Kansas, 1998

Flooding and Hail in Kansas, September 20 to 28, 1998

September 20 to 28, 1998 · NWS TOP · 15 events in 8 counties and zones

8 hail, 3 lightning, 2 flood, 1 heavy rain, 1 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 6 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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
$175,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
15

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.

The radar

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

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

8 hail, 3 lightning, 2 flood, 1 heavy rain, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Clay

When
September 20, 4:30 PM CST to 6:00 PM CST
Where
Clay County, Clay Center
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
39.350, -97.165 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heavy rains fell across Clay county during the evening hours. Clay Center received 4.97 inches of rain but there were public reports of as much as 6 to 7 inches south and east of Clay Center. A road east of Clay Center was flooded for a time.

Hail, Clay

When
September 20, 4:42 PM CST
Where
Clay County, 5 mi S of Clay Center
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
39.320, -97.120

Hail, Clay

When
September 20, 4:45 PM CST
Where
Clay County, 7 mi S of Clay Center
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
39.280, -97.120

Hail, Clay

When
September 20, 5:00 PM CST
Where
Clay County, 4 mi NW of Wakefield
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
39.250, -97.070

Hail, Clay

When
September 20, 5:30 PM CST
Where
Clay County, Wakefield
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
39.220, -97.020

Hail, Clay

When
September 20, 5:30 PM CST
Where
Clay County, 1 mi NE of Wakefield
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
39.230, -97.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Clay

When
September 20, 5:30 PM CST
Where
Clay County, Wakefield
Measured
60 kt (69 mph)
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
39.220, -97.020

Large trees were blown down.

Lightning, Jackson

When
September 21, 12:05 AM CST
Where
Jackson County, Holton
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
39.417, -95.794 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning struck a transformer doing damage to it and causing about an hour long power outage in part of Holton.

Lightning, Douglas

When
September 21, 12:10 AM CST
Where
Douglas County, Lawrence
Property damage
$60,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
38.885, -95.293 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning struck a business and started a fire which did about 60 thousand dollars damage.

Lightning, Shawnee

When
September 21, 5:30 AM CST
Where
Shawnee County, 7 mi NNE of Topeka
Property damage
$90,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
39.042, -95.756 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning struck a house and started a fire which did about 90 thousand dollars damage.

Flood, Lyon

When
September 24, 4:00 AM CST to 8:00 AM CST
Where
Lyon County, Emporia
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
38.456, -96.153 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Three to 5 inches of rain caused flooding in Emporia and surrounding areas stalling cars and closing several streets temporarily. A car was submerged beneath a flooded underpass but the occupants escaped without harm.

Flood, Anderson

When
September 24, 6:00 AM CST to 10:00 AM CST
Where
Anderson County, Garnett
Property damage
$20,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
38.214, -95.293 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Up to 8 inches of rain caused flooding in Garnett and surrounding areas causing numerous road closures and damage around 20 thousand dollars.

Hail, Washington

When
September 27, 11:55 AM CST
Where
Washington County, Morrowville
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
39.850, -97.170

Hail, Washington

When
September 27, 12:21 PM CST
Where
Washington County, 2 mi S of Hanover
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
39.850, -96.880

Hail, Pottawatomie

When
September 28, 12:45 AM CST
Where
Pottawatomie County, 5 mi NE of Westmoreland
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
39.450, -96.350

What these are

Heavy Rain
Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
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.
Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
Flood
Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.

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 historyWarnings in Kansas, September 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: 5664428, 5664429, 5664430, 5664431, 5664432, 5664433, 5664434, 5664435, 5664436, 5664493, 5664494, 5664495, 5664496, 5664497, 5664498.