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 95 hail storms within 25 miles of Topeka, KS. Of those, 86 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. 2026 was the most active year on record locally, with 45 documented hail events.
Check Hail History for a Specific Address in Topeka| Severity | Count | What it means for roofs |
|---|---|---|
| Catastrophic | 1 event | Baseball+ size, structural roof damage likely |
| Destructive | 4 events | Egg-size, expect mat fractures and gutter damage |
| Severe | 12 events | Ping pong-size, granule loss and bruising common |
| Significant | 69 events | Quarter-size, the standard insurance damage threshold |
| Moderate | 9 events | Marble-size, possible cosmetic damage |
| Year | Reported Hail Events Within 25 mi |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 45 events |
| 2025 | 8 events |
| 2024 | 6 events |
| 2023 | 29 events |
| 2022 | 7 events |
2026 was the busiest hail year on record locally for Topeka, with 45 documented events inside the 25-mile radius. Storm activity in Topeka 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-13 | 7 WNW Pauline, KS | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2026-10-13 | 7 SSE Silver Lake, KS | Severe | 1.75" | — |
| 2026-10-13 | 7 W Topeka, KS | Significant | 1.00" | Report from mPING: Quarter (1.00 in.). |
| 2026-10-13 | 7 W Topeka, KS | Significant | 1.00" | Report from mPING: Quarter (1.00 in.). |
| 2026-10-13 | 7 W Topeka, KS | Significant | 1.25" | Report from mPING: Half Dollar (1.25 in.). |
| 2026-08-19 | 5 WNW Mayetta, KS | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2026-08-15 | 2 S Meriden, KS | Significant | 1.25" | — |
| 2026-06-09 | Clinton, KS | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2026-06-08 | CLINTON, KS | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2026-04-27 | 2 NE Pauline, KS | Significant | 1.25" | Report from mPING: Half Dollar (1.25 in.). |
| 2026-04-27 | PAULINE, KS | Significant | 1.25" | — |
| 2026-04-27 | 2 NW Dover, KS | Significant | 1.00" | Also estimating 50 mph winds with the hail. |
| 2026-04-27 | KEENE, KS | Significant | 1.00" | — |
| 2026-04-27 | Lawrence, KS | Severe | 1.75" | Delayed report. |
| 2026-04-27 | LAWRENCE, KS | Significant | 1.25" | — |
| 2026-04-27 | 3 WSW Lawrence, KS | Significant | 1.25" | Delayed report. mPING report of half dollar size hail. |
| 2026-04-27 | LAWRENCE, KS | Severe | 1.75" | — |
| 2026-04-27 | 3 WNW Topeka, KS | Severe | 1.50" | — |
| 2026-04-27 | MENOKEN, KS | Significant | 1.00" | Time of report estimated by radar. |
| 2026-04-27 | (TOP)BILLARD ARPT TO, KS | Significant | 1.00" | Occurred at the WFO in Topeka. |
NOAA has recorded 343 high-wind events within 25 miles of Topeka, KS in the past five years. Of those, 343 reached severe-thunderstorm thresholds (58+ mph). The highest measured gust was 99 mph.
| Severity | Count |
|---|---|
| Destructive | 1 event |
| Severe | 204 events |
| Significant | 138 events |
| Date | Location | Gust (mph) | Severity | NOAA Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-13 | 4 S Lecompton, KS | 60 | Significant | delayed report tree blocking road. |
| 2026-10-13 | 3 WNW Lawrence, KS | 60 | Significant | — |
| 2026-10-13 | 1 NW Grantville, KS | 70 | Severe | power pole reported down. |
| 2026-10-13 | 3 ENE Topeka, KS | 59 | Significant | — |
| 2026-09-20 | 5 WNW Pauline, KS | 64 | Severe | Personal weather station measured 64 mph gust near Sherwood Lake in southwest Topeka. |
| 2026-09-20 | 5 SSE Keene, KS | 59 | Significant | Personal weather station recorded 59 mph gust. |
| 2026-09-20 | Saint Marys, KS | 65 | Severe | St Marys police department reported 65 plus mph gusts. Relayed by EM. |
| 2026-09-20 | 2 SSW Maple Hill, KS | 70 | Severe | — |
| 2026-09-20 | 2 NE Silver Lake, KS | 70 | Severe | Estimated gusts to around 70 mph with gust front. |
| 2026-09-20 | 1 S Mayetta, KS | 65 | Severe | On US-75 south of Mayetta. |
| 2026-09-12 | 1 SE Pauline, KS | 59 | Significant | — |
| 2026-08-19 | Ozawkie, KS | 70 | Severe | — |
| 2026-08-15 | 6 WSW Meriden, KS | 60 | Significant | Personal weather station. |
| 2026-08-15 | 2 NE Willard, KS | 62 | Significant | — |
| 2026-08-15 | 2 S Meriden, KS | 80 | Severe | Corrects previous tstm wnd gst report from 2 S Meriden. Wind was measured with a Kestrel meter. |
| 2026-08-14 | 2 S Meriden, KS | 80 | Severe | Wind was measured with a Kestrel meter. |
| 2026-07-09 | 5 WNW Pauline, KS | 59 | Significant | Personal weather station near Sherwood Lake. |
| 2026-07-09 | 2 NW Dover, KS | 65 | Severe | Power out and estimated winds gusts around 65 mph. |
| 2026-07-09 | 3 ENE Topeka, KS | 60 | Significant | KTOP ASOS gusted to 60 mph. |
| 2026-07-09 | 7 WNW Pauline, KS | 65 | Severe | Delayed report. 60-65 MPH wind gusts. |
The most recent quarter-size-or-larger hail storm recorded by NOAA within 25 miles of Topeka was on October 13, 2026. HailCheck refreshes from the NOAA Storm Events database daily, so newer events appear here as they are reported.
Topeka averages roughly 19 reported hail events per year within a 25-mile radius. Significant storms (quarter-size or larger) account for 86 of the 95 events recorded over the last five years.
The largest documented hail near Topeka in the last five years was baseball-sized or larger. Most Topeka-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 Topeka. 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 Topeka 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 ValidationTopeka 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.