Tornadoes in Kansas, October 17, 1971

Name: Tornadoes in Kansas, October 17, 1971
Start: 1971-10-17T19:45
End: 1971-10-17T23:15
Location: Kansas

October 17, 1971 · 4 events in 4 counties and zones

4 tornado, 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: 7
Property damage: $75,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 4

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

4 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Lyon

When: October 17, 7:45 PM CST
Where: Lyon County
Rating: F3
Path width: 33 yd
Coordinates: 39.150, -101.320

Tornado, Rawlins

When: October 17, 9:07 PM CST
Where: Rawlins County
Rating: F3
Path length: 3.8 mi
Path width: 440 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 39.900, -101.230

Tornado, Finney

When: October 17, 10:25 PM CST
Where: Finney County
Rating: F2
Path length: 5.6 mi
Path width: 127 yd
Injuries: 7 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 37.950, -100.920

Tornado, Cheyenne

When: October 17, 11:15 PM CST
Where: Cheyenne County
Rating: F2
Path length: 0.5 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 39.770, -101.800

What these are

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

Every storm in Kansas in 1971 Every state in 1971 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Kansas, 1971

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: 10024348, 10024349, 10024350, 10024351.