Ottawa County, KS hail & severe wind history
274 storm reports on file for Ottawa County between 2010-04-29 and 2026-06-08 — 157 hail and 117 severe thunderstorm wind. That averages 16.1 reports a year, and May is the busiest month.
At a glance
- Most recent hail report: May 18, 2026 — 1" (quarter), 5.11 mi ENE of Bennington.
- Hail was reported on 67 days since 2010 — about 3.9 hail days a year.
- Largest hail on record: 4" (grapefruit) on May 1, 2018.
- Ottawa County has more hail reports than 73% of the 105 Kansas counties we cover.
Search every Ottawa 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 Ottawa County storm reports…
Worst storm days in Ottawa County
| Date | Reports that day | Largest hail | Peak gust |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-06-20 | 14 | 2" (hen egg) | 60 mph |
| 2011-07-28 | 10 | 1" (quarter) | 81 mph |
| 2024-06-13 | 8 | 1.5" (ping pong ball) | — |
| 2013-05-28 | 7 | 3.5" (teacup) | 64 mph |
| 2020-05-04 | 7 | 1.75" (golf ball) | 70 mph |
| 2024-05-19 | 7 | 1.5" (ping pong ball) | 60 mph |
| 2016-04-24 | 6 | 2.75" (baseball) | — |
| 2015-06-07 | 6 | 1.75" (golf ball) | — |
| 2012-07-18 | 6 | 0.75" (penny) | 70 mph |
| 2021-12-15 | 6 | — | 75 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-17 | 2" hen egg | .69 mi S of Tescott | Delayed report, time estimated by radar and other hail reports. Relayed via photos. |
| 2018-05-01 | 4" grapefruit | .54 mi E of Ada | Wind driven softball size hail with extensive damage to siding and windows in several homes in Ada. |
| 2018-05-01 | 2" hen egg | 4.5 mi ENE of Ada | Time was estimated via radar. |
| 2016-05-09 | 2.75" baseball | 3.83 mi ESE of Ada | Baseball size hail decreased to dollar coin size by 533 PM. |
| 2016-04-24 | 2.75" baseball | .88 mi SE of Niles | No narrative filed |
| 2016-04-24 | 2.75" baseball | 1.28 mi ESE of Minneapolis | No narrative filed |
| 2016-04-24 | 2.5" tennis ball | .87 mi SE of Minneapolis | No narrative filed |
| 2015-09-10 | 2.5" tennis ball | 2.62 mi SE of Lamar | No narrative filed |
When does hail hit Ottawa County?
Across 17 years of records, May produced the most reports (72), followed by the months either side of it. Monthly totals:
| Month | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| January | 0 | 0.0% |
| February | 5 | 1.8% |
| March | 4 | 1.5% |
| April | 25 | 9.1% |
| May | 72 | 26.3% |
| June | 71 | 25.9% |
| July | 38 | 13.9% |
| August | 23 | 8.4% |
| September | 20 | 7.3% |
| October | 7 | 2.6% |
| November | 3 | 1.1% |
| December | 6 | 2.2% |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a border with Ottawa County (U.S. Census county adjacency), where we have storm records:
| County | Storm reports | Largest hail |
|---|---|---|
| Dickinson County, KS | 348 | 4.5" |
| Saline County, KS | 286 | 3" |
| Cloud County, KS | 241 | 2.5" |
| Lincoln County, KS | 232 | 2.75" |
| Mitchell County, KS | 197 | 2.75" |
| Clay County, KS | 143 | 4" |
Common questions about hail in Ottawa County
- How often does it hail in Ottawa County?
- Hail was reported on 67 separate days between 2010 and 2026, about 3.9 days a year, with May the busiest month for storm reports. 129 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 20143). 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.