Hail and Damaging Wind in Kansas, May 5 to 6, 1998

Name: Hail and Damaging Wind in Kansas, May 5 to 6, 1998
Start: 1998-05-05T20:38
End: 1998-05-06T03:42
Location: Kansas

May 5 to 6, 1998 · NWS DDC · 22 events in 12 counties and zones

Hail swath varying from 2 to 5 miles wide extended from lakin to near montezuma. Wheat and even CRP grass consisting of Little Blue Stem, Indian, Switch and Side Oats were mowed down to 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $544,000
Crop damage: $620,000
Events: 22

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 DDC wrote it up.

Hail swath varying from 2 to 5 miles wide extended from lakin to near montezuma. Wheat and even CRP grass consisting of Little Blue Stem, Indian, Switch and Side Oats were mowed down to the ground. There was no loss on the CRP but there was a total loss on the wheat and corn. There was also substantial property damage to homes, businesses and vehicles.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

21 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Morton

When: May 5, 8:38 PM CST
Where: Morton County, 12 mi NW of Richfield
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 37.380, -101.930

Thunderstorm Wind, Stanton

When: May 5, 9:10 PM CST
Where: Stanton County, Johnson
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 37.570, -101.750

Hail, Stanton

When: May 5, 9:30 PM CST
Where: Stanton County, 4 mi SE of Johnson
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 37.530, -101.700

Hail, Grant

When: May 5, 9:50 PM CST
Where: Grant County, 8 mi SW of Ulysses
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 37.500, -101.470

Hail, Grant

When: May 5, 10:20 PM CST
Where: Grant County, 5 mi SE of Ulysses
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Coordinates: 37.530, -101.300

Hail, Hamilton

When: May 5, 11:20 PM MST
Where: Hamilton County, 8 mi NE of Syracuse
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.070, -101.650

Hail, Hamilton

When: May 5, 11:25 PM MST
Where: Hamilton County, 10 mi NE of Syracuse
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Coordinates: 38.080, -101.620

Hail, Hamilton

When: May 5, 11:45 PM MST
Where: Hamilton County, 8 mi N of Kendall
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Coordinates: 38.050, -101.550

Hail, Kearny

When: May 6, 12:50 AM CST
Where: Kearny County, 19 mi NW of Lakin
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Coordinates: 38.150, -101.500

Hail, Kearny

When: May 6, 1:06 AM CST
Where: Kearny County, Lakin White Arpt
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Coordinates: 37.970, -101.250

Hail, Kearny

When: May 6, 1:10 AM CST
Where: Kearny County, Lakin
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 37.950, -101.250

Hail, Finney

When: May 6, 1:40 AM CST
Where: Finney County, 12 mi S of Garden City
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 37.800, -100.870

Hail, Haskell

When: May 6, 1:45 AM CST
Where: Haskell County, 15 mi N of Sublette
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 37.700, -100.850

Hail, Haskell

When: May 6, 1:50 AM CST
Where: Haskell County, 17 mi N of Sublette
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 37.730, -100.850

Tree limbs down...probably from the hail.

Hail, Gray

When: May 6, 2:15 AM CST
Where: Gray County, 5 mi NW of Montezuma
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Coordinates: 37.650, -100.520

Hail, Gray

When: May 6, 2:20 AM CST
Where: Gray County, Montezuma
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 37.600, -100.450

Four windows broken out of a house.

Hail, Gray

When: May 6, 2:33 AM CST
Where: Gray County, Montezuma
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Property damage: $500,000
Crop damage: $200,000
Coordinates: 37.600, -100.450

Hail, Ford

When: May 6, 2:40 AM CST
Where: Ford County, 17 mi SW of Dodge City
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Property damage: $15,000
Crop damage: $125,000
Coordinates: 37.580, -100.230

Hail, Meade

When: May 6, 2:46 AM CST to 2:54 AM CST
Where: Meade County, Fowler
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 37.380, -100.200

Hail completely covered the road.

Hail, Clark

When: May 6, 3:00 AM CST
Where: Clark County, Minneola
Measured: 1 in hail
Property damage: $20,000
Crop damage: $150,000
Coordinates: 37.430, -99.970

Hail, Clark

When: May 6, 3:11 AM CST
Where: Clark County, 3 mi N of Ashland
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Coordinates: 37.230, -99.770

Hail, Comanche

When: May 6, 3:42 AM CST
Where: Comanche County, Protection
Measured: 1 in hail
Property damage: $9,000
Crop damage: $145,000
Coordinates: 37.200, -99.480

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

Every storm in Kansas in 1998 Every state in 1998 This day in weather history Warnings in Kansas, May 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: 5647416, 5647417, 5647418, 5647419, 5647420, 5647421, 5647422, 5647423, 5647424, 5647425, 5647426, 5647427, 5647428, 5647429, 5647430, 5647431, 5647432, 5647433, 5647510, 5647511, 5647512, 5647513.