StormProof → hail seasons → Wichita → 2026
Wichita hail season 2026
67 NWS-recorded hail reports ≥1″ within 30 miles, across 13 storm days, max 2.00". Every one of those reports is a dated, located, citable official record — the context behind this market's 2026 claim volume.
Biggest storm days (2026, final record)
| Date | ≥1″ reports | Max hail | Areas named in the record |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 17, 2026 | 14 | 1.75" | SUMNER, SEDGWICK, BUTLER, HARVEY |
| April 25, 2026 | 11 | 1.75" | SEDGWICK |
| June 18, 2026 | 7 | 1.75" | SUMNER, SEDGWICK, BUTLER |
| May 30, 2026 | 7 | 1.50" | RENO, SEDGWICK, HARVEY |
| April 23, 2026 | 7 | 2.00" | BUTLER |
“The hailstones were mainly pea to penny size with a couple of quarter size hailstones included.”
— NWS event narrative, April 17, 2026 (NCEI Storm Events)
When it fell
Mar 3 · Apr 36 · May 16 · Jun 12
Preliminary 2026 reports (SPC, season in progress)
Same-day SPC storm reports through 2026-10-01, before NCEI compiles the final record: 81 reports ≥1″ on 18 days, up to 2.00". Preliminary counts shift as reports are quality-controlled; they are labeled preliminary in every report we generate.
| Date (preliminary) | ≥1″ reports | Max hail | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|
| April 17, 2026 | 14 | 1.75" | Conway Springs, 3 S Haysville, Derby, 2 WNW Rose Hill |
| April 25, 2026 | 11 | 1.75" | 2 SSE East Wichita, 1 SE Downtown Wichita, 2 SW Andover, 3 WNW Downtown Wichita |
| May 30, 2026 | 10 | 1.50" | 1 NNE Mt Vernon, 6 W Andale, Andale, Mount Hope |
| June 18, 2026 | 7 | 1.75" | 1 W Belle Plaine, Belle Plaine, 5 WNW Udall, 2 S Viola |
| April 23, 2026 | 7 | 2.00" | Andover, 2 E Andover, Benton, Towanda |
Wind context: the record also holds 76 thunderstorm-wind events ≥50 kt (≈58 mph, the NWS severe criterion) in this radius for 2026 — relevant where the dispute is wind vs hail causation.
Working a Wichita claim from 2026?
These are aggregates. A claim file needs the per-address record: every recorded event within 1, 3 and 10 miles of the property, distances, official narratives, and citations an adjuster can check line by line. That's the report — generated in seconds, hosted on HailEvidence (the neutral evidence surface), formatted as an insurance-appeal attachment.
Unlimited reports — Pro $99/mo Single report $29
Provenance
Final counts: NCEI Storm Events Database, file vintage c20260918, hail events with recorded magnitude ≥1.00″ and point coordinates within 30 miles of the Wichita anchor. Preliminary counts: SPC daily storm reports through 2026-10-01. NWS records are point and path observations. The absence of a nearby report does NOT prove that no hail fell at this address — it means no observation was logged nearby. A report of nearby hail documents the event; it does not by itself prove damage to a specific structure. Spotted an error? Email the address on our terms page and we correct against the source.