May 18, 2026 Storm Near Topeka, KS: Reported Wind and Peak Gusts

On May 18, 2026, wind gusts up to 85 mph were recorded within 25 miles of Topeka, Kansas; the record shows no hail reports there that day. 10 reports meet National Weather Service severe criteria: hail 1.00 in. or larger, or a gust of 58 mph or more.

Wind reports near Topeka on May 18, 2026

10 wind reports fall within 25 miles of the Topeka city center on May 18, 2026. The closest value meeting NWS severe criteria came from Topeka, 1.8 miles northeast of Topeka: 65 mph reported gust.

  • 85 mph reported gust — Lawrence, 24 mi E — SPC preliminary report (NWS office TOP) — meets NWS severe criteria
  • 69 mph measured gust — 2 ESE Pauline, 6 mi S — NWS Local Storm Report (ASOS, NWS office TOP) — meets NWS severe criteria
  • 65 mph reported gust — Topeka, 1.8 mi NE — NWS Local Storm Report (Public, NWS office TOP) — meets NWS severe criteria
  • 65 mph reported gust — Topeka, 5.7 mi W — SPC preliminary report (NWS office TOP) — meets NWS severe criteria
  • 65 mph reported gust — Richland, 10.5 mi SE — SPC preliminary report (NWS office TOP) — meets NWS severe criteria
  • 65 mph reported gust — Dover, 15 mi W — SPC preliminary report (NWS office TOP) — meets NWS severe criteria
  • 64 mph reported gust — Pauline, 5 mi SW — SPC preliminary report (NWS office TOP) — meets NWS severe criteria
  • 63 mph reported gust — Grantville, 9.8 mi NE — SPC preliminary report (NWS office TOP) — meets NWS severe criteria
  • 60 mph reported gust — Carbondale, 14.9 mi S — SPC preliminary report (NWS office TOP) — meets NWS severe criteria
  • 59 mph measured gust — 2 ESE Pauline, 6 mi S — NWS Local Storm Report (ASOS, NWS office TOP) — meets NWS severe criteria

Measured station gusts near Topeka

No airport weather station (ASOS/AWOS) within 25 miles of Topeka logged a gust of 50 mph or more on May 18, 2026. The measured gusts on this page come from automated mesonet stations listed in NWS Local Storm Reports.

What the May 18, 2026 numbers mean

The National Weather Service defines a severe thunderstorm as one that produces hail at least 1 inch in diameter, winds of at least 58 mph, or a tornado (NWS glossary). The same 58 mph gust mark triggers an NWS High Wind Warning for wind outside thunderstorms. The strongest gust, 85 mph, meets the NWS wind criterion.

StormAuditor also uses lower screening thresholds — hail 0.75 in. and wind 45 mph — to flag dates worth researching at an address. Screening thresholds are not NWS severe criteria. Hail sizes compare to everyday objects in the Hail Size Guide; gust speeds are explained in the Wind Speed Guide.

Check your Topeka address for May 18, 2026

Storm reports are points on a map; a property sits somewhere between them. Run the Free Report Snapshot for any Topeka address: a free YES/NO on whether the public record shows estimated wind of 45 mph or more or hail of 0.75 in. or larger at the property itself. Those are StormAuditor screening thresholds.

For the numbers, the Single Weather Report ($2.99) lists the estimated peak gust and estimated maximum hail size for every qualifying storm date at one address, including May 18, 2026 when the estimate there clears the screening thresholds. The Audit Report shows the evidence and arithmetic behind the estimate for a single date.

Other Kansas cities with NWS severe reports on May 18, 2026

9 other cities in Kansas had a report meeting NWS severe criteria within 25 miles the same day:

More storm days near Topeka and in Kansas

How these numbers are counted

This page and the Topeka city page share one set of definitions:

  • This page (NWS severe): Every NWS hail and wind report within 25 miles of Topeka that day (StormAuditor records reports from hail 0.50 in. and wind 40 mph), plus airport weather-station gusts of 50 mph or more. The page exists because at least one report or station gust met NWS severe criteria (hail 1.00 in.+ or wind 58 mph+), at least two separate observations were logged, and the day ranks among the most significant.
  • Each observation counts once: A storm report that relays an airport weather station's reading (the same station, the same gust and the same time) counts once, as the station reading. Reports merge only when they are copies of one report: the identical report repeated, or the same report arriving through another feed (SPC or NCEI). Different reports from the same spot, such as two hail sizes reported at one place, count separately.
  • Topeka storm-day table: The city page lists storm days: hail 0.75 in.+ or wind 45 mph+ within 25 miles in the last 12 months (StormAuditor screening thresholds; reports and station gusts, never warnings alone). When this date is in that table, it shows the same largest hail and strongest gust as this page; a value below the screening thresholds shows as a dash.
  • Events (12-month counts): The Topeka city page also counts events, which include NWS warnings. Events measure how busy the area was, not whether a storm hit, so they are not compared with the report counts here.

Full method: Methodology and Data Sources.

Sources for this page

Reports come from NWS Local Storm Reports and Storm Prediction Center (SPC) preliminary reports. StormAuditor merges copies of the same report that arrive through more than one feed, counts a storm report that relays an airport station's reading once, as the station reading, measures each distance from the Topeka city center, and compiled this record on October 7, 2026. See Data Sources and Methodology.

Guides for reading this data

Cite or link to this data — free

Free to quote, summarize, reuse, and link — for bloggers, journalists, researchers, contractors, and AI writing tools. No permission or credit required. A ready-made citation and link are below if they help. Terms: StormAuditor data & content license.

Citation: StormAuditor. "May 18, 2026 Storm Near Topeka, KS: Reported Wind and Peak Gusts." Updated October 7, 2026. https://www.stormauditor.com/storm-events/2026-05-18/ks/topeka

HTML link: <a href="https://www.stormauditor.com/storm-events/2026-05-18/ks/topeka">May 18, 2026 Storm Near Topeka, KS: Reported Wind and Peak Gusts — StormAuditor</a>