Hail Reports in Topeka, Kansas — Last 90 Days
NOAA Storm Prediction Center logged 7 hail reports within 25 miles of Topeka across 3 storm days, most recently on October 13, 2026. Source: SPC Local Storm Reports (preliminary, may be revised).
Data as of October 24, 2026 (last successful NOAA check). The newest report in the feed is from Oct 23, 2026. The 90-day log is SPC preliminary data. The county history (2017 to June 2026) is the NOAA Storm Events archive, 2014–June 2026; it has no storms after it ends.
- 1.75 inlargest hail near the city, last 90 days (golf ball size)
- 42days with hail 1 in or larger in the county, 2014–June 2026
- 70days with 58+ mph thunderstorm wind, 2014–June 2026
- #34 of 209among the cities we cover, by hail days of 1 in or more
Has hail hit my Topeka roof since it was installed?
County-level hail reports for Topeka from the NOAA archive this page uses; a county report is not proof of damage at your Topeka address.
When does hail hit Topeka?
NOAA NCEI Storm Events, county level, 2014–June 2026
If insurance covers it, what do I pay in Topeka?
Only if the claim is approved. The ACV math is a straight-line example over a 25-year life; insurers writing Topeka policies use their own schedules, so check your policy.
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Hail near Topeka in the last 90 days
- 1.75 inLargest hail in 90 days (golf-ball size)
- 3Hail days near Topeka
- 7SPC reports
- October 13, 2026Most recent event
Around Topeka, the NOAA Storm Prediction Center logged 7 hail reports within 25 miles between August 14 and October 13, 2026, spread over 3 storm days. Every one of those days brought stones of 1″ or more, and 5 of the 7 Topeka reports with coordinates fell within 10 miles of the city center. In a typical year Topeka sees about 10 hail-producing storms, which is why insurers price separate wind-and-hail deductibles in this market.
Topeka's storm-climate context
Topeka sits in the Kansas Flint Hills corridor with some of the most severe tornado and hail exposure in the country — the city was struck by an F5 tornado in June 1966 that killed 16 people and destroyed over 800 structures. Shawnee County averages 10+ significant hail days per year, and the flat prairie topography allows storm cells to maintain full intensity with no terrain relief, regularly delivering golf ball to baseball-sized hailstones.
Kansas's severe weather frequency has produced a sophisticated insurance and roofing ecosystem in Topeka, with many homeowners cycling through full roof replacements every 10-15 years due to hail claim activity. Hail claims are a regular part of homeownership here, so ask any roofer how they handle large-loss claim paperwork.
How close the hail came
On October 13, 2026, a report fell just 6.4 miles from the Topeka city center, the nearest of 7 (1.25″ at 7 W Topeka). October 13, 2026 was the heaviest day around Topeka, with 5 reports and a top stone of 1.75″. Stones of 1″ or more came on 3 of the 3 Topeka-area hail days.
| Distance from city center | Reports | Largest |
|---|---|---|
| Within 5 miles | 0 | — |
| Within 10 miles | 5 | 1.75″ |
| Within 25 miles | 7 | 1.75″ |
Distances are straight-line from the city center to each SPC report point; reports without coordinates are left out of the table.
Hail events near Topeka by date
October 13, 2026 5 reports, hail up to 1.75″ (golf-ball size) Largest in 90 days
| Time (UTC) | Hail size | Location | Distance from Topeka |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2225 | 1.75″ | 7 SSE Silver Lake, Shawnee County | 6.9 mi |
| 2231 | 1.25″ | 7 W Topeka, Shawnee County | 6.4 mi |
| 2226 | 1.00″ | 7 W Topeka, Shawnee County | 6.4 mi |
| 2227 | 1.00″ | 7 WNW Pauline, Shawnee County | 6.9 mi |
| 2228 | 1.00″ | 7 W Topeka, Shawnee County | 6.9 mi |
August 18, 2026 1 report, hail up to 1.00″ (quarter size)
| Time (UTC) | Hail size | Location | Distance from Topeka |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0430 | 1.00″ | 5 WNW Mayetta, Jackson County | 23.4 mi |
August 14, 2026 1 report, hail up to 1.25″ (quarter size)
| Time (UTC) | Hail size | Location | Distance from Topeka |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0455 | 1.25″ | 2 S Meriden, Jefferson County | 10.2 mi |
The Topeka tables above list preliminary Local Storm Reports from the NOAA Storm Prediction Center. Sizes are reported hailstone diameters; times are UTC. Reports can be added or corrected for about a day after each event. A quiet log does not mean no hail: small or unreported events happen. The closest report in this window landed 6.4 miles from Topeka's center.
View the 7 Topeka-area reports on a map
On the Topeka map, circle positions are the NOAA SPC report coordinates; tap a circle for the date and hail size.
Hail size: < 1″ 1–1.75″ ≥ 2″ not recorded
How severe was it? The NWS yardstick, applied to Topeka's reports
The National Weather Service calls hail severe at 1″ (quarter size) and significant at 2″ (hen-egg size). Scoring Topeka's 7 area reports (filed in Jackson, Jefferson, Shawnee Counties) against that scale: 7 of the Topeka reports met the severe 1″+ criterion — the size at which asphalt shingles start taking granule loss and bruising that shows up as leaks a season later. At these sizes, damage on a Topeka roof is rarely visible from the ground, and homeowners policies typically cover it when it is documented promptly.
Hail history in Topeka: the long picture
County-level NOAA records for the county behind Topeka, 2014–June 2026. Each figure shows its source. Storms after the archive ends are not in these numbers. Ranks count from 1, the highest.
Topeka against the 209 cities we cover
- #34of 209Days with hail 1 in or larger in Topeka: top quarter
- #29of 209Days with hail 1.75 in or larger (golf ball) in Topeka: top quarter
- #52of 209Days with 58+ mph thunderstorm wind in Topeka: top quarter
- #85of 209Tornadoes in Topeka: middle
- #196of 209Reported storm property damage in Topeka: bottom quarter
- #43of 209Share of homes built before 1980 in Topeka: top quarter
Hail events by year
| 2017 | 16 |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 4 |
| 2019 | 23 |
| 2020 | 21 |
| 2021 | 3 |
| 2022 | 2 |
| 2023 | 8 |
| 2024 | 2 |
| 2025 | 3 |
| 2026* | 13 |
Years with no record show as 0. In its busiest full year (2019) Topeka's county logged 23 events; the whole span, 2017 to June 2026, holds 95.
2026 covers only January to June: NOAA's file ends there, so it is not counted as the worst year or in the yearly average.
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, county level, 2017–2026Hail history at a glance
- 95Hail events in the county, since 2017 (NOAA)
- 2.00 inLargest hailstone on record
- Apr 27, 2026Last recorded event in the archive
Hail events in Topeka's county, since 2017: 95, or roughly 10 a year, topped by a 2.00″ stone. Set against that baseline, the 3 hail days near Topeka in the 90-day window above run above the long-term average rate. Check your own Topeka address on the hail risk lookup.
Compared to the Kansas county median of 90 hail events since 2017, Topeka's county runs 1.1× above average.
Three ways a storm reaches a roof
Hail
Topeka's county days with at least one report at that size. Largest stone: 2.75 in.
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, 2014–June 2026Thunderstorm wind
70 Topeka's county days with 58+ mph
58 mph is the NWS severe threshold. Strongest gust on record in Topeka's county: 90 mph on Aug 14, 2024.
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, 2014–June 2026Tornadoes
9 in Topeka's county
Strongest tornado in Topeka's county: EF2 on the Enhanced Fujita scale.
Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, 2014–June 2026Peak storm month
June
In Topeka's county, 113 of 415 hail, wind and tornado reports (27%) fell in June.
Source: NOAA Storm Events, 2014–June 2026Older homes
69.6% of Topeka homes built before 1980
About 42,000 of Topeka's 59,971 housing units (share times units, rounded). Median year built: 1967. Housing units, not roofs: many Topeka homes have been re-roofed since.
Source: Census ACS (Topeka city), 2019–2023Year-by-year table with the largest stone
| Year | Recorded hail events | Largest stone |
|---|---|---|
| 2026* | 13 | 1.75″ |
| 2025 | 3 | 1.25″ |
| 2024 | 2 | 1.75″ |
| 2023 | 8 | 1.50″ |
| 2022 | 2 | 1.00″ |
| 2021 | 3 | 1.50″ |
| 2020 largest stone | 21 | 2.00″ |
| 2019 busiest | 23 | 2.00″ |
| 2018 | 4 | 1.75″ |
| 2017 | 16 | 2.00″ |
NOAA Storm Events archive, Topeka's county. Years missing from the table have no record in the archive. * 2026 covers only January to June: NOAA's file ends there, so it is not counted as the worst year or in the yearly average.
In the archive for Topeka's county, 2019 was the busiest hail year (23 recorded events); the largest stone on record, 2.00″, fell in 2020. A Topeka roof older than 2019 with no documented inspection has probably taken at least one unexamined hit.
In a market with repeat hail, impact-resistant Class 4 shingles often pay for themselves through insurer premium discounts — worth discussing with a Topeka roofer if a recent event tips you into a replacement.
Shawnee County fact sheet for Topeka homeowners
Housing age, federal disaster declarations and your state's claim deadlines in one place. All three come from public records, county level.
How old are the roofs? Homes in Shawnee County by decade built
| pre-1940 | 14.3% |
|---|---|
| 1940s | 5.6% |
| 1950s | 13.5% |
| 1960s | 14.2% |
| 1970s | 17.0% |
| 1980s | 11.2% |
| 1990s | 10.5% |
| 2000s | 9.1% |
| 2010s | 4.3% |
| 2020+ | 0.4% |
80,884 homes, median built in 1971. 64.5% date from before 1980 and 4.7% from 2010 on; 67.0% are owner-occupied. The most common decade is the 1970s.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey · data as of ACS 5-yearWhat to do if your roof was in the hail path
- Read the yard first; stay off the roof. Hail came as near as 6.4 miles to Topeka (7 W Topeka, October 13, 2026) in the last 90 days. Granule piles under a Topeka downspout and dents on gutters, vents and screens are the signs to look for.
- Record the damage before anyone repairs it. The log's worst day near Topeka: October 13, 2026, 5 reports, largest 1.75 in. Pair that date with your dated photos and a coin-for-scale shot to pin the loss to a storm.
- Out-of-town crews will knock; take your time. With 3 of the 3 hail days at 1 inch or more around Topeka, canvassers arrive fast. A contract or Assignment of Benefits signed at a Topeka door is a risk; a written scope from your own roofer is not.
- Watch two deadlines: the policy's and the insurer's. The latest storm day near Topeka was 12 days ago. For a Topeka claim, state law sets the insurer's clocks (see the Kansas page below); your own reporting window is in the policy.
- Bring the written scope to the adjuster. Hand over the scope in writing: an adjuster working a Topeka claim then has the contractor's numbers. Step-by-step: the roof insurance claim guide.
Insurer clocks for Topeka homeowners: rule text, quotes and links on the Kansas claim-deadlines page (checked 2026-10-09). Not legal advice.
Hail in Topeka — questions homeowners ask
When did hail last hit Topeka, KS?
How large was the hail near Topeka?
Does homeowners insurance cover hail damage in Topeka?
How often does hail hit the Topeka area?
How close did hail get to Topeka in the last 90 days?
How long does an insurer in Kansas have to respond to a hail claim?
Check your own ZIP in Topeka
The county figures above average over everything inside the county line. For a score tied to your Topeka address, run your ZIP through the hail risk lookup — Topeka ZIP codes include 66601, 66604, 66606, 66607, 66614.
Topeka neighborhoods — hail exposure varies by area
Hail paths track with storm cell movement, not city limits. If you're in Westboro, College Hill, Indian Hills, Chesney Park, Auburndale or Auburn Hills, check your specific street against the report locations above — distance from Topeka's center is listed for each report.
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More resources
- Roofing contractors in Topeka
- Storm damage repair in Topeka
- Roof repair in Topeka
- Roof inspection in Topeka
- Insurance claim guide
- Hail insurance claims in Kansas
- Roof replacement costs in Topeka
- Emergency roof repair
- All recent hail reports
- Hail risk lookup
Sources: NOAA Storm Prediction Center Local Storm Reports (last 90 days, preliminary) and the NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county of the city, 2014–June 2026); U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year estimates (housing). The Storm Events archive used here ends in 2026, so storms between that date and the start of the 90-day log are not shown. How we collect data. Are you a roofer in Topeka? See how requests reach contractors.
How to cite this page
Free to quote with credit, under CC BY 4.0, no permission needed. The numbers are NOAA Storm Prediction Center preliminary reports: unverified, and not confirmed damage to any roof. This is not an official NOAA or NWS product.