Data current as of 2026-10-16 · Sourced from NOAA Storm Events
Over the past five years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has recorded 42 hail storms within 25 miles of Liberal, KS. Of those, 37 produced hail at least quarter-size — the threshold most insurance carriers consider potentially damaging to asphalt shingles. The largest reported hail in this window was baseball-sized or larger, which can fracture shingle mat and dent metal flashing on contact. 2023 was the most active year on record locally, with 24 documented hail events.
Check Hail History for a Specific Address in Liberal| Severity | Count | What it means for roofs |
|---|---|---|
| Catastrophic | 2 events | Baseball+ size, structural roof damage likely |
| Destructive | 9 events | Egg-size, expect mat fractures and gutter damage |
| Severe | 6 events | Ping pong-size, granule loss and bruising common |
| Significant | 20 events | Quarter-size, the standard insurance damage threshold |
| Moderate | 4 events | Marble-size, possible cosmetic damage |
| Minor | 1 event | Pea-size, unlikely to damage modern shingles |
| Year | Reported Hail Events Within 25 mi |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 2 events |
| 2025 | 6 events |
| 2024 | 5 events |
| 2023 | 24 events |
| 2022 | 5 events |
2023 was the busiest hail year on record locally for Liberal, with 24 documented events inside the 25-mile radius. Storm activity in Liberal typically peaks in spring and early summer, when the jet stream pushes Gulf moisture into the area and supercell thunderstorms become more frequent.
| Date | Location | Severity | Size | NOAA Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-22 | 12 S Hugoton, KS | Significant | 1.00" | Report from mPING: Quarter (1.00 in.). |
| 2026-03-04 | 2 WSW Liberal, KS | Minor | 0.25" | AWOS station KLBL Liberal reported quarter-mile visibility in dense fog. |
| 2025-06-17 | HOOKER, OK | Severe | 1.50" | — |
| 2025-06-17 | FORGAN, OK | Moderate | 0.88" | — |
| 2025-06-08 | TYRONE, OK | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2025-06-08 | LIBERAL, KS | Significant | 1.00" | A video was sent in through social media. |
| 2025-05-28 | WOODS, KS | Destructive | 2.00" | An emergency manager reported 2 inch hail. A storm chaser sent pictures of measured 2 inch hail 5 minutes later 2 miles to the northwest. |
| 2025-05-28 | WOODS, KS | Significant | 1.00" | A trained spotter reported 1 inch hail. |
| 2024-06-27 | TYRONE, OK | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2024-06-18 | LIBERAL, KS | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2024-06-18 | KISMET, KS | Severe | 1.75" | — |
| 2024-06-18 | LIBERAL, KS | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2024-05-28 | MEADE STATE PARK, KS | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2023-09-10 | HAYNE, KS | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2023-07-07 | LIBERAL, KS | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2023-07-07 | KISMET, KS | Destructive | 2.00" | — |
| 2023-07-06 | ADAMS, OK | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2023-07-05 | WOODS, KS | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2023-06-17 | HOOKER, OK | Destructive | 2.00" | — |
| 2023-06-17 | TURPIN, OK | Destructive | 2.50" | — |
NOAA has recorded 84 high-wind events within 25 miles of Liberal, KS in the past five years. Of those, 84 reached severe-thunderstorm thresholds (58+ mph). The highest measured gust was 114 mph.
| Severity | Count |
|---|---|
| Destructive | 1 event |
| Severe | 39 events |
| Significant | 44 events |
| Date | Location | Gust (mph) | Severity | NOAA Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-16 | 2 WSW Liberal, KS | 55 | Significant | AWOS station KLBL Liberal. |
| 2026-08-16 | 4 NE Hayne, KS | 61 | Significant | Mesonet station UR350 Kismws. |
| 2026-07-31 | 1 W Hooker, OK | 75 | Severe | Report came in from Goodwell EM that parts of the City of Hooker were without power due to that wind gust. |
| 2026-07-24 | 2 WSW Liberal, KS | 51 | Significant | AWOS station KLBL Liberal. |
| 2026-07-11 | 1 WSW Hooker, OK | 60 | Significant | — |
| 2026-06-22 | 1 WSW Hayne, KS | 60 | Significant | UR407 observation. |
| 2026-06-22 | 12 WNW Kismet, KS | 72 | Severe | Davis Weatherlink personal weather station. |
| 2026-06-22 | 1 NE Plains City, KS | 72 | Severe | Davis Weatherlink - personal weather station. |
| 2026-06-22 | 1 NNE Plains City, KS | 59 | Significant | Davis Weatherlink - personal weather station. |
| 2026-06-22 | 4 SW Liberal, KS | 61 | Significant | Davis Weatherlink - personal weather station. |
| 2026-06-22 | 4 SSW Kismet, KS | 66 | Severe | UR350 observation. |
| 2026-06-10 | 1 WSW Hooker, OK | 61 | Significant | — |
| 2026-06-10 | 4 NE Hayne, KS | 67 | Severe | Mesonet station UR350 Kismws, mesoscale convective vortex winds. |
| 2026-06-10 | 2 WSW Liberal, KS | 61 | Significant | AWOS station KLBL Liberal, mesoscale convective vortex winds. |
| 2026-06-10 | 3 SW Liberal, KS | 72 | Severe | Mesonet station UP352 2.7 SW Liberal (UPR), mesoscale convective vortex winds. |
| 2026-06-10 | 1 WSW Hayne, KS | 58 | Significant | Mesonet station UP407 0.6 SW Hayne (UPR), mesoscale convective vortex winds. |
| 2026-06-09 | HOOKER, OK | 61 | Significant | An apparently dead tree was blown down and caused damage to the metal awning of a house in Hooker. At this same time, there was a measured gust of 61mph at the mesonet site located one mile west-southwest of Hooker. |
| 2026-06-03 | 1 N Kismet, KS | 62 | Significant | — |
| 2026-05-16 | 3 SW Liberal, KS | 51 | Significant | Mesonet station UP352 2.7 SW Liberal (UPR). |
| 2026-05-16 | 1 WSW Hayne, KS | 51 | Significant | Mesonet station UP407 0.6 SW Hayne (UPR). |
The most recent quarter-size-or-larger hail storm recorded by NOAA within 25 miles of Liberal was on May 22, 2026. HailCheck refreshes from the NOAA Storm Events database daily, so newer events appear here as they are reported.
Liberal averages roughly 8 reported hail events per year within a 25-mile radius. Significant storms (quarter-size or larger) account for 37 of the 42 events recorded over the last five years.
The largest documented hail near Liberal in the last five years was baseball-sized or larger. Most Liberal-area hail falls in the marble-to-quarter range, with destructive storms (egg-size or larger) appearing roughly once every few years.
Most homeowners insurance policies in KS cover hail damage to roofs, siding, and gutters under the dwelling and other-structures coverage. Coverage typically requires the damage to be tied to a verifiable storm date — which is where the NOAA hail history above (and a HAAG-style test square validation) becomes important for the claim file.
Use the HailCheck address search to enter any street address in or near Liberal. HailCheck returns every NOAA hail event within a configurable radius, along with severity bands, dates, and storm narratives for Pro members.
If your property in or near Liberal took on hail during one of the storms above, the standard process for documenting damage is a 10×10 foot test square inspection. A HAAG-trained reviewer counts impact indicators — granule displacement, mat fractures, and bruising — within the marked square and produces a PASS or FAIL document for the claim file.
HailCheck offers a $99 photo-based HAAG-style test square validation. You submit photos from the field, our reviewer evaluates the impact indicators and cross-references the NOAA storm dates listed above, and a written PASS/FAIL determination is returned within one business day. We do not send anyone to the roof — the validation is built around the photos you submit.
Learn About $99 HAAG-Style ValidationLiberal sits inside the central United States hail belt, where warm Gulf moisture collides with cold continental air to produce supercell thunderstorms capable of dropping the hail documented above. Properties in this zone typically see at least one significant hail event every two to four years.