Rush County, KS hail & severe wind history
230 storm reports on file for Rush County between 2010-05-10 and 2026-04-25 — 162 hail and 68 severe thunderstorm wind. That averages 13.5 reports a year, and May is the busiest month.
At a glance
- Most recent hail report: Apr 25, 2026 — 1" (quarter), 2.76 mi N of Mc Cracken.
- Hail was reported on 75 days since 2010 — about 4.4 hail days a year.
- Largest hail on record: 6" (softball) on May 24, 2011.
- Rush County has more hail reports than 77% of the 105 Kansas counties we cover.
Search every Rush 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 Rush County storm reports…
Worst storm days in Rush County
| Date | Reports that day | Largest hail | Peak gust |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-05-24 | 9 | 6" (softball) | 90 mph |
| 2020-06-24 | 9 | 2" (hen egg) | — |
| 2018-05-01 | 7 | 2.5" (tennis ball) | — |
| 2014-08-31 | 7 | 2.5" (tennis ball) | 60 mph |
| 2012-05-30 | 7 | 2.5" (tennis ball) | — |
| 2013-04-07 | 7 | 2" (hen egg) | — |
| 2014-06-05 | 5 | 1.75" (golf ball) | 60 mph |
| 2023-05-09 | 5 | 1.5" (ping pong ball) | — |
| 2015-07-25 | 5 | 1" (quarter) | 64 mph |
| 2011-05-29 | 5 | 1" (quarter) | 70 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021-08-10 | 2" hen egg | 1.38 mi N of Loretta | Relayed from TV Media. |
| 2020-08-10 | 2" hen egg | .54 mi E of La Crosse Hoover Arp | No narrative filed |
| 2020-06-24 | 2" hen egg | 0 mi N of Otis | No narrative filed |
| 2020-06-24 | 2" hen egg | 0 mi N of Otis | No narrative filed |
| 2020-06-24 | 2" hen egg | 0 mi N of Otis | No narrative filed |
| 2020-06-24 | 2" hen egg | 0 mi N of Otis | No narrative filed |
| 2020-06-24 | 2" hen egg | .88 mi SE of Shaffer | No narrative filed |
| 2020-06-24 | 2" hen egg | 0 mi N of Timken | No narrative filed |
When does hail hit Rush County?
Across 17 years of records, May produced the most reports (70), followed by the months either side of it. Monthly totals:
| Month | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| January | 0 | 0.0% |
| February | 0 | 0.0% |
| March | 1 | 0.4% |
| April | 25 | 10.9% |
| May | 70 | 30.4% |
| June | 45 | 19.6% |
| July | 38 | 16.5% |
| August | 33 | 14.3% |
| September | 10 | 4.3% |
| October | 8 | 3.5% |
| November | 0 | 0.0% |
| December | 0 | 0.0% |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a border with Rush County (U.S. Census county adjacency), where we have storm records:
| County | Storm reports | Largest hail |
|---|---|---|
| Barton County, KS | 411 | 4.25" |
| Ellis County, KS | 404 | 4" |
| Russell County, KS | 378 | 2.75" |
| Pawnee County, KS | 230 | 4" |
| Ness County, KS | 225 | 4.25" |
Common questions about hail in Rush County
- How often does it hail in Rush County?
- Hail was reported on 75 separate days between 2010 and 2026, about 4.4 days a year, with May the busiest month for storm reports. 137 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 20165). 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.