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Ripley County, MO hail & severe wind history
97 storm reports on file for Ripley County between 2010-03-10 and 2026-04-28 — 52 hail and 45 severe thunderstorm wind. That averages 5.7 reports a year, and Apr is the busiest month.
At a glance
- Most recent hail report: Apr 28, 2026 — 2.5" (tennis ball), 3 mi NNE of Handy.
- Hail was reported on 35 days since 2010 — about 2.1 hail days a year.
- Largest hail on record: 2.5" (tennis ball) on Apr 28, 2026.
- Ripley County has more hail reports than 45% of the 115 Missouri counties we cover.
Search every Ripley 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 Ripley County storm reports…
Worst storm days in Ripley County
| Date | Reports that day | Largest hail | Peak gust |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-28 | 8 | 2.5" (tennis ball) | 100 mph |
| 2014-04-03 | 4 | 1" (quarter) | 70 mph |
| 2011-05-25 | 3 | 1.75" (golf ball) | — |
| 2021-04-09 | 3 | 1.5" (ping pong ball) | — |
| 2017-04-20 | 3 | 0.75" (penny) | 64 mph |
| 2020-05-03 | 3 | — | 70 mph |
| 2019-10-21 | 3 | — | 75 mph |
| 2019-05-15 | 2 | 1.75" (golf ball) | — |
| 2011-05-13 | 2 | 1.75" (golf ball) | 60 mph |
| 2026-04-16 | 2 | 1.5" (ping pong ball) | — |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-28 | 2.5" tennis ball | 3 mi NNE of Handy | Hail estimated to tennis ball size fell near Handy as a surging portion of a storm line entered northwestern Ripley County. No damages were reported. |
| 2026-04-28 | 2" hen egg | 1 mi WNW of Doniphan | Multiple hail reports, with measurements up to 2 in diameter, fell in Doniphan as a surging portion of a storm line moved through town. No hail related damage was reported from Doniphan. |
When does hail hit Ripley County?
Across 17 years of records, April produced the most reports (34), followed by the months either side of it. Monthly totals:
| Month | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| January | 0 | 0.0% |
| February | 3 | 3.1% |
| March | 9 | 9.3% |
| April | 34 | 35.1% |
| May | 24 | 24.7% |
| June | 6 | 6.2% |
| July | 10 | 10.3% |
| August | 3 | 3.1% |
| September | 4 | 4.1% |
| October | 3 | 3.1% |
| November | 0 | 0.0% |
| December | 1 | 1.0% |
Neighboring counties
Counties that share a border with Ripley County (U.S. Census county adjacency), where we have storm records:
| County | Storm reports | Largest hail |
|---|---|---|
| Butler County, MO | 140 | 3" |
| Carter County, MO | 92 | 2.5" |
| Oregon County, MO | 81 | 2" |
See all 115 Missouri counties →
Common questions about hail in Ripley County
- How often does it hail in Ripley County?
- Hail was reported on 35 separate days between 2010 and 2026, about 2.1 days a year, with April the busiest month for storm reports. 35 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 29181). 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.