Riley County, Kansas: hail history 2014–2026
Riley County ranks #21 of 101 Kansas counties for hail: 152.7 reports per 1,000 square miles, 95 reports in all. Hail reached 1 inch on 36 days and 1.75 inches on 14. Record: 4 inches (a grapefruit), September 10, 2015 near Randolph.
- 95reports
- 36days, 1 in+
- 14days, 1.75 in+
- 4 inlargest stone
Hail since my roof went on: Riley County
Year by year
| Year | Reports | Days 1 in+ | Days 1.75 in+ | Largest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 2 in |
| 2015 | 14 | 5 | 2 | 4 in |
| 2016 | 10 | 5 | 1 | 2 in |
| 2017 | 9 | 3 | 2 | 2.75 in |
| 2018 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1.75 in |
| 2019 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 2 in |
| 2020 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1.75 in |
| 2021 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1.75 in |
| 2022 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1.25 in |
| 2023 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 in |
| 2024 | 19 | 3 | 3 | 3.5 in |
| 2025 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 2.5 in |
| 2026 (Jan–Jun) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 in |
2024 was the busiest year (19 reports) and 2021 the quietest (1). 8 reports a year in 2014 to 2019 against 7 in 2020 to 2025: close to flat. 2026 stands at 2 through June, against a full-year average of 8. Days with 1-inch stones average 2.8 per full year.
Riley County: reports by month
| Jan | 0 |
|---|---|
| Feb | 0 |
| Mar | 5 |
| Apr | 29 |
| May | 24 |
| Jun | 20 |
| Jul | 4 |
| Aug | 8 |
| Sep | 4 |
| Oct | 1 |
| Nov | 0 |
| Dec | 0 |
April dominates the calendar: 29 of 95 reports, 31%. April to June alone bring 77%. 6 of 95 reports fell outside April to September.
Largest stone: 4 inches
Reported hail locations, Riley County
- 561 to 1.74 in
- 211.75 to 2.74 in, golf ball to tennis ball
- 52.75 in and up, baseball
Largest plotted stone: 4 in. Bigger dots are bigger stones.
82 reports of 1 inch or larger have coordinates. Each dot is a reported location, not a storm path.
Sources: NOAA, Census county outlineRiley County’s ten biggest hail days
| Date | Size | Reports | Place |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 10, 2015 | 4 in, a grapefruit | 4 | Randolph |
| June 13, 2024 | 3.5 in, a teacup | 13 | Manhattan |
| May 6, 2024 | 2.75 in, a baseball | 2 | Riley |
| June 16, 2017 | 2.75 in, a baseball | 1 | Randolph |
| April 15, 2017 | 2.5 in, a tennis ball | 7 | Winkler |
| April 28, 2025 | 2.5 in, a tennis ball | 3 | Leonardville |
| August 15, 2019 | 2 in, a hen egg | 6 | Walsburg |
| April 12, 2014 | 2 in, a hen egg | 5 | Leonardville |
| March 13, 2024 | 2 in, a hen egg | 4 | Manhattan |
| May 9, 2016 | 2 in, a hen egg | 3 | Randolph |
“Supercell thunderstorms moved southeast out of Nebraska late on the night of June 16th and produced widespread wind damage, very large hail and one tornado in Marshall County Kansas.”
NWS report, June 16, 2017
“A short-lived landspout tracked across open prairie and went through a tree grove with minimal damage in western Ottawa County on April 15th.”
NWS report, April 15, 2017
Tornadoes and wind in Riley County
8 tornadoes on record in Riley County; the strongest listed is EF2, 3.84 miles long, near Riley. Top gust: 115 mph near Manhattan.
| Date | Rating | Path length | Width | Near |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 4, 2026 | EF2 | 3.84 mi | 60 yd | Riley |
| June 11, 2022 | EF2 | 0.32 mi | 50 yd | Manhattan |
| May 6, 2024 | EF0 | 1.18 mi | 75 yd | Manhattan |
| November 22, 2016 | EF0 | 0.3 mi | 25 yd | (Mhk)Manhattan Muni |
| April 20, 2023 | EF0 | 0.23 mi | 30 yd | Randolph |
| May 26, 2016 | EF0 | 0.01 mi | 25 yd | Zeandale |
| August 15, 2019 | EFU | 1.37 mi | 25 yd | Ogden |
| June 11, 2022 | EFU | 0.01 mi | 10 yd | Zeandale |
| Date | Gust | Near |
|---|---|---|
| June 11, 2022 | 115 mph | Manhattan |
| June 11, 2022 | 100 mph | Rocky Ford |
| June 11, 2022 | 100 mph | Manhattan |
| July 13, 2016 | 90 mph | Randolph |
| June 11, 2022 | 83 mph | Rocky Ford |
| June 11, 2022 | 83 mph | Rocky Ford |
Homes in Riley County
Median build year in Riley County: 1984. 68.8% of 30,674 homes predate 2000. Houses permitted since 2014: 1,285, or 41.9 per 1,000 homes. Busiest year: 2014.
| pre-1940 | 8.3% |
|---|---|
| 1940s | 3.7% |
| 1950s | 9.5% |
| 1960s | 8.1% |
| 1970s | 15.8% |
| 1980s | 11.4% |
| 1990s | 12.0% |
| 2000s | 14.6% |
| 2010s | 16.0% |
| 2020+ | 0.5% |
| Year | Houses | All units |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 217 | 294 |
| 2015 | 171 | 299 |
| 2016 | 137 | 798 |
| 2017 | 121 | 172 |
| 2018 | 90 | 98 |
| 2019 | 60 | 127 |
| 2020 | 62 | 225 |
| 2021 | 80 | 82 |
| 2022 | 83 | 136 |
| 2023 | 80 | 112 |
| 2024 | 91 | 126 |
| 2025 | 93 | 243 |
Quick answers
How many hail reports has Riley County had?
NOAA logged 95 hail reports in Riley County, Kansas, from 2014 to June 2026.
How many days had hail of 1 inch or larger in Riley County?
36 days, including 14 days with hail of 1.75 inches or larger. The National Weather Service calls hail of 1 inch or larger severe.
What was the largest hail reported in Riley County?
4 inches (a grapefruit), reported on September 10, 2015.
Which month has the most hail in Riley County?
April has the most reports, 31% of the 95 in the record.
Does a hail day in the record mean my roof was damaged?
A counted day only means a spotter reported hail somewhere in the area. An inspection is the only way to know whether a roof was hit.
Next steps for Riley County
Riley County cities we cover
Next to Riley County in the Kansas ranking
- Sedgwick County (382 reports)
- Shawnee County (143 reports)
- Reno County (142 reports)
- Saline County (133 reports)
Cite this page
Data version: NOAA Storm Events hail data, 2014 to June 2026, loaded October 6, 2026. All dataset versions. Download the table as CSV. Free to quote with credit under CC BY 4.0.
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, public domain. Counts and tables on this page are free to reuse with credit to PickARoofer under CC BY 4.0.