North of the river: roofing in Clay and Platte counties

Clay County

From 2016 through 2025, NOAA's Storm Events Database records 86 hail events of 1 inch or larger in Clay County, 12 of them at 2 inches or more, across 26 separate days (NCEI). The county also logged 138 thunderstorm wind events in those years (NCEI).

• Hail reached 2.75 inches near Paradise on March 6, 2017.
• Tennis-ball-size hail fell in Liberty on September 23, 2023 and near Kearney on May 19, 2025.
• On June 11, 2021, law enforcement estimated winds of 80 to 90 mph between Kearney and Excelsior Springs, strong enough to take down healthy trees a foot thick.

The county's tornado history is heavier. On May 4, 2003, a tornado touched down in Gladstone near Shady Lane and Antioch, intensified quickly and reached marginal F4 intensity, injuring 13 people; the same day an F2 caused substantial damage near the square in downtown Liberty, with a $60 million damage estimate. FEMA's DR-1463 for those storms covered Cass, Clay, Jackson and Platte counties.

Five years later, a bow echo spun up a brief EF3 northwest of Liberty at 12:56 am CST on May 2, 2008, followed minutes later by an EF2 in Gladstone that damaged or destroyed numerous homes and businesses.

Platte County

Platte County's hail is frequent but usually smaller: 61 events of 1 inch or larger from 2016 through 2025, only one of them 2 inches or more (NCEI).

• Hail reached 2.75 inches near Edgerton on March 6, 2017, the same day as the Paradise report in Clay County.
• Three-inch stones with a spiky, aggregate look fell at Kansas City International Airport on April 30, 2010.
• Three-inch hail at Platte City on June 19, 2011 cracked or broke every exposed windshield.
• The May 4, 2003 tornado that crossed from Wyandotte County into Platte County near Parkville is logged as an F4 there, destroying 14 buildings and leaving 42 with major damage.

Platte County is also included in FEMA's DR-4435 for the storms and flooding that began in March 2019 and DR-4451 for the spring 2019 severe storms, which also covered Clay and Jackson counties.

Which rules apply north of the river

The Northland is part Kansas City, Missouri, and part separate towns; the Storm Events Database, for example, places a 2000 tornado in southwest Clay County inside Kansas City, Missouri. At an address inside the city, KCMO's code questions page applies: more than 32 square feet of new decking means a building permit and a contractor with a current KCMO business license, and rafter or structural work also calls for the city's Residential Contractors license. In Liberty, Gladstone, Parkville or another Northland town, ask that city's building office what it requires.

Anywhere in Missouri, a roofer working on an insurance claim is bound by RSMo 407.725. The roofer cannot act as your representative or negotiate your claim with the insurer, and cannot advertise or promise to pay or rebate your deductible. If you sign a claim-funded contract and the insurer then tells you in writing the damage is not covered, you have until midnight on the fifth business day to cancel.

A Kansas registration number on a truck is a Kansas credential; on this side of the river, the city license and Missouri's claim law are what apply. The directory's Missouri storm center tracks active weather, and our Kansas City, Missouri page covers the city rules in more detail.

Roofers in the Northland

The National Roofing Directory lists roofers in Liberty and roofers in Kansas City, Missouri.

Frequently asked questions

Has the Northland had a violent tornado?

Yes. The Storm Events Database rates the May 4, 2003 tornado in Gladstone at F4, and the same storm system produced a tornado logged as F4 near Parkville in Platte County.

Can a Missouri roofer negotiate my insurance claim for me?

No. RSMo 407.725 says a contractor shall not represent or negotiate, or offer to, on behalf of a property owner on an insurance claim for roof repair or replacement or other exterior work.

How big does hail get in Platte County?

In the last decade, only one Platte County hail report reached 2 inches, according to NCEI. Earlier, 3-inch hail fell at Kansas City International Airport in 2010 and at Platte City in 2011.