Kansas, 1959

Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, May 17, 1959

May 17, 1959 · 11 events in 3 counties and zones

8 hail, 2 tornado, 1 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
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$25,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
11

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

8 hail, 2 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Sumner

When
May 17, 3:00 PM CST
Where
Sumner County
Measured
2.75 in hail
Coordinates
37.280, -97.780

Thunderstorm Wind, Sumner

When
May 17, 3:30 PM CST
Where
Sumner County
Coordinates
37.280, -97.400

Hail, Butler

When
May 17, 4:05 PM CST
Where
Butler County
Measured
6 in hail
Coordinates
37.780, -96.900

Tornado, Butler

When
May 17, 4:35 PM CST
Where
Butler County
Rating
F0
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
37.970, -96.770

Hail, Butler

When
May 17, 5:07 PM CST
Where
Butler County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
38.000, -96.680

Hail, Butler

When
May 17, 5:07 PM CST
Where
Butler County
Measured
2 in hail
Coordinates
37.880, -96.780

Hail, Harper

When
May 17, 6:15 PM CST
Where
Harper County
Measured
1.25 in hail
Coordinates
37.200, -98.000

Hail, Butler

When
May 17, 6:30 PM CST
Where
Butler County
Measured
2.25 in hail
Coordinates
37.780, -96.680

Tornado, Harper

When
May 17, 6:45 PM CST
Where
Harper County
Rating
F2
Path length
2 mi
Path width
400 yd
Coordinates
38.070, -98.020

Hail, Harper

When
May 17, 6:45 PM CST
Where
Harper County
Measured
4 in hail
Coordinates
37.080, -97.900

Hail, Harper

When
May 17, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Harper County
Measured
2 in hail
Coordinates
37.000, -97.900

What these are

Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Kansas in 1959Every state in 1959This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Kansas, 1959

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: 10027839, 10027840, 10027841, 10027842, 10027843, 10027844, 10027845, 10027846, 10027847, 10027848, 10027849.