Riley County, KS hail & severe wind history
261 storm reports on file for Riley County between 2010-05-06 and 2026-06-13 — 135 hail and 126 severe thunderstorm wind. That averages 15.4 reports a year, and Jun is the busiest month.
At a glance
- Most recent hail report: Jun 10, 2026 — 1" (quarter), 0.53 mi E of Randolph.
- Hail was reported on 59 days since 2010 — about 3.5 hail days a year.
- Largest hail on record: 4.5" (softball) on Apr 15, 2012.
- Riley County has more hail reports than 59% of the 105 Kansas counties we cover.
Search every Riley 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 Riley County storm reports…
Worst storm days in Riley County
| Date | Reports that day | Largest hail | Peak gust |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-06-13 | 13 | 3.5" (teacup) | — |
| 2022-06-11 | 10 | — | 115 mph |
| 2017-04-15 | 7 | 2.5" (tennis ball) | — |
| 2021-08-20 | 7 | — | 79 mph |
| 2018-07-19 | 7 | — | 81 mph |
| 2019-08-15 | 6 | 2" (hen egg) | — |
| 2015-06-04 | 6 | 2" (hen egg) | 72 mph |
| 2013-06-27 | 6 | 1.75" (golf ball) | — |
| 2014-08-31 | 6 | 1.25" (half dollar) | 68 mph |
| 2015-09-10 | 5 | 4" (grapefruit) | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-04-28 | 2.5" tennis ball | 2.67 mi W of Leonardville | Photos shared via social media. Time estimated radar. |
| 2024-06-13 | 3.5" teacup | 1.07 mi E of Manhattan | Delayed report via social media showing a hailstone measuring 3.5 inches in diameter. |
| 2024-06-13 | 2" hen egg | 1.75 mi SE of Rocky Ford | No narrative filed |
| 2024-06-13 | 2" hen egg | 1.07 mi E of Manhattan | Via social media. |
| 2024-06-13 | 2.5" tennis ball | 2.12 mi SW of Rocky Ford | Quarter to tennis ball size hail. |
| 2024-05-06 | 2" hen egg | 3.85 mi SE of Riley | Photo from social media. |
| 2024-05-06 | 2.75" baseball | 3.74 mi E of Riley | Baseball size hail east of Riley. |
| 2024-03-13 | 2" hen egg | 5.29 mi SSE of Manhattan | Report from mping, on Highway 177 south of Manhattan. |
When does hail hit Riley County?
Across 17 years of records, June produced the most reports (76), followed by the months either side of it. Monthly totals:
| Month | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| January | 0 | 0.0% |
| February | 0 | 0.0% |
| March | 5 | 1.9% |
| April | 40 | 15.3% |
| May | 55 | 21.1% |
| June | 76 | 29.1% |
| July | 33 | 12.6% |
| August | 30 | 11.5% |
| September | 11 | 4.2% |
| October | 5 | 1.9% |
| November | 1 | 0.4% |
| December | 5 | 1.9% |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a border with Riley County (U.S. Census county adjacency), where we have storm records:
| County | Storm reports | Largest hail |
|---|---|---|
| Pottawatomie County, KS | 302 | 3" |
| Marshall County, KS | 256 | 5" |
| Geary County, KS | 231 | 3" |
| Washington County, KS | 225 | 3" |
| Wabaunsee County, KS | 183 | 4.5" |
| Clay County, KS | 143 | 4" |
Common questions about hail in Riley County
- How often does it hail in Riley County?
- Hail was reported on 59 separate days between 2010 and 2026, about 3.5 days a year, with June the busiest month for storm reports. 112 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 20161). 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.