Hail History

Hail history for Ottawa, Kansas

NOAA hail reports in and within about 5 km (3 miles) of Ottawa since 1960, with preliminary reports to November 3, 2026.

Readout · Ottawa

Last hail
Apr 13, 2026
2.75 in, baseball size
Hail days, last 5 years
3
since Nov 3, 2021 · 4 reports
Largest ever
2.75 in
baseball · Apr 13, 2026

75 reports on 48 days since 1960 · #48 of 612 Kansas places

Hail map · Ottawa

Ottawa Rantoul Centropolis Pomona Wellsville Williamsburg Richmond Osawatomie 5 mi
  • Under 1 in
  • 1–1.75 in
  • 1.75–2.5 in
  • 2.5–4 in
  • 4 in +
  • No size
75 most recent reports with a location; Franklin County is shaded. Open street map

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What the record says about Ottawa

The latest hail report in and around Ottawa is from April 13, 2026, 2.75 in (baseball size). Since November 3, 2021 there have been 3 separate hail days; the biggest stones in that time were 2.75 in on April 13, 2026.

Over the 20 years 2006–2025, Ottawa logged 32 reports on 15 hail days, about 1.6 reports a year. That is about twice the median Kansas town on this site (0.7 a year) and ranks #48 of 612 Kansas cities and towns on this site for all-time reports. Ottawa accounts for 30% of the 250 reports filed in Franklin County.

11% of reports with a size were 2 inches (hen egg) or larger, against 7% for the median Kansas town on this site. The largest hail on record here is 2.75 in (baseball) on April 13, 2026 near 0.69 N Ottawa.

Reports were down 32% in 2016–2025 (13) compared with 2006–2015 (19). The busiest year was 2003, with 7 reports on 3 days. Hail here peaks in May (28% of reports); 61% fall between April and June.

Reports a year 2006–2025 average

  • Ottawa 1.6
  • Franklin County 5.5
  • Median Kansas town on this site 0.7

Hail days 2006–2025

  • Ottawa 15
  • Franklin County 51
  • Median Kansas town on this site 10

Share 2 in or larger of sized reports

  • Ottawa 11%
  • Franklin County 8%
  • Median Kansas town on this site 7%

Hail over time

02468 1960: 1 reports, largest 2.00 in 1960 1963: 1 reports, largest 2.00 in 1964: 1 reports, largest 1.75 in 1965: 1 reports, largest 2.00 in 1970 1974: 1 reports, largest 1.75 in 1976: 2 reports, largest 1.75 in 1978: 1 reports, largest 2.50 in 1980 1982: 2 reports, largest 1.00 in 1983: 1 reports, largest 0.75 in 1984: 2 reports, largest 1.75 in 1986: 1 reports, largest 0.75 in 1990 1992: 1 reports, largest 0.75 in 1996: 2 reports, largest 1.75 in 1997: 3 reports, largest 0.75 in 1998: 3 reports, largest 1.75 in 1999: 5 reports, largest 1.00 in 2000: 2 reports, largest 1.75 in 2000 2002: 2 reports, largest 0.88 in 2003: 7 reports, largest 2.75 in 2004: 2 reports, largest 1.00 in 2006: 2 reports, largest 1.25 in 2007: 4 reports, largest 1.00 in 2008: 5 reports, largest 1.75 in 2010 2011: 1 reports, largest 1.25 in 2012: 1 reports, largest 0.88 in 2013: 1 reports, largest 1.00 in 2014: 3 reports, largest 2.00 in 2015: 2 reports, largest 1.75 in 2016: 2 reports, largest 1.50 in 2017: 4 reports, largest 1.50 in 2018: 4 reports, largest 1.00 in 2019: 1 reports, largest 1.75 in 2020 2023: 2 reports, largest 1.00 in 2026: 2 reports, largest 2.75 in
Reports per year, 1960–2026. Bar colour shows the largest hail that year. Reporting grew sharply after the mid-1990s, so early decades undercount.
0102030 Jan February: 4 reports (5%) Feb March: 2 reports (3%) Mar April: 17 reports (23%) Apr May: 21 reports (28%) May June: 8 reports (11%) Jun July: 6 reports (8%) Jul August: 13 reports (17%) Aug September: 3 reports (4%) Sep Oct November: 1 reports (1%) Nov Dec
All 75 reports by calendar month.
Reports per month, 2017–2026. Darker cells had more reports.
YearJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecTotal
2026 2 2
2025 0
2024 0
2023 11 2
2022 0
2021 0
2020 0
2019 1 1
2018 4 4
2017 4 4

Hail days since Nov 3, 2021

DateReportsLargestStorm page
Apr 13, 2026 2 2.75 in —
May 9, 2023 1 0.88 in —
Apr 20, 2023 1 1.00 in —

Largest hail on record

Largest hail reports in Ottawa
Date Size Location County Damage Time · source
Apr 13, 2026 2.75 inbaseball 0.69 N Ottawa Franklin — 18:42 local · NCEI
Jul 11, 2003 2.75 inbaseball Ottawa Franklin $1.0 million 18:40 local · NCEI
May 11, 1978 2.50 intennis ball — Franklin — 16:50 local · NCEI
Apr 13, 2026 2.00 inhen egg 1.48 SSW Ottawa Franklin — 18:30 local · NCEI
Apr 2, 2014 2.00 inhen egg Ottawa Franklin — 20:00 local · NCEI

Sizes filed before 1996 are often rough estimates (round numbers like 7.00 or 8.00 in) without an exact spot; they are shown as NOAA filed them.

Size of every report

Most recent reports

Most recent hail reports in Ottawa
Date Size Location County Time · source
Apr 13, 2026 2.75 inbaseball 0.69 N Ottawa Franklin 18:42 local · NCEI
Apr 13, 2026 2.00 inhen egg 1.48 SSW Ottawa Franklin 18:30 local · NCEI
May 9, 2023 0.88 innickel 1.38 S Ottawa Franklin 16:04 local · NCEI
Apr 20, 2023 1.00 inquarter 1.75 NE Ottawa Franklin 01:51 local · NCEI
May 6, 2019 1.75 ingolf ball 1.28 WNW Ottawa Muni Arpt Franklin 18:51 local · NCEI
Apr 13, 2018 1.00 inquarter Ottawa Franklin 17:19 local · NCEI
Apr 13, 2018 1.00 inquarter 0.69 N Ottawa Franklin 15:42 local · NCEI
Apr 13, 2018 1.00 inquarter 2.97 NNW Ottawa Muni Arpt Franklin 15:40 local · NCEI
Apr 13, 2018 0.88 innickel Ottawa Franklin 15:37 local · NCEI
May 31, 2017 1.25 inhalf dollar 0.69 S Ottawa Franklin 12:08 local · NCEI
May 31, 2017 1.00 inquarter 2.07 S Ottawa Franklin 12:06 local · NCEI
May 31, 2017 1.00 inquarter 1.76 WSW Ottawa Franklin 12:00 local · NCEI

Hail history near Ottawa

Questions about hail in Ottawa

How often does it hail in Ottawa, Kansas?

75 hail reports have been logged in and within about 5 km (3 miles) of Ottawa since 1960. Over the 20 years 2006–2025 that averages 1.6 reports a year. That ranks #48 of 612 Kansas places by number of reports.

When is hail season in Ottawa?

Most reports come in May, April, August. May alone accounts for 28% of all reports.

What is the largest hail recorded in Ottawa?

2.75 in (baseball size) on April 13, 2026 near 0.69 N Ottawa. 11% of reports here were 2 inches or larger.

When did it last hail in Ottawa?

The most recent report in this data is from April 13, 2026 (2.75 in). Final NOAA data runs to July 31, 2026; preliminary NWS reports run to November 3, 2026.

How many hail storms has Ottawa had in the last five years?

3 separate days with hail reports since November 3, 2021, adding up to 4 reports. The most recent was April 13, 2026.

Where does this hail data come from?

Hail reports come from the NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, which the National Weather Service compiles from spotter, public, law enforcement and media reports. Recent days use preliminary NWS Local Storm Reports via the Iowa Environmental Mesonet until NOAA publishes final data. Only reported hail is counted, so areas with fewer people tend to have fewer reports.