Kansas, 1998

Tornado and Hail in Kansas, June 8, 1998

June 8, 1998 · NWS GID · 9 events in 4 counties and zones

Strong and severe thunderstorms erupted during the mid afternoon dropping large hail in southern Osborne county. Hail was reported in Mitchell county as the thunderstorms moved northeast.

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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$30,000
Crop damage
$350,000
Events
9

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.

Strong and severe thunderstorms erupted during the mid afternoon dropping large hail in southern Osborne county. Hail was reported in Mitchell county as the thunderstorms moved northeast. Toward evening, thunderstorms developed in Phillips county and dropped torrential rainfall and walnut size hail. The storms moved in to Smith county and dropped hail nearly the size of baseballs. Little damage was reported.

The radar

The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 136 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 19:41 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 hail, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Osborne

When
June 8, 1:40 PM CST
Where
Osborne County, Natoma
Measured
1 in hail
Property damage
$5,000
Crop damage
$50,000
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
39.180, -99.020

Hail, Osborne

When
June 8, 2:10 PM CST
Where
Osborne County, 18 mi S of Osborne
Measured
1.5 in hail
Property damage
$10,000
Crop damage
$50,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.170, -98.700

Hail, Mitchell

When
June 8, 2:36 PM CST
Where
Mitchell County, 2 mi E of Hunter
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.230, -98.370

Hail, Mitchell

When
June 8, 3:07 PM CST
Where
Mitchell County, 2 mi SW of Beloit
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.450, -98.150

Hail, Phillips

When
June 8, 3:40 PM CST
Where
Phillips County, 3 mi SW of Woodruff
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
39.970, -99.450

Hail, Phillips

When
June 8, 4:20 PM CST
Where
Phillips County, 12 mi N of Phillipsburg
Measured
1 in hail
Crop damage
$50,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
39.920, -99.320

Tornado, Phillips

When
June 8, 4:30 PM CST to 4:31 PM CST
Where
Phillips County, Kirwin Res
Rating
F0
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
25 yd
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
39.650, -99.170

Hail, Phillips

When
June 8, 4:35 PM CST
Where
Phillips County, 18 mi NE of Phillipsburg
Measured
1.5 in hail
Property damage
$5,000
Crop damage
$50,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.930, -99.080

Hail, Smith

When
June 8, 5:08 PM CST
Where
Smith County, 8 mi NW of Smith Center
Measured
2.75 in hail
Property damage
$10,000
Crop damage
$150,000
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.870, -98.880

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Tornado
A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Kansas in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Kansas, 1998Warnings in Kansas, June 1998

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: 5649601, 5649602, 5649603, 5649643, 5649644, 5649645, 5649646, 5649647, 5649648.