250
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$1.3M
Property damage
Hail in Franklin County, Kansas: 250 recorded events between 1959 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 3. That places the county #435 nationally and #83 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Hail in Franklin County, Kansas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for hail in Franklin County is the 2000s, when 94 of the county's 250 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 Franklin County archive, hail makes up 42.5% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #435 for this hazard and #83 within Kansas, putting it in the 86.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for hail in Franklin County with 65 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.
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 17, 2026 | LE LOUP | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 13, 2026 | OTTAWA | 2.75 | $0 |
| Apr 13, 2026 | OTTAWA | 2 | $0 |
| Apr 13, 2026 | POMONA | 2 | $0 |
| Apr 24, 2025 | RANTOUL | 2 | $0 |
| Apr 17, 2025 | RICHTER | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 17, 2025 | OTTAWA MUNI ARPT | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 12, 2024 | POMONA | 0.88 | $0 |
| Jun 29, 2024 | WILLIAMSBURG | 1.25 | $0 |
| Sep 23, 2023 | WELLSVILLE | 2 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Franklin County
- Thunderstorm Wind 238
- Flash Flood 46
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Large hail accompanied by high winds caused widespread damage in and north of Wellsville. This supercell storm had originated in central Kansas and produced extensive and widespread, mainly straightline/ downburst wind damage, as it moved east across the region, finally exiting the state around 2200 CST.
A pulic report of half dollar size hail was reported along this path. A trained spotter in Ottawa also reported quarter size hail, which was relayed to the NWS by the Franklin County Sheriff. A third trained spotter reported dime to nickle size hail.
Golfball-size hail fell in the Princeton area with numerous reports of 0.25- to 0.50-inch hail across parts of Osage, Shawnee, Douglas, Marshall and Nemaha counties. The hail was soft, but briefly covered the ground in some areas. Heavy localized rainfall and saturated ground caused flooding of streets and poor drainage areas.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many hail events are on record in Franklin County, Kansas?
250 hail events are recorded in Franklin County between 1959 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest hail recorded in Franklin County?
The strongest hail on record in Franklin County measured 3.
Where does the hail data for Franklin 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 Franklin County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/franklin-county/hail/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.