Central Kansas and Nebraska
Wichita and Sedgwick County: Where Kansas Hail Piles Up
In NOAA's Storm Events Database, Sedgwick County logs more 1-inch hail from 2016 through 2025 than any other Kansas county, and a 2010 stone from west Wichita is recorded as a state record for diameter. This page covers the storm history for Sedgwick, Butler, Harvey and Reno counties and the two layers of roofer checks, state and local, that apply around Wichita.
The Wichita-area numbers
| County | Hail reports | 1 inch or larger | 2 inches or larger | Hail days (1 inch+) | Tornadoes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sedgwick | 290 | 220 | 22 | 65 | 1 |
| Butler | 172 | 130 | 10 | 53 | 15 |
| Reno | 83 | 61 | 9 | 26 | 9 |
| Harvey | 72 | 60 | 5 | 29 | 2 |
NOAA's Storm Events Database is the source for these 2016-2025 counts. Sedgwick County's 220 large-hail events top every Kansas county, and the same database lists 368 thunderstorm wind events there, 41 of them at 65 knots or more.
Storms that define the Wichita record
- September 15, 2010. The NCEI record for a stone that fell over west Wichita says it broke the state record for diameter at 7.75 inches. The same storms left a swath of very large hail about 5 miles wide and 15 miles long, from northwest of Goddard through the western and southern half of Wichita to near Rose Hill, estimated at $150 million.
- July 8, 2009. Golf ball to baseball size hail moved across downtown Wichita, damaging cars and roofs; during the half-hour storm, thousands of cars took roof, windshield or hood damage. FEMA's DR-1860 covers Sedgwick County for severe storms and flooding beginning that day.
- April 14, 2012. An EF3 tornado near Haysville carries a $500 million estimate and 38 injuries; FEMA declared DR-4063.
- April 29, 2022. The tornado that came to be known as the Andover Tornado touched down in rural Sedgwick County, where that segment is rated EF2, and did EF3 damage in Andover, where the Butler County record estimates $37 million.
- June 17, 2025. Wichita Eisenhower Airport measured a 102 mph gust, the highest at the airport on record since 1970.
- September 3, 2025. Hail of 2.75 inches hit Wichita and Burrton in Harvey County the same day.
Butler, Harvey and Reno counties
On April 8, 2011, baseball to softball size hail up to 5 inches hit Rose Hill in Butler County; the record says the high school roof was a total loss at $700,000 and nearly every home in town had 50 to 100 percent roof damage. Newton logged 2.75-inch hail at Greenwood cemetery on May 26, 2016, and Hutchinson's airport took tennis ball to baseball size hail on June 22, 2019.
The FEMA list keeps growing. Butler County is named in DR-4943, declared September 1, 2026 for severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding that began June 18, 2026, and Reno County in DR-4883 for storms beginning May 18, 2025.
Two checks before a Wichita roofer starts
The state registration. Under the Kansas roofing registration act, a roofer must hold a valid registration certificate from the Attorney General, and K.S.A. 50-6,127 requires that certificate number to be submitted with any permit application and written on each permit issued. Ask to see the permit, and the state number should be on it.
The local license. The Metropolitan Area Building and Construction Department (MABCD) licenses contractors for unincorporated Sedgwick County, the City of Wichita and small cities in its jurisdiction. Its license types include "Roofing and/or Siding," and a roofing applicant must submit completed State of Kansas roofer registration paperwork showing the registration number, along with at least $300,000 in general liability coverage. The state act itself says it is in addition to any other required licensing, so a registered roofer still needs the local license where one applies.
The homepage covers the rest of the Kansas act, and NRD's Kansas roofing licensing page summarizes the statewide rules.
Wichita-area roofers on the National Roofing Directory
Listings below come from Wichita, Derby, Newton and Hutchinson. NRD also has pages for roofers in Wichita and for roof replacement cost in Wichita.
Frequently asked questions
What is the largest hailstone recorded in Kansas?
The NCEI record for the September 15, 2010 storm says a stone that fell over west Wichita broke the state record for diameter at 7.75 inches. It is also the largest Kansas hail in NOAA's Storm Events Database from 2000 through 2025.
Does a Wichita roofer need a state registration and a local license?
Where MABCD has jurisdiction, yes. The state requires registration with the Attorney General, and MABCD's roofing license application requires proof of that registration number plus liability insurance.
Is hail season in south-central Kansas only in spring?
No. Kansas hail peaks in May, but NOAA's Storm Events Database lists 419 Kansas hail events in September over 2016 through 2025, and both the 2010 record stone and the 2025 Wichita storm came in September.
Sources
- NOAA's Storm Events Database — ncei.noaa.gov
- broke the state record for diameter at 7.75 inches — ncei.noaa.gov
- swath of very large hail — ncei.noaa.gov
- Golf ball to baseball size hail — ncei.noaa.gov
- DR-1860 — fema.gov
- EF3 tornado near Haysville — ncei.noaa.gov
- DR-4063 — fema.gov
- that segment is rated EF2 — ncei.noaa.gov
- EF3 damage in Andover — ncei.noaa.gov
- 102 mph gust — ncei.noaa.gov
- Hail of 2.75 inches hit Wichita — ncei.noaa.gov
- Burrton in Harvey County — ncei.noaa.gov
- baseball to softball size hail — ncei.noaa.gov
- 2.75-inch hail at Greenwood cemetery — ncei.noaa.gov
- tennis ball to baseball size hail — ncei.noaa.gov
- DR-4943 — fema.gov
- DR-4883 — fema.gov
- K.S.A. 50-6,127 — ksrevisor.gov
- unincorporated Sedgwick County, the City of Wichita and small cities in its jurisdiction — sedgwickcounty.org
- says it is in addition to — ksrevisor.gov