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Cherokee County, KS hail & severe wind history
292 storm reports on file for Cherokee County between 2010-04-06 and 2026-06-25 — 137 hail and 155 severe thunderstorm wind. That averages 17.2 reports a year, and May is the busiest month.
At a glance
- Most recent hail report: Jun 25, 2026 — 1" (quarter), 0.69 mi N of Weir.
- Hail was reported on 66 days since 2010 — about 3.9 hail days a year.
- Largest hail on record: 2.75" (baseball) on May 4, 2020.
- Cherokee County has more hail reports than 61% of the 105 Kansas counties we cover.
Search every Cherokee County report
Check a single date first, or filter the full record below — pick a year, narrow to a month, or drag the hail-size slider to see only the larger stones (1", quarter size, is the National Weather Service severe threshold).
Loading Cherokee County storm reports…
Worst storm days in Cherokee County
| Date | Reports that day | Largest hail | Peak gust |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-08-15 | 9 | 2.5" (tennis ball) | — |
| 2020-05-04 | 7 | 2.75" (baseball) | — |
| 2015-04-02 | 7 | 1.75" (golf ball) | 76 mph |
| 2026-04-15 | 7 | 1.5" (ping pong ball) | 60 mph |
| 2019-04-17 | 7 | 0.75" (penny) | 72 mph |
| 2019-08-26 | 6 | 1.75" (golf ball) | 75 mph |
| 2013-06-15 | 6 | 1.25" (half dollar) | 60 mph |
| 2011-05-24 | 6 | — | 70 mph |
| 2024-08-16 | 5 | 1.75" (golf ball) | 81 mph |
| 2017-02-28 | 5 | 1.75" (golf ball) | 60 mph |
Reports by year
Report counts are driven partly by how many people were around to report a storm, so recent years tend to look busier than the early 2010s. Treat the trend as a reporting trend, not purely a weather trend.
Notable large-hail events (2" and up)
| Date | Size | Near | What was reported |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-08-15 | 2.5" tennis ball | 1.3 mi WNW of Riverton | Hail to the size of tennis balls was reported in a rural area northwest of Riverton. No damage was reported. |
| 2020-08-15 | 2.5" tennis ball | 3.9 mi WSW of Columbus | A picture of hail to the size of tennis balls was received via social media from a rural part of the county. Minor roof and vehicle damage occurred to the farm stead where the hail occurred. |
| 2020-05-04 | 2.75" baseball | 2.35 mi WNW of Baxter Spgs | Baseball sized hail was reported 1 mile west of Baxter Springs. Damage occurred to a home , two vehicles and several head stones at a cemetery. |
| 2014-10-01 | 2.5" tennis ball | .88 mi NE of Neutral | No narrative filed |
| 2011-06-26 | 2.75" baseball | 2.35 mi NNE of Treece | The Baxter Springs Fire Chief reported windshields broken at the intersection of Highways 166 and 69. |
| 2011-05-22 | 2.5" tennis ball | 2.6 mi ENE of Columbus | No narrative filed |
| 2010-05-16 | 2.75" baseball | 5.38 mi WSW of Melrose | Baseball hail occurred from 1 mile west of Highway 59 to 3 miles east of Highway 59 and about 2 to 3 miles into Oklahoma. The storm affected mainly rural areas with little damage reported. |
When does hail hit Cherokee County?
Across 17 years of records, May produced the most reports (58), followed by the months either side of it. Monthly totals:
| Month | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1 | 0.3% |
| February | 13 | 4.5% |
| March | 17 | 5.8% |
| April | 56 | 19.2% |
| May | 58 | 19.9% |
| June | 43 | 14.7% |
| July | 29 | 9.9% |
| August | 46 | 15.8% |
| September | 20 | 6.8% |
| October | 7 | 2.4% |
| November | 2 | 0.7% |
| December | 0 | 0.0% |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a border with Cherokee County (U.S. Census county adjacency), where we have storm records:
| County | Storm reports | Largest hail |
|---|---|---|
| Jasper County, MO | 358 | 3" |
| Newton County, MO | 291 | 2.75" |
| Crawford County, KS | 235 | 2.75" |
| Labette County, KS | 195 | 4.25" |
| Ottawa County, OK | 180 | 2.75" |
| Craig County, OK | 114 | 2.75" |
Common questions about hail in Cherokee County
- How often does it hail in Cherokee County?
- Hail was reported on 66 separate days between 2010 and 2026, about 3.9 days a year, with May the busiest month for storm reports. 105 reports were quarter size (1") or larger.
- Does a report here mean hail hit my street?
- Not necessarily. Each report is one observation tied to a nearby landmark, and a county can be large. Storms also go unreported where few people live. Use the date check above to see what was reported nearby, and treat it as a starting point.
- How big is a 1.75" hailstone?
- Forecasters describe hail by everyday objects: 1" is a quarter, 1.75" a golf ball, 2.75" a baseball. The sizes in these reports are estimates made by the person reporting, not lab measurements.
- Where do I get the official record?
- All reports here come from the NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, which you can search directly. For anything formal, use NOAA’s own records rather than this page.
Look up another place
About these numbers
Every row above is a report filed with the National Weather Service and archived in the NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (FIPS 20021). Reports are eyewitness, trained-spotter and damage-survey observations, so they cluster near roads and towns and miss storms over empty country. Hail sizes are estimates. Damage figures are preliminary as filed and are never revised in this archive. Use this page for background, not for an insurance claim, a legal filing, or a roof assessment — for those, get the official record from NOAA directly.