Hutchinson, Kansas Hail Report and Map: May 18, 2026
Was there hail in Hutchinson, KS on May 18, 2026? Radar estimated hail up to 2.06 inches inside the town limits of Hutchinson on May 18, 2026 (Eastern time). Radar estimates of at least 0.5 inch covered 100% of the town. Across the report area, the maximum radar estimate was 2.8 inches. The strongest part of the swath was about 27 miles west of Wichita, KS. Radar detected hail aloft in this area between about 11:25 p.m. CT on May 17, 2026 and 10:20 p.m. CT on May 18, 2026.
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Hail estimates at a glance
| Storm date (Eastern time) | May 18, 2026 (Monday) |
|---|---|
| Maximum radar estimate across the area | 2.8 inches; strongest part of the swath about 27 miles west of Wichita, KS |
| Maximum radar estimate inside Hutchinson | 2.06 inches |
| Share of Hutchinson with radar estimates of at least 0.5 inch | 100% |
| Approximate radar timing | Between about 11:25 p.m. CT on May 17, 2026 and 10:20 p.m. CT on May 18, 2026 (Central time) |
| County coverage includes (0.5 inch or larger) | Reno County (1,180 sq mi), Kingman County (756 sq mi), Stafford County (661 sq mi), Sumner County (600 sq mi), Dickinson County (587 sq mi) and Marshall County (581 sq mi) |
| Area with radar estimates of 0.5 inch or larger | about 19,454 square miles |
| Area with radar estimates of 1 inch or larger | about 6,281 square miles |
| Source | NOAA MRMS radar hail estimates (MESH) |
Which towns had hail on May 18, 2026?
Radar estimated hail of at least 0.5 inch inside these town limits, using U.S. Census boundaries. Each percentage is the share of town area with those estimates.
| Town | County | Maximum radar estimate inside town limits | Town area with estimates of at least 0.5 inch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fairbury, NE | Jefferson County | 2.48 inches | 96% |
| Ogden, KS | Riley County | 2.21 inches | 100% |
| Hutchinson, KS | Reno County | 2.06 inches | 100% |
| Manhattan, KS | Riley County | 1.89 inches | 100% |
| Kingman, KS | Kingman County | 1.57 inches | 100% |
| Junction City, KS | Geary County | 1.52 inches | 100% |
| Halstead, KS | Harvey County | 1.47 inches | 100% |
| Bedford, IA | Taylor County | 1.38 inches | 100% |
| Herington, KS | Morris County | 1.35 inches | 75% |
| Newton, KS | Harvey County | 1.31 inches | 97% |
| Haven, KS | Reno County | 1.31 inches | 100% |
| Wellington, KS | Sumner County | 1.3 inches | 55% |
| Beatrice, NE | Gage County | 1.28 inches | 100% |
| Pawnee City, NE | Pawnee County | 1.28 inches | 100% |
| Grandview Plaza, KS | Geary County | 1.24 inches | 100% |
| Tecumseh, NE | Johnson County | 1.22 inches | 100% |
| Wichita, KS | Sedgwick County | 1.2 inches | 22% |
| Wakefield, KS | Clay County | 1.2 inches | 100% |
| Pratt, KS | Pratt County | 1.19 inches | 78% |
| Kinsley, KS | Edwards County | 1.14 inches | 100% |
| Enterprise, KS | Dickinson County | 1.1 inches | 100% |
| Chapman, KS | Dickinson County | 1.09 inches | 100% |
| Maize, KS | Sedgwick County | 1.07 inches | 100% |
| Nickerson, KS | Reno County | 1.07 inches | 100% |
| Conway Springs, KS | Sumner County | 1.06 inches | 100% |
| South Hutchinson, KS | Reno County | 1.05 inches | 100% |
| Mount Hope, KS | Sedgwick County | 1.02 inches | 100% |
| Wymore, NE | Gage County | 1.01 inches | 100% |
| Buhler, KS | Reno County | 1.01 inches | 100% |
| Salina, KS | Saline County | 0.99 inch | 66% |
| Valley Center, KS | Sedgwick County | 0.96 inch | 100% |
| Auburn, NE | Nemaha County | 0.95 inch | 100% |
| Mount Ayr, IA | Ringgold County | 0.94 inch | 100% |
| Park City, KS | Sedgwick County | 0.91 inch | 82% |
| Ellsworth, KS | Ellsworth County | 0.91 inch | 100% |
| Sterling, KS | Rice County | 0.91 inch | 100% |
| Seward, NE | Seward County | 0.85 inch | 71% |
| Augusta, KS | Butler County | 0.83 inch | 82% |
| Sedgwick, KS | Harvey County | 0.83 inch | 100% |
| Mulvane, KS | Sumner County | 0.8 inch | 92% |
How big was the hail in Hutchinson?
Radar estimated hail up to 2.06 inches inside the town limits of Hutchinson. Among the listed towns, the highest estimate was 2.48 inches inside the limits of Fairbury. The maximum estimates in Wichita, Manhattan and Salina were 1.89 inches or less. A town's maximum isn't an estimate for every home. Check the swath for estimates around an address.
What time did radar detect hail?
Radar detected hail aloft in this area between about 11:25 p.m. CT on May 17, 2026 and 10:20 p.m. CT on May 18, 2026. We used 3,422 NOAA radar hail detections in this area to estimate the window. We trim outlying detection times when enough are available, then round down to five-minute marks. It doesn't give an arrival time at an address.
Data source and limits
We use NOAA's MRMS radar product MESH (Maximum Estimated Size of Hail) for hail-size estimates. Each town's figure is the maximum inside its Census town limits. The percentage is the town area with estimates of at least 0.5 inch. A town's maximum isn't an estimate for every home. Each storm date covers one calendar day in Eastern time. A late-evening storm west of the Eastern time zone can appear under two dates. Radar estimates don't confirm hail on the ground or roof damage. Hail of 0.5 to 0.75 inch can damage roofs, especially older roofs. An estimate below 1 inch doesn't rule out damage. Read how we calculate sizes and times.