Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, April 2, 1956

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, April 2, 1956
Start: 1956-04-02T14:20
End: 1956-04-02T23:59
Location: Kansas

April 2, 1956 · 39 events in 21 counties and zones

23 tornado, 8 hail, 8 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 2
Injuries: 34
Property damage: $18 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 39

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

Event by event

23 tornado, 8 hail, 8 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Butler

When: April 2, 2:20 PM CST
Where: Butler County
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Coordinates: 37.700, -97.000

Hail, Chase

When: April 2, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Chase County
Measured: 2 in hail
Coordinates: 38.380, -96.580

Hail, Shawnee

When: April 2, 5:35 PM CST
Where: Shawnee County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 39.080, -95.580

Tornado, Barton

When: April 2, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Barton County
Rating: F0
Path width: 33 yd
Coordinates: 38.280, -99.000

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: April 2, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Coordinates: 39.280, -95.400

Hail, Shawnee

When: April 2, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Shawnee County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.000, -95.680

Tornado, Ellsworth

When: April 2, 6:45 PM CST
Where: Ellsworth County
Rating: F3
Path length: 5.4 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 38.530, -98.550

Hail, Barton

When: April 2, 6:45 PM CST
Where: Barton County
Measured: 2.5 in hail
Coordinates: 38.500, -98.580

Tornado, Harper

When: April 2, 7:10 PM CST
Where: Harper County
Rating: F0
Path width: 33 yd
Coordinates: 37.250, -98.250

Hail, Pratt

When: April 2, 7:16 PM CST
Where: Pratt County
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Coordinates: 37.580, -98.680

Tornado, Mitchell

When: April 2, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Mitchell County
Path length: 3.4 mi
Path width: 33 yd
Coordinates: 39.270, -98.400

Thunderstorm Wind, Pratt

When: April 2, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Pratt County
Coordinates: 37.580, -98.680

Thunderstorm Wind, Stafford

When: April 2, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Stafford County
Coordinates: 37.880, -98.780

Thunderstorm Wind, Republic

When: April 2, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Republic County
Coordinates: 39.780, -97.580

Thunderstorm Wind, Reno

When: April 2, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Reno County
Measured: 70 kt (81 mph)
Coordinates: 37.880, -98.000

Tornado, Barton

When: April 2, 8:30 PM CST
Where: Barton County
Rating: F3
Path length: 11.7 mi
Path width: 350 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 38.350, -98.570

Tornado, Barton

When: April 2, 8:50 PM CST
Where: Barton County
Rating: F3
Path length: 2.3 mi
Path width: 350 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 38.520, -98.520

Tornado, Rice

When: April 2, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Rice County
Rating: F3
Path length: 6.1 mi
Path width: 350 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 38.520, -98.470

Tornado, Butler

When: April 2, 9:30 PM CST
Where: Butler County
Rating: F1
Path length: 9.1 mi
Path width: 500 yd
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 37.970, -97.130

Tornado, Marion

When: April 2, 9:30 PM CST
Where: Marion County
Rating: F3
Path length: 19.4 mi
Path width: 500 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 38.250, -96.870

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: April 2, 9:30 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Coordinates: 39.380, -95.180

Tornado, Cowley

When: April 2, 9:45 PM CST
Where: Cowley County
Rating: F4
Path length: 23.2 mi
Path width: 880 yd
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 6 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 37.000, -96.820

Tornado, Marion

When: April 2, 9:50 PM CST
Where: Marion County
Rating: F1
Path length: 11.9 mi
Path width: 500 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 38.080, -97.050

Hail, Sedgwick

When: April 2, 9:50 PM CST
Where: Sedgwick County
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Coordinates: 37.500, -97.400

Hail, Sedgwick

When: April 2, 9:50 PM CST
Where: Sedgwick County
Measured: 1.25 in hail
Coordinates: 37.580, -97.280

Tornado, Marion

When: April 2, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Marion County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1.9 mi
Path width: 500 yd
Coordinates: 38.230, -96.930

Tornado, Chautauqua

When: April 2, 10:15 PM CST
Where: Chautauqua County
Rating: F4
Path length: 5.1 mi
Path width: 880 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 37.250, -96.530

Tornado, Marion

When: April 2, 10:30 PM CST
Where: Marion County
Rating: F3
Path length: 47.5 mi
Path width: 500 yd
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 38.380, -96.550

Tornado, Elk

When: April 2, 10:30 PM CST
Where: Elk County
Rating: F4
Path length: 15.8 mi
Path width: 880 yd
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 6 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 37.300, -96.470

Tornado, Elk

When: April 2, 10:55 PM CST
Where: Elk County
Rating: F4
Path length: 11.5 mi
Path width: 880 yd
Coordinates: 37.470, -96.270

Tornado, Marion

When: April 2, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Marion County
Rating: F3
Path length: 9.8 mi
Path width: 500 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 38.830, -95.880

Thunderstorm Wind, Sedgwick

When: April 2, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Sedgwick County
Measured: 63 kt (72 mph)
Coordinates: 37.700, -97.400

Tornado, Greenwood

When: April 2, 11:20 PM CST
Where: Greenwood County
Rating: F4
Path length: 15.5 mi
Path width: 880 yd
Injuries: 5 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 37.600, -96.130

Tornado, Woodson

When: April 2, 11:25 PM CST
Where: Woodson County
Rating: F4
Path length: 1.3 mi
Path width: 880 yd
Injuries: 5 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 37.780, -95.970

Tornado, Marion

When: April 2, 11:30 PM CST
Where: Marion County
Rating: F3
Path length: 37 mi
Path width: 790 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 38.970, -95.950

Thunderstorm Wind, Shawnee

When: April 2, 11:30 PM CST
Where: Shawnee County
Coordinates: 39.080, -95.580

Tornado, Woodson

When: April 2, 11:40 PM CST
Where: Woodson County
Rating: F4
Path length: 16.3 mi
Path width: 880 yd
Coordinates: 37.800, -95.950

Tornado, Marion

When: April 2, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Marion County
Rating: F3
Path length: 13.3 mi
Path width: 500 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 39.350, -95.470

Tornado, Coffey

When: April 2, 11:59 PM CST
Where: Coffey County
Rating: F4
Path length: 4.5 mi
Path width: 880 yd
Injuries: 5 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 38.030, -95.900

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Tornado, Cowley	1956-04-02				Direct
Tornado, Elk	1956-04-02				Direct

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Tornado: A violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and extending from a thunderstorm, filed with its path, width and Fujita or Enhanced Fujita rating from the damage survey.
Thunderstorm Wind: Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Kansas in 1956 Every state in 1956 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Kansas, 1956

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 10025419, 10025420, 10025421, 10025422, 10025423, 10025424, 10025425, 10025426, 10025427, 10025428, 10025429, 10025430, 10025431, 10025432, 10025433, 10025434, 10025435, 10025436, 10025437, 10025438, 10025439, 10025440, 10025441, 10025442, 10025443, 10025444, 10025445, 10025446, 10025447, 10025448, 10025449, 10025450, 10025451, 10025452, 10025453, 10025454, 10025455, 10025456, 10025457.