Storm risk in Riley County, Kansas

FEMA's overall hazard score for Riley County is 58.46 (Relatively Low), 1,307th of 3,144 counties. Hail scores 55.79 (Relatively Low), strong wind 57.57 (Relatively Moderate) and tornado 84.29 (Relatively Moderate). Expected hail loss is $18 per $1 million of buildings a year; NOAA logged 95 hail reports in Riley County from 2014 to June 2026.

FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026. NOAA hail reports 2014 to June 2026.

Riley County: expected yearly loss per $1 million of buildings for hail, strong wind and tornado, on a log scale, against all U.S. counties and the counties of KS$0.1$1$10$100$1,000Hail: $18 per $1 million, 1,744th of 3,126 rated counties$18Hail1,744th of 3,126 countiesStrong wind: $39 per $1 million, 1,011th of 3,121 rated counties$39Strong wind1,011th of 3,121 countiesTornado: $454 per $1 million, 518th of 3,144 rated counties$454Tornado518th of 3,144 counties
  • Riley County, coloured by its FEMA rating
  • all U.S. counties
  • each county in the state
  • U.S. median
  • state median

Expected yearly loss per $1 million of buildings, log scale. Dot colour is FEMA’s rating band. The tornado lane counts everything exposed, not only buildings.

How FEMA rates Riley County

HazardRatingScore (0 to 100)Rank in U.S.Rank in KS
OverallRelatively Low 58.461,307 of 3,14416 of 105
HailRelatively Low 55.791,391 of 3,12690 of 105
Strong windRelatively Moderate 57.571,335 of 3,12643 of 105
TornadoRelatively Moderate 84.29495 of 3,12614 of 105

Expected yearly loss, in dollars

HazardThis county, total a yearPer $1M of buildingsState median countyU.S. median countyRank per $1M, U.S.Rank per $1M, state
Hail$282,375$18 $136$22 1,744 of 3,126105 of 105
Strong wind$635,170$39 $78$20 1,011 of 3,12187 of 105
Tornado$7,304,968$454 $416$199 518 of 3,14443 of 105

Rank 1 is the highest. Overall, hail and wind losses count buildings; the tornado row counts everything FEMA exposes, so it overstates building damage. Expected annual loss is an average over many years for the whole county, not a forecast for one roof.

What stands out in Riley County

  • FEMA expects hail in Riley County to cost $18 per $1 million of buildings a year: 0.78 times the U.S. median and 0.13 times the KS county median, ranked 1,744th of 3,126 counties nationally and 105th of 105 in Kansas.
  • FEMA expects strong wind in Riley County to cost $39 per $1 million of buildings a year: 1.94 times the U.S. median and 0.50 times the KS county median, ranked 1,011th of 3,121 counties nationally and 87th of 105 in Kansas.
  • FEMA expects tornado in Riley County to cost $454 per $1 million of buildings a year: 2.28 times the U.S. median and 1.09 times the KS county median, ranked 518th of 3,144 counties nationally and 43rd of 105 in Kansas.
  • Applying FEMA's estimate to a $231,200 home, the average yearly loss in Riley County is about $4.06 for hail and $9.12 for wind before any deductible; at the U.S. median county rates it would be $5.17 and $4.71.
  • If the next years look like 2014 to 2025, a roof kept 20 years in Riley County meets about 56.7 hail days of 1 inch or more; the median county in NOAA's file (1,275 counties) would give 35.0.
  • Built in 1984, the median home in Riley County is 42 years old, so an original roof has outlived a 3-tab shingle (15 to 20 years) and an architectural one (25 to 30 years); 68.8% of its 30,674 homes are at least 26 years old.
  • March to June holds 78 of the 95 hail reports in Riley County (82 percent); the quietest month is January, with 0 reports.

What hail and wind cost a home here in an average year

Enter a home value. The calculator applies Riley County’s own loss rate: the county’s expected yearly loss divided by the value of its buildings. It starts at the Census median home value for the county.

$4.06hail, a year; $5.17 at the U.S. median county rate
$9.12strong wind, a year; $4.71 at the U.S. median county rate
$264hail and wind together over 20 years, at today’s rate

Formula: home value × Riley County yearly loss ÷ building value. Hail: $282,375 ÷ $16,099,797,342 = 0.0000175. Wind: $635,170 ÷ $16,099,797,342 = 0.0000395. This is FEMA’s estimate of average damage to buildings and does not account for your deductible. Tornado is left out because FEMA’s tornado loss counts people and other exposure, not only buildings.

Read this as a yardstick. The rate is an average over every building in the county, from sheds to office towers, and over many years. Real losses come in rare, large storms; a roof with no damage in 19 years can need full replacement in the 20th. The figure is not a quote and not a prediction for one address.

Riley County in plain numbers

  • Riley County scores 58.46 in FEMA's overall hazard index (Relatively Low): 1,307th of 3,144 rated counties and 16th of 105 in Kansas.
  • Hail scores 55.79 (Relatively Low). FEMA expects $282,375 of hail damage to buildings in Riley County a year, which is $18 per $1 million of buildings, 0.78 times the U.S. median.
  • Strong wind scores 57.57 (Relatively Moderate) with $635,170 of expected yearly building loss in Riley County: $39 per $1 million of buildings, 1.94 times the U.S. median.
  • Tornado scores 84.29 (Relatively Moderate) and FEMA's expected yearly tornado loss is $7,304,968, counting everything exposed, or $454 per $1 million of buildings in Riley County.
  • FEMA's own event record for Riley County averages 8.73 hail events and 5.54 strong-wind events a year.
  • NOAA logged 95 hail reports in Riley County between 2014 and June 2026, on 36 days with stones of 1 inch or more; the largest was 4 inches.
  • In Riley County, FEMA counts buildings worth 16.10 billion dollars and 71,953 residents.
  • Social vulnerability is Very Low in Riley County.
  • Community resilience there is Relatively High, for 71,953 residents.
  • 1 city in Riley County is covered on this site: Manhattan. 8 Census ZIP areas have more than half of their land in the county.
  • Our guide range for a 2,000 sq ft asphalt roof in Manhattan is $6,160 to $13,640.
  • Riley County ranks 115 of the 194 counties with a page here for hail loss per $1 million of buildings, 28 for wind and 31 for tornado.
  • In Riley County, April is the busiest month with 29 of the 95 reports (31 percent), against 1 report in October.
  • Riley County's worst year was 2015, with 5 hail days at 1 inch or more and 14 reports. At the 2014 to 2025 pace that is 2.83 such days a year, one about every 4.2 months.
  • The median home in Riley County was built in 1984; 45.5% of its 30,674 housing units date from before 1980, 68.8% from before 2000 and 16.5% from 2010 on.
  • Census puts the median home value in Riley County at $231,200, and 44.9% of homes are lived in by their owners.
  • 1,285 single-family building permits were issued in Riley County from 2014 to 2025, about 41.9 per 1,000 homes, peaking in 2014.
  • NOAA lists 8 tornado tracks in Riley County since 2014; the strongest was an EFU on August 15, 2019 near Ogden, 1.37 miles long.
  • The fastest gust in NOAA's records for Riley County is 115 mph on June 11, 2022 at Manhattan.
  • The nearest county with a page here is Shawnee County, 52 miles from the centre of Riley County; its hail score is 87.37.
  • Across counties the median is one roofing firm for every 5,189 homes; Census counted 7 roofing contractor establishments in Riley County in 2023, one for every 4,382 homes.
  • FEMA has named Riley County in 5 disaster declarations since 2014, the latest 14 days before its data end, and 5 of them were storm-type.

The hail record of Riley County, year by year

NOAA logged 95 reports in Riley County; hail of 1 inch or more fell on 36 days. That is 2.8 such days a year; the median county in NOAA’s file has 1.8.

Riley County: NOAA hail reports per year, 2014 to June 2026, with the number of days that had hail of 1 inch or more051015202014: 7 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 2 inch142015: 14 reports, 5 days at 1 inch or more, largest 4 inch152016: 10 reports, 5 days at 1 inch or more, largest 2 inch162017: 9 reports, 3 days at 1 inch or more, largest 2.75 inch172018: 2 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.75 inch182019: 8 reports, 3 days at 1 inch or more, largest 2 inch192020: 5 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.75 inch202021: 1 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.75 inch212022: 4 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.25 inch222023: 6 reports, 3 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch232024: 19 reports, 3 days at 1 inch or more, largest 3.5 inch242025: 8 reports, 3 days at 1 inch or more, largest 2.5 inch252026: 2 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch26*
  • reports
  • days with hail of 1 inch or more
  • * 2026 runs to June only
Riley County: NOAA hail reports by calendar month, 2014 to June 2026January: 0 reports0JanFebruary: 0 reports0FebMarch: 5 reports5MarApril: 29 reports29AprMay: 24 reports24MayJune: 20 reports20JunJuly: 4 reports4JulAugust: 8 reports8AugSeptember: 4 reports4SepOctober: 1 reports1OctNovember: 0 reports0NovDecember: 0 reports0Dec

Reports by calendar month, all years together. Peak: April, 29 reports.

The same numbers as a table (years with at least one report)
YearReportsDays, 1 inch or moreDays, 1.75 inch or moreLargest stoneDamage reported
20147212 in–
201514524 in–
201610512 in–
20179322.75 in–
20182211.75 in–
20198312 in–
20205211.75 in–
20211111.75 in–
20224201.25 in–
20236301 in–
202419333.5 in–
20258312.5 in–
2026 (to June)2201 in–

Biggest hail days in Riley County

DateLargest stoneReports that dayDamage reportedNear
September 10, 20154 in4none recordedRandolph
June 13, 20243.5 in13none recordedManhattan
May 6, 20242.75 in2none recordedRiley
June 16, 20172.75 in1none recordedRandolph
April 15, 20172.5 in7none recordedWinkler

Where large hail was reported

FEMA scores the county as a whole. NOAA’s reports show where inside Riley County the big stones fell.

Reported hail locations, Riley County

1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail2 in hail2 in hail2 in hail2 in hail2 in hail2 in hail2 in hail2 in hail2 in hail2 in hail2.5 in hail2.5 in hail2.5 in hail2.75 in hail2.75 in hail2.75 in hail3.5 in hail4 in hail Manhattan
  • 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 outline

Wind and tornado records for Riley County

Fastest gusts in Riley County

DateGustNear
June 11, 2022115 mphManhattan
June 11, 2022100 mphRocky Ford
June 11, 2022100 mphManhattan
July 13, 201690 mphRandolph

Strongest tornado tracks in Riley County

DateScaleLengthInjured / killedNear
June 11, 2022EFU0.01 mi0 / 0Zeandale
August 15, 2019EFU1.37 mi0 / 0Ogden
June 4, 2026EF23.84 mi0 / 0Riley
June 11, 2022EF20.32 mi0 / 0Manhattan

8 tornado tracks in all since 2014; the strongest 4 are listed.

How old the roofs are

Census counts homes by the decade they were built. Under each bar is the number of hail days of 1 inch or more that an original roof from that decade has met, at Riley County’s 2014 to 2025 pace of 2.83 such days a year. Most roofs have been replaced since; the row shows what a roof that never was would have taken.

Riley County: share of homes by decade built, with the hail days at 1 inch or more that an original roof from each decade has met at the county's 2014 to 2025 ratepre-1940: 8.3% of homes8.3%<19402581940s: 3.7% of homes3.7%1940s2301950s: 9.5% of homes9.5%1950s2011960s: 8.1% of homes8.1%1960s1731970s: 15.8% of homes15.8%1970s1441980s: 11.4% of homes11.4%1980s1161990s: 12.0% of homes12%1990s882000s: 14.6% of homes14.6%2000s602010s: 16.0% of homes16%2010s312020+: 0.5% of homes0.5%2020+8

Bars: share of 30,674 housing units by decade built. Figures under the decade: hail days met by an original roof, at the county’s 2014 to 2025 pace. The pace of earlier years is unknown.

Median year built1984
Built before 198045.5%
Built before 200068.8%
Built since 201016.5%
Owner-occupied44.9%
Median home value$231,200
Single-family permits, 2014 to 20251,285
Permits per 1,000 homes41.9

Asphalt shingles are rated 15 to 20 years (3-tab) and 25 to 30 years (architectural). Source: Census ACS 2019 to 2023 and Building Permits Survey.

Roofers and past disasters in Riley County

Roofing firms in Riley County

Roofing contractor establishments, 20237
Change since 2016+2 (+40%)
Homes per roofing firm4,382
Median across counties5,189
Employees, 202349

Source for Riley County: Census County Business Patterns, NAICS 238160.

FEMA disaster declarations naming Riley County since 2014

Declarations naming Riley County5
Storm / flood / winter / fire5 / 0 / 0 / 0
Median KS county4
Rank among 100 KS counties45
Days from the latest to the data cutoff14

Source for Riley County: OpenFEMA, data to 2026-09-15. Declaration list for Riley County.

Nearby counties

The closest counties that have a risk page, by distance between county centres. Loss is per $1 million of buildings; the columns marked "times here" divide the neighbour's loss by Riley County's.

CountyMilesOverallHail lossHail, times hereWind lossWind, times hereNOAA hail reports
Shawnee County, KS52 Relatively Moderate $291.65$180.46143
Saline County, KS64 Relatively Low $895.06$240.60133
Douglas County, KS80 Relatively Low $935.32$421.0559
Sedgwick County, KS120 Relatively High $945.38$9.040.23382
Reno County, KS121 Relatively Low $1045.93$1132.87142

All 194 counties, with a filter by state and sorting

Cities and ZIP areas in Riley County

1 city in this county is on PickARoofer. ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are Census shapes that approximate ZIP codes; where we have a city’s ZIPs, the share is the part of each area’s land that lies in this county. 8 such areas have more than half their land here.

CityZIP areas (share of land in the county)Pages
Manhattan 66502 (60%), 66503 (100%), 66506 (100%) Roofers

Storm hit your roof in Riley County? A free inspection tells you if there is damage. One local roofer answers, not five.

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Questions

How high is storm risk in Riley County?

FEMA's National Risk Index gives Riley County an overall score of 58.46 (Relatively Low), 1,307th of 3,144. Hail scores 55.79 (Relatively Low), strong wind 57.57 (Relatively Moderate) and tornado 84.29 (Relatively Moderate).

In Riley County, how many hail reports has NOAA logged?

A report is one entry for one storm in one county, so counts follow where people live as well as where hail fell. NOAA has 95 for Riley County between 2014 and June 2026, on 36 days with hail of 1 inch or more; the largest stone was 4 inches.

What do hail and wind cost a home in Riley County each year, on average?

Applying FEMA's county rates to its median home value of $231,200: FEMA's estimate is about $4.06 a year for hail and $9.12 for wind, before any deductible, against $5.17 and $4.71 at the U.S. median county rates. This is an average over many years and all buildings, not a prediction for one roof; one bad storm costs far more than the average year.

How does Riley County compare with the rest of Kansas?

Per $1 million of buildings Riley County loses $18 to hail a year, against $136 in the median county of the state. Among 105 rated counties it is 90th for hail, 43rd for strong wind and 14th for tornado.

How old are the roofs in Riley County?

The median home was built in 1984, 42 years ago, and 68.8% of the 30,674 housing units in Riley County date from before 2000. Asphalt shingles are rated 15 to 20 years (3-tab) or 25 to 30 years (architectural), so an original roof of either kind is past its rated life. The Census does not record when a roof was replaced.

What does expected annual loss mean?

It is FEMA's estimate of the average yearly loss from a hazard, in dollars, summed over the county. It is built for comparing counties at planning level, not for pricing one house.

Does a high rating mean my roof will be damaged?

No. The index compares counties and cannot say what will happen on your street. After a storm, a roof inspection is the only way to know.

Sources for Riley County: FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026; NOAA Storm Events Database hail reports for Riley County; Census Bureau ZCTA-to-county relationship file (2020); Census ACS and Building Permits Survey, homes in Riley County; Census County Business Patterns, roofing firms in Riley County; OpenFEMA, declarations naming Riley County. Planning-level information about Riley County, not an inspection and not insurance advice.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).