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Storm summary · April 17, 2026

April 17, 2026: Golf-ball hail near downtown Kansas City, 70 mph winds and an EF1 tornado from Belton to Raymore

On the late afternoon of Friday, April 17, 2026, a line of severe thunderstorms swept across the Kansas City metro.

By Roof InspectorsUpdated

What happened

Preliminary National Weather Service reports include golf-ball-size hail, 1.75 inches, near downtown Kansas City, Missouri, a 63 mph gust at the downtown airport, and 70 mph winds near Raytown. An NWS survey later confirmed an EF1 tornado from Belton to Raymore.
When
April 17
2026, about 4:45 to 5:50 p.m.
Largest reported hail
1.75 inches
Near downtown Kansas City, MO
Strongest reported wind
70 mph
Near Raytown
Tornado
EF1
Belton to Raymore, 110 mph

Reported hail sizes

LocationReported hail
1 mile NW of Kansas City, MO (mPING) 1.75 ina golf ball
3 miles SE of Courtney, MO (mPING) 1.00 ina quarter
Lake Olathe, KS 1.00 ina quarter
3 miles S of Harrisonville, MO 1.00 ina quarter
Map of the Kansas City metro with storm report locations markedKANSASMISSOURIEF1 tornado path (approximate)1 NW Kansas City, KS · 4:46 p.m.: damage reportKansas City Downtown Airport, MO · 4:49 p.m.: 63 mph3 NNW Roeland Park, KS · 4:52 p.m.: damage report1 SE Lackmans, KS · 5:06 p.m.: damage report3 WNW Overland Park, KS · 5:06 p.m.: damage report3 NNW Grandview, MO · 5:08 p.m.: damage report4 NW Grandview, MO · 5:08 p.m.: damage report7 WSW Raytown, MO · 5:08 p.m.: damage report5 W Raytown, MO · 5:08 p.m.: damage report2 NNW Mission, KS · 5:08 p.m.: damage report1 SE Overland Park, KS · 5:10 p.m.: damage report1 W Raytown, MO · 5:10 p.m.: damage report3 WNW Raytown, MO · 5:13 p.m.: damage report3 SSW Independence, MO · 5:13 p.m.: damage report3 NNW Raytown, MO · 5:14 p.m.: 70 mph1 SSW Overland Park, KS · 5:19 p.m.: damage report6 NW Grandview, MO · 5:19 p.m.: damage report1 SE Grandview, MO · 5:22 p.m.: damage report3 N Lake Tapawingo, MO · 5:23 p.m.: damage report3 NE Grandview, MO · 5:24 p.m.: damage report2 NNW Raymore, MO · 5:25 p.m.: damage report3 SSW Raytown, MO · 5:28 p.m.: damage report2 NW Missouri City, MO · 5:28 p.m.: damage report6 NW Grandview, MO · 5:29 p.m.: damage report2 WNW Pleasant Hill, MO · 5:31 p.m.: damage report4 N Raymore, MO · 5:34 p.m.: damage report3 S Independence, MO · 5:37 p.m.: damage reportBuckner, MO · 5:37 p.m.: damage reportLone Jack, MO · 5:46 p.m.: damage reportKansas City, MOOverland ParkKansas City, KSOlatheIndependenceLee’s SummitShawneeBlue SpringsLenexaLeawoodLibertyRaytownGladstoneGrandviewBeltonGardnerRaymoreParkville1 NW Kansas City, MO · 4:47 p.m.: 1.75 in3 SE Courtney, MO · 4:56 p.m.: 1 in3 WSW Olathe, KS · 5:00 p.m.: 1 in
Hail (larger dot, larger hail)Wind gust or damageEF1 tornado path (approximate)Preliminary NWS storm reports, April 17, 2026. The tornado path joins the NWS survey’s start and end points. Locations are approximate. 1 report falls outside this map.

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.

Hail in this storm: up to 1.75 inches, near downtown Kansas City

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How the storm unfolded

Times are Central Daylight Time and approximate. Many of the storm reports say their times were estimated from radar.

  1. Golf-ball-size hail, 1.75 inches, was reported near downtown Kansas City, Missouri. The downtown airport measured a 63 mph gust, and downed wires and outages were reported in Kansas City, Kansas.
  2. Quarter-size hail fell near Courtney in eastern Jackson County and at Lake Olathe.
  3. Winds of 60 to 70 mph hit the south side of Independence and the area near the Kansas City Sports Complex. Downed limbs and wires were reported from Overland Park and Mission to Grandview and Raytown.
  4. An EF1 tornado touched down.
    The National Weather Service’s damage survey found peak winds of 110 mph along a 4.81-mile path from 1 mile south-southwest of Belton to 1 mile north-northwest of Raymore, in Cass County.
  5. The line moved east. A report near Grandview described shingles blown off a house, and trees and wires came down near Raymore, Pleasant Hill, Buckner and Lone Jack.

Where the hail and wind hit

The largest stone in the National Weather Service’s preliminary reports was 1.75 inches, a mile northwest of downtown Kansas City, Missouri, from an mPING report. Quarter-size hail, 1 inch, was reported near Courtney, at Lake Olathe and south of Harrisonville.

Wind did the widespread damage. Storm reports describe downed trees, limbs and power lines across Johnson County, Kansas City, Raytown, Grandview and Independence. Evergy reported more than 11,000 customers without power right after the storm, KCUR reported.

In Belton, KCUR reported, the storm stripped siding off the fronts of houses, broke windows and ripped off roofs.

Why one storm can hit neighbors differently

Hail and wind both strike in uneven swaths. One golf-ball report near downtown doesn’t mean hail fell across the metro, and a street can lose trees while the next one is untouched.

What homeowners can do now

If you live in Belton, Raymore, Raytown or nearby and haven’t had your roof looked at since April, check your address for recorded storms and consider a professional inspection, especially if you’ve noticed missing or lifted shingles, damaged siding or gutters, or new leaks.

A storm nearby isn’t the same as damage, and a roof that held up well doesn’t need anything. What hail nearby means for your roof covers what you can safely check from the ground and when an inspection makes sense.

If an inspection does find damage, whether to contact your insurance company is your decision. Many policies have notice requirements, so it helps to review yours.

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

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