Storm summary · April 10, 2001
April 10, 2001: The Tristate Hailstorm
On April 10, 2001, a long-lived hailstorm tracked from eastern Kansas across Missouri into southern Illinois over roughly eight hours, crossing both the Kansas City and St. Louis areas.
By Roof InspectorsUpdated
What happened
- When
- April 10
- 2001
- Insured losses
- $1.5 billion
- Costliest on record at the time
- Hailstones
- 1 to 3 inches
- Roughly, in diameter
- Path
- 360 miles
- About 585 kilometers
Reported hail sizes
| Location | Reported hail |
|---|---|
| Stilwell, KS | 2.50 ina tennis ball |
| Spring Hill, KS | 1.75 ina golf ball |
| Belton, MO | 1.75 ina golf ball |
| Lee’s Summit, MO | 1.75 ina golf ball |
| 4 miles NE of Strasburg, MO | 1.75 ina golf ball |
| Pleasant Hill, MO | 1.25 ina half dollar |
| 1 mile NE of Linwood, KS | 1.25 ina half dollar |
| Antioch, KS | 1.00 ina quarter |
| Gardner, KS | 1.00 ina quarter |
| Overland Park, KS | 1.00 ina quarter |
These are records for the wider area, not for your address. A storm on record doesn’t mean your roof was damaged, and it doesn’t mean your insurance company will accept that storm or date. That’s why an inspection is worth having: a roofing professional looks at the roof itself.
What made it so costly
According to a study published in the American Meteorological Society’s Monthly Weather Review, the storm dropped hailstones roughly 1 to 3 inches in diameter along a path of about 585 kilometers (around 360 miles).
Its unusually wide swath, large and often wind-driven stones, and its path over two major metro areas combined to produce about $1.5 billion in insured losses — and roughly $1.9 billion together with adjacent storms over two days.
What NOAA’s records show in Kansas City
NOAA’s Storm Events Database, the Weather Service’s official record, lists hail of 1 inch or larger that afternoon mostly in the southern suburbs: Overland Park, Gardner, Spring Hill and Stilwell in Johnson County, Kansas, and Belton, Lee’s Summit and Pleasant Hill in Missouri.
The largest, 2.5 inches, was at Stilwell. The database lists no hail from Clay or Platte counties that day. Law enforcement reported flooding around downtown Kansas City, where up to 2 inches of rain fell in 30 minutes.
What it means for Kansas City homeowners today
Storms like this are rare, but hail itself isn’t. From 2016 through 2025, the National Weather Service logged hail 1 inch or larger within 30 miles of downtown Kansas City on about 8 days a year, and hail-report days peak from April through June.
Those counts are days with a report anywhere in that area, not at any one address.
That’s why it’s worth knowing the storms recorded near your home since your roof was installed — and having it inspected after a significant storm rather than waiting for a leak.
If you file a claim, even after an inspection, your insurance company decides what’s covered and what it pays. Roof Inspectors and our roofing partners can’t make that decision or promise an outcome.
Sources
Sources (3) · Changnon & Burroughs, “The Tristate Hailstorm, NOAA
- Changnon & Burroughs, “The Tristate Hailstorm: The Most Costly on Record,” Monthly Weather Review 131 (2003) (opens in a new tab)
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information: Storm Events Database, April 10, 2001 episode in eastern Kansas (hail reports) (opens in a new tab)
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information: Storm Events Database, April 10, 2001 episode in western Missouri (hail reports and downtown flooding) (opens in a new tab)
Reported sizes come from NOAA’s Storm Events Database. Conditions at individual addresses vary.
See the storms on record near your home.
The address check covers the last 10 years, so it can’t show the 2001 storm. Start with a free storm count for your address. It takes about 30 seconds.
Checking storm history doesn’t file an insurance claim, and no roofer gets your details unless you book an inspection.