319
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$1.3M
Property damage
Hail in Rice County, Kansas: 319 recorded events between 1959 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 4.5. That places the county #273 nationally and #69 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Hail in Rice County, Kansas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for hail in Rice County is the 2000s, when 135 of the county's 319 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 Rice County archive, hail makes up 49.5% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #273 for this hazard and #69 within Kansas, putting it in the 91.2 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for hail in Rice County with 112 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 26, 2026 | GENESEO | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 17, 2025 | STERLING | 1 | $0 |
| May 18, 2025 | GENESEO | 1.75 | $0 |
| May 18, 2025 | GENESEO | 1.5 | $0 |
| May 18, 2025 | BUSHTON | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 23, 2025 | STERLING | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | GENESEO | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | CHASE | 1.5 | $0 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | BUSHTON | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 4, 2024 | LITTLE RIVER | 1.5 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Rice County
- Thunderstorm Wind 222
- Tornado 46
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A swath of large hail moved south across the western half of the county, causing extensive damage to crops, homes and vehicles. Windows were busted out of the homes, and leaves were shreaded off of the trees. The hail was so plentiful that Highway 56 became covered white with hail. This caused a propane truck to slide off the road into a ditch just east of the Barton/Rice county line, destoying the truck.
A total of 35 vehicles damaged at a dealership. Of this total, 18 were 2005 models. One car sustained a broken windshield. Damage was limited due to the sparse number of hailstones achieving the 2.75 inch diameter. (Narrative courtesy of Lyons Daily News.)
A 2nd dealership sustained damage to only 3 vehicles. As was the case 1 mile southeast of Lyons, damage was limited due to the sparse number of hailstones achieving the 2.75 inch diameter. (Narrative courtesy of Lyons Daily News.)
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many hail events are on record in Rice County, Kansas?
319 hail events are recorded in Rice County between 1959 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest hail recorded in Rice County?
The strongest hail on record in Rice County measured 4.5.
Where does the hail data for Rice 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 Rice County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/rice-county/hail/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.