Hail, Smith
- When
- September 8, 8:55 PM CST to 9:05 PM CST
- Where
- Smith County, 8 mi NW of Smith Center
- Measured
- 1 in hail
- Property damage
- $40,000
- Crop damage
- $200,000
- Coordinates
- 39.870, -98.880
Hail and Damaging Winds in Kansas, September 8, 1997
Severe thunderstorms rolled south from Nebraska dropping large hail and blasting a part of north central Kansas with high winds. Northwest of Smith Center, the hail lasted over 10 minutes and covered the ground.
Where it happened
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The toll
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 0
- Property damage
- $200,000
- Crop damage
- $500,000
- Events
- 3
Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.
What happened
The episode as NWS GID wrote it up.
Severe thunderstorms rolled south from Nebraska dropping large hail and blasting a part of north central Kansas with high winds. Northwest of Smith Center, the hail lasted over 10 minutes and covered the ground. In and around Smith Center, numerous power poles and trees were downed causing widespread power loss.
The radar
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
Event by event
2 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.
Thunderstorm Wind, Smith
- When
- September 8, 9:10 PM CST
- Where
- Smith County, Smith Center
- Measured
- 65 kt (75 mph)
- Property damage
- $80,000
- Crop damage
- $200,000
- Coordinates
- 39.780, -98.780
Thunderstorm Wind, Osborne
- When
- September 8, 10:00 PM CST
- Where
- Osborne County, Downs
- Measured
- 65 kt (75 mph)
- Property damage
- $80,000
- Crop damage
- $100,000
- Coordinates
- 39.500, -98.550
What these are
- Hail
- Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
- Thunderstorm Wind
- Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
The same day elsewhere
- Dense Fog in South Dakota, September 8, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Nebraska, September 8, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Nebraska, September 8, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in South Dakota, September 8, 1997
- Hail in Kansas, September 8, 1997
- Flash Flood in Utah, September 8, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Winds in Oklahoma, September 8, 1997
- Lightning Strike in South Dakota, September 8, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in South Dakota, September 8, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in South Dakota, September 8, 1997
- Hail in South Dakota, September 8, 1997
- Hail and Damaging Wind in Minnesota, September 8, 1997
More
Every storm in Kansas in 1997Every state in 1997This day in weather historyWarnings in Kansas, September 1997
Sources
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5613482, 5613483, 5613484.