Kansas, 1959

Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, May 4, 1959

May 4, 1959 · 25 events in 17 counties and zones

20 tornado, 4 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail, 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

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$580,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
25

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

20 tornado, 4 thunderstorm wind, 1 hail. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Trego

When
May 4, 10:15 AM CST
Where
Trego County
Coordinates
39.000, -100.080

Thunderstorm Wind, Graham

When
May 4, 12:00 PM CST
Where
Graham County
Coordinates
39.580, -99.680

Tornado, Osborne

When
May 4, 1:25 PM CST
Where
Osborne County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
39.430, -98.630

Hail, Barton

When
May 4, 2:00 PM CST
Where
Barton County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
38.500, -98.780

Tornado, Jewell

When
May 4, 2:30 PM CST
Where
Jewell County
Rating
F1
Path length
32.8 mi
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
39.620, -98.380

Tornado, Stafford

When
May 4, 3:17 PM CST
Where
Stafford County
Rating
F1
Path length
19.2 mi
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
38.250, -98.730

Tornado, Stafford

When
May 4, 3:17 PM CST
Where
Stafford County
Rating
F1
Path length
19.2 mi
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
38.250, -98.730

Tornado, Pratt

When
May 4, 3:20 PM CST
Where
Pratt County
Rating
F0
Path length
1 mi
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
37.600, -98.770

Tornado, Reno

When
May 4, 4:30 PM CST
Where
Reno County
Rating
F2
Path length
10.6 mi
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
37.730, -98.420

Tornado, Barber

When
May 4, 5:35 PM CST
Where
Barber County
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
37.000, -98.180

Tornado, Barber

When
May 4, 5:35 PM CST
Where
Barber County
Rating
F1
Path length
1 mi
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
37.250, -98.600

Tornado, Harper

When
May 4, 5:45 PM CST
Where
Harper County
Path length
11.2 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
37.220, -98.550

Tornado, Ottawa

When
May 4, 5:49 PM CST
Where
Ottawa County
Rating
F2
Path length
3.8 mi
Path width
100 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
39.250, -97.380

Tornado, Reno

When
May 4, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Reno County
Rating
F1
Path length
8.4 mi
Path width
50 yd
Coordinates
37.770, -98.420

Tornado, Clay

When
May 4, 6:30 PM CST
Where
Clay County
Path length
3.8 mi
Path width
100 yd
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
39.550, -97.170

Tornado, Sedgwick

When
May 4, 6:33 PM CST
Where
Sedgwick County
Rating
F0
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
37.500, -97.580

Thunderstorm Wind, Reno

When
May 4, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Reno County
Measured
65 kt (75 mph)
Coordinates
38.080, -98.000

Tornado, Sedgwick

When
May 4, 7:05 PM CST
Where
Sedgwick County
Rating
F0
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
37.750, -97.330

Tornado, Sedgwick

When
May 4, 7:05 PM CST
Where
Sedgwick County
Rating
F0
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
37.850, -97.370

Tornado, Morris

When
May 4, 7:30 PM CST
Where
Morris County
Path length
2 mi
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
38.630, -96.700

Tornado, Dickinson

When
May 4, 7:30 PM CST
Where
Dickinson County
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
38.650, -96.970

Tornado, Wabaunsee

When
May 4, 8:00 PM CST
Where
Wabaunsee County
Rating
F1
Path length
5.2 mi
Path width
880 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
39.020, -96.300

Tornado, Wabaunsee

When
May 4, 8:15 PM CST
Where
Wabaunsee County
Rating
F1
Path length
6.1 mi
Path width
880 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
39.070, -96.220

Tornado, Jackson

When
May 4, 8:30 PM CST
Where
Jackson County
Rating
F2
Path length
24.9 mi
Path width
1,760 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
39.920, -95.820

Thunderstorm Wind, Jackson

When
May 4, 9:20 PM CST
Where
Jackson County
Coordinates
39.380, -95.680

What these are

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

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: 10026106, 10026107, 10026108, 10026109, 10026110, 10026111, 10026112, 10026113, 10026114, 10026115, 10027598, 10027599, 10027600, 10027601, 10027602, 10027818, 10027819, 10027820, 10027821, 10027822, 10027823, 10027824, 10027825, 10027826, 10027827.