Rice County, KS hail & severe wind history
214 storm reports on file for Rice County between 2010-04-29 and 2026-06-10 — 126 hail and 88 severe thunderstorm wind. That averages 12.6 reports a year, and May is the busiest month.
At a glance
- Most recent hail report: Jun 10, 2026 — 1.75" (golf ball), 2.07 mi S of Chase.
- Hail was reported on 55 days since 2010 — about 3.2 hail days a year.
- Largest hail on record: 2.75" (baseball) on Jun 10, 2026.
- Rice County has more hail reports than 47% of the 105 Kansas counties we cover.
Search every Rice 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 Rice County storm reports…
Worst storm days in Rice County
| Date | Reports that day | Largest hail | Peak gust |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-08-09 | 11 | 1" (quarter) | 75 mph |
| 2026-06-10 | 9 | 2.75" (baseball) | 81 mph |
| 2021-05-26 | 9 | 2" (hen egg) | — |
| 2014-05-11 | 8 | 1.75" (golf ball) | — |
| 2019-06-11 | 8 | 1.5" (ping pong ball) | 60 mph |
| 2021-08-15 | 7 | 2.75" (baseball) | 110 mph |
| 2016-05-09 | 6 | 1.75" (golf ball) | 60 mph |
| 2012-11-10 | 6 | 1" (quarter) | 70 mph |
| 2013-07-23 | 5 | 2.75" (baseball) | — |
| 2010-04-29 | 5 | 1.75" (golf ball) | 64 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-10 | 2" hen egg | 6.5 mi SE of Saxman | No narrative filed |
| 2026-06-10 | 2.75" baseball | 6.12 mi ENE of Saxman | Photo received via social media. Time was estimated via radar. |
| 2026-06-10 | 2.5" tennis ball | 1.48 mi NNW of Sterling | Photo received via social media. Time was estimated via radar. |
| 2021-08-15 | 2.75" baseball | .54 mi W of Geneseo | No narrative filed |
| 2021-08-15 | 2.5" tennis ball | 3 mi SW of Geneseo | Numerous car windshields were noted. |
| 2021-05-26 | 2" hen egg | .54 mi W of Geneseo | No narrative filed |
| 2021-05-26 | 2" hen egg | 0 mi N of Geneseo | This report was relayed via KWCH. |
| 2020-06-24 | 2" hen egg | 2 mi NE of Lyons | KAKE meteorologist sent picture via Twitter with two inch sized hail. The time of report was estimated from radar. |
When does hail hit Rice County?
Across 17 years of records, May produced the most reports (56), followed by the months either side of it. Monthly totals:
| Month | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| January | 0 | 0.0% |
| February | 0 | 0.0% |
| March | 0 | 0.0% |
| April | 37 | 17.3% |
| May | 56 | 26.2% |
| June | 51 | 23.8% |
| July | 25 | 11.7% |
| August | 29 | 13.6% |
| September | 3 | 1.4% |
| October | 4 | 1.9% |
| November | 6 | 2.8% |
| December | 3 | 1.4% |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a border with Rice County (U.S. Census county adjacency), where we have storm records:
| County | Storm reports | Largest hail |
|---|---|---|
| Reno County, KS | 458 | 4.25" |
| Barton County, KS | 411 | 4.25" |
| McPherson County, KS | 392 | 3.25" |
| Ellsworth County, KS | 221 | 3.25" |
| Stafford County, KS | 173 | 2.75" |
Common questions about hail in Rice County
- How often does it hail in Rice County?
- Hail was reported on 55 separate days between 2010 and 2026, about 3.2 days a year, with May the busiest month for storm reports. 108 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 20159). 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.