flooding6 billion-dollar flood events affected Kansas from 1980 to 2024. Floods from May to July 2007 damaged 3,300 structures across more than 20 counties.Flash floods from intense rain and river floods damage ground floors, basements and site work. Heavy rain events have grown more frequent, most of all in eastern Kansas.
Winter storms and coldSnowfall averages under 10 inches a year in the southeast and over 25 inches in the northwest, with 5.2 nights a year at 0°F or below on the long-term average. NOAA counts 3 billion-dollar winter storms and 2 freezes since 1980.Ice and snow load roofs and bring down trees and power lines, and cold snaps freeze pipes and sprinkler lines.

The Wichita count is days with at least one hail report within 15 miles of the city's center since 2010, so it shows how often hail falls near the city, not on one building. The Storm Prediction Center radar figures cover a much larger circle, 124 nautical miles around the radar, and come from 1980 to 2006 reports.1,3

For an owner, the pattern matters more than any one storm. Hail and straight-line wind cause frequent, repeat damage to roofs and rooftop equipment, while tornadoes and floods are rarer at any one address but cause the largest single losses.

Rules owners in Kansas should know

  • Valued policy law: when insured improvements on real property in Kansas are wholly destroyed by fire, tornado, windstorm or lightning, the amount of insurance written is taken as the true value and the measure of the loss (K.S.A. 40-905). The same section says buildings need not be insured for more than their reasonably estimated replacement cost, and it does not apply to builder's risk policies.8
  • Attorney fees: if a court rules against an insurer that refused without just cause or excuse to pay the full loss, it must allow the policyholder a reasonable attorney's fee, unless the insurer tendered at least the amount recovered before the suit began (K.S.A. 40-256).9
  • Claim timing: Kansas adopts the NAIC claims standards in K.A.R. 40-1-34. An insurer must acknowledge a claim within 10 working days, finish its investigation within 30 days unless it reasonably cannot, and accept or deny within 15 working days of proof of loss. If it needs more time it must say why, then write again every 45 days.10,11
  • Kansas FAIR Plan: under K.S.A. 40-2142, the plan offers basic property insurance to owners who cannot get it in the voluntary market, on one-year policies. The Kansas Insurance Department says three insurers must decline the property first, applications go through any licensed property agent, and the plan inspects the property before it accepts it.12,13
  • Roofer registration: under the Kansas Roofing Registration Act, anyone doing commercial or residential roofing for a fee must hold a certificate from the Attorney General, with narrow exceptions such as some general contractors. Subcontractors need their own, and the number must appear on permits, contracts and work vehicles.14,15
  • Public adjusters: Kansas licenses them only for first-party claims under commercial lines policies (K.S.A. 40-5501). Their contract must be in writing with the exact fee percentage, the owner may cancel in writing within three business days, and if the insurer pays or commits to pay the policy limit within 72 hours of the loss report, no percentage fee is allowed (K.S.A. 40-5514).16,17

Before the next storm

  • Roof ratings: when a roof is due for replacement, choose a hail-rated cover. IBHS recommends FM 4470 Class 1-SH or UL 2218 Class 4 for low-slope roofs in hail-prone areas, and UL 2218 Class 4 or FM 4473 Class 3 or 4 for steep roofs.18
  • Rooftop units and skylights: fit hail guards over condenser fins and air intakes, and use skylights with a hail impact rating. IBHS recommends both, because hail on unguarded components can stop a unit working.18
  • Registered roofers: line up repair contractors before storm season and check each one shows "In Good Standing" in the Kansas Attorney General's roofing registry. The Attorney General calls registration the bare minimum for avoiding problems after a storm.14
  • Tornado shelter: name a shelter area in each building and drill staff and tenants on it. The NWS says to go to a basement, safe room or interior room away from windows, and to avoid large open rooms such as gyms and auditoriums.19

Sources

Written by the Cloudbreak team. Numbers, dates and rules cite the published sources below.

  1. 1. Cloudbreak: NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center storm reports, as counted on the Cloudbreak hail history page for Kansas
  2. 2. Insurance Information Institute: Facts + Statistics: Hail
  3. 3. NOAA Storm Prediction Center: ICT (Wichita) Severe Weather Climatology, 1980 to 2006
  4. 4. NWS Wichita: Kansas Tornado Climatology
  5. 5. NOAA NCEI: Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters: Kansas Summary
  6. 6. National Weather Service: Flooding in Kansas
  7. 7. NOAA NCEI and North Carolina Institute for Climate Studies: Kansas: 2025 State Climate Summaries
  8. 8. Kansas Statutes: K.S.A. 40-905: Statement of value in policy
  9. 9. Kansas Statutes: K.S.A. 40-256: Attorney fees in actions on insurance policies
  10. 10. Kansas Insurance Department: K.A.R. 40-1-34: Unfair claims settlement practices
  11. 11. Kansas Insurance Department: Unfair Claims Settlement Practices Model Regulation, as adopted by K.A.R. 40-1-34
  12. 12. Kansas Statutes: K.S.A. 40-2142: FAIR plan act; requirements
  13. 13. Kansas Insurance Department: Home and Renters
  14. 14. Kansas Attorney General: Roofing Information for Consumers
  15. 15. Kansas Attorney General: Roofing Information for Contractors
  16. 16. Kansas Insurance Department: Public Adjusters
  17. 17. Kansas Statutes: K.S.A. 40-5514: Public adjuster contracts
  18. 18. IBHS: Commercial Roofs Best Practices Guide
  19. 19. National Weather Service: What to do During a Tornado

Storms in Kansas

In southwest Kansas, days with hail 1.75 inches or larger grow more common after May and peak in mid-June, then taper off from late June, though hail storms still come through September, an NWS Dodge City study of 1955 to 2012 found.1 April through June bring about 74% of Kansas tornadoes, NWS Wichita says.2

Notable storms

  1. March 13, 2024Hail up to 3.5 inches fell near West 55th Street and K-7 in Johnson County, and 4-inch hail fell southwest of Alma in Wabaunsee County. Shawnee residents reported dented cars and roof and gutter damage.3,4,5
  2. April 29, 2022An EF3 tornado cut through two subdivisions in Andover. It damaged or destroyed 205 structures in Andover and rural Butler County, about 180 of them homes, and NOAA's Storm Events Database lists about $37 million in damage there.6
  3. December 15, 2021Wind gusts of 75 to 100 mph swept across Kansas, damaging homes, schools and other buildings, and wind-driven wildfires killed 2 people. NWS Wichita put damage in the state at over $15 million.7
  4. April 7, 2013Hail up to 2.5 inches hit Fort Scott, damaging an estimated two-thirds of the town's homes and breaking house and car windows, with siding and roofs damaged. NOAA's Storm Events Database lists $30 million in property damage in Bourbon County.8
  5. April 14, 2012An EF3 tornado tracked about 13 miles from Haysville into southeast Wichita, tearing walls off homes, leaving three-quarters of the homes in a mobile home park unlivable and tearing roofs off apartments and businesses. Storm Events lists $500 million in property damage and 38 injuries.9,10
  6. September 15, 2010Hail as large as grapefruit fell in a swath about 5 miles wide and 15 miles long from northwest of Goddard across west and south Wichita to near Rose Hill, punching holes in roofs and denting cars. One stone in west Wichita measured 7.75 inches across, the Kansas record, and Storm Events lists $150 million in property damage in Sedgwick County.11,12

Warnings and alerts

Seven NWS offices serve Kansas: Goodland, Dodge City, Wichita and Topeka in Kansas, plus Hastings, Nebraska, and Pleasant Hill (Kansas City) and Springfield in Missouri.7

Sources

  1. 1. NWS Dodge City: Understanding When Severe Weather Occurs (Spring 2017 newsletter)
  2. 2. NWS Wichita: Kansas Tornado Climatology
  3. 3. NOAA NCEI: Storm Events Database: Hail, Johnson County, March 13, 2024 (3.5 inches)
  4. 4. NOAA NCEI: Storm Events Database: Hail, Wabaunsee County, March 13, 2024 (4 inches)
  5. 5. KSHB 41: Shawnee neighbors pick up pieces after baseball-sized hail pelts their homes, vehicles
  6. 6. NOAA NCEI: Storm Events Database: Tornado, Butler County, April 29, 2022
  7. 7. NWS Wichita: Kansas Severe Weather Preparedness Week, March 7-11, 2022
  8. 8. NOAA NCEI: Storm Events Database: Hail, Bourbon County, April 7, 2013
  9. 9. NWS Wichita: April 14th 2012 Sedgwick County tornado
  10. 10. NOAA NCEI: Storm Events Database: Tornado, Sedgwick County, April 14, 2012
  11. 11. NOAA NCEI: Storm Events Database: Hail, Sedgwick County, September 15, 2010
  12. 12. NOAA NCEI: Storm Events Database: Hail, Sedgwick County, September 15, 2010 (7.75 inches)

Hail history in other states