524
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$21.5M
Property damage
Hail in Barton County, Kansas: 524 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 4.5. That places the county #76 nationally and #13 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Hail in Barton County, Kansas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for hail in Barton County is the 2000s, when 182 of the county's 524 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Barton County archive, hail makes up 47.7% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #76 for this hazard and #13 within Kansas, putting it in the 97.6 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for hail in Barton County with 169 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 30, 2000 | GREAT BEND | 2.75 | 0 | 5 | $20.0M |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 9, 2026 | HITSCHMANN | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 22, 2025 | ELLINWOOD | 0.88 | $0 |
| Jul 11, 2024 | GALATIA | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 4, 2024 | CLAFLIN | 1.5 | $0 |
| Jun 4, 2024 | CLAFLIN | 0.75 | $0 |
| Jun 4, 2024 | STICKNEY | 1.75 | $0 |
| Jun 4, 2024 | GALATIA | 2.5 | $0 |
| May 6, 2024 | CLAFLIN | 2.5 | $0 |
| May 6, 2024 | CLAFLIN | 3 | $0 |
| May 6, 2024 | GREAT BEND | 0.88 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Barton County
- Thunderstorm Wind 392
- Tornado 104
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The baseball-sized hail caused widespread damage to approximately 8,000 residences, 400 businesses and 2,500 vehicles. Damage included smashed windows, roofs, siding and air conditioners. Among the vehicles damaged were those of the Barton County Sheriff's Department in which nearly all of the windows were smashed. Crop damage was major to alfalfa, sorghum, corn and soybeans with 18 to 20 percent of these crops destroyed. All reported injuries were minor. Area newspapers contributed to this report.
Approximately 70 cars damaged at one dealership, while a second dealership sustained only minor damage. Many homes sustained roof damage and broken windows. Some wheat was also damaged but details were provided as of this writing. (Narrative courtesy Hutchinson News.)
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many hail events are on record in Barton County, Kansas?
524 hail events are recorded in Barton County between 1955 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest hail recorded in Barton County?
The strongest hail on record in Barton County measured 4.5.
Where does the hail data for Barton County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Hail in Barton County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/barton-county/hail/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.