Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, May 13, 1974

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, May 13, 1974
Start: 1974-05-13T14:40
End: 1974-05-13T22:34
Location: Kansas

May 13, 1974 · 43 events in 20 counties and zones

30 hail, 7 tornado, 6 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: 4
Property damage: $7.5 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 43

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

30 hail, 7 tornado, 6 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Saline

When: May 13, 2:40 PM CST
Where: Saline County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.800, -97.650

Hail, Barton

When: May 13, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Barton County
Measured: 2.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.350, -98.580

Hail, Rice

When: May 13, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Rice County
Measured: 2 in hail
Coordinates: 38.350, -98.200

Hail, Rice

When: May 13, 3:30 PM CST
Where: Rice County
Measured: 2.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.280, -98.420

Hail, Geary

When: May 13, 3:40 PM CST
Where: Geary County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.030, -96.830

Hail, Rice

When: May 13, 3:50 PM CST
Where: Rice County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.220, -98.200

Tornado, Reno

When: May 13, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Reno County
Rating: F1
Path length: 51.7 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 38.100, -98.100

Hail, Riley

When: May 13, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Riley County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.120, -96.720

Hail, Pottawatomie

When: May 13, 4:05 PM CST
Where: Pottawatomie County
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Coordinates: 39.180, -96.580

Hail, Reno

When: May 13, 4:10 PM CST
Where: Reno County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.150, -97.830

Hail, Pottawatomie

When: May 13, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Pottawatomie County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.200, -96.320

Hail, Stafford

When: May 13, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Stafford County
Measured: 4.5 in hail
Coordinates: 37.970, -98.600

Thunderstorm Wind, Wabaunsee

When: May 13, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Wabaunsee County
Coordinates: 39.150, -96.330

Tornado, Reno

When: May 13, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Reno County
Rating: F2
Path length: 24.2 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 37.950, -98.070

Hail, Jackson

When: May 13, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Jackson County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.250, -95.970

Hail, McPherson

When: May 13, 5:10 PM CST
Where: McPherson County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.200, -97.520

Thunderstorm Wind, Reno

When: May 13, 5:10 PM CST
Where: Reno County
Coordinates: 38.120, -97.950

Hail, Reno

When: May 13, 5:15 PM CST
Where: Reno County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 37.970, -98.080

Tornado, McPherson

When: May 13, 5:30 PM CST
Where: McPherson County
Rating: F2
Path length: 25.6 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 38.150, -97.700

Hail, Jackson

When: May 13, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Jackson County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.330, -95.730

Hail, Marion

When: May 13, 5:50 PM CST
Where: Marion County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.350, -97.200

Hail, Reno

When: May 13, 5:50 PM CST
Where: Reno County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.130, -97.770

Thunderstorm Wind, Jackson

When: May 13, 5:50 PM CST
Where: Jackson County
Coordinates: 39.250, -95.700

Thunderstorm Wind, Leavenworth

When: May 13, 5:55 PM CST
Where: Leavenworth County
Measured: 58 kt (67 mph)
Coordinates: 39.350, -94.920

Hail, McPherson

When: May 13, 6:10 PM CST
Where: McPherson County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.280, -97.620

Thunderstorm Wind, Jefferson

When: May 13, 6:20 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Measured: 68 kt (78 mph)
Coordinates: 39.130, -95.450

Thunderstorm Wind, Shawnee

When: May 13, 6:23 PM CST
Where: Shawnee County
Measured: 56 kt (64 mph)
Coordinates: 39.070, -95.620

Hail, Marion

When: May 13, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Marion County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.370, -97.300

Tornado, Reno

When: May 13, 7:00 PM CST
Where: Reno County
Rating: F2
Path length: 3.6 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Coordinates: 38.100, -97.850

Hail, Reno

When: May 13, 7:00 PM CST
Where: Reno County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.130, -97.770

Tornado, Harvey

When: May 13, 7:05 PM CST
Where: Harvey County
Rating: F2
Path length: 36.2 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Injuries: 2 direct, 0 indirect
Coordinates: 38.150, -97.820

Hail, Harper

When: May 13, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Harper County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 37.280, -98.020

Hail, Harvey

When: May 13, 7:40 PM CST
Where: Harvey County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.130, -97.430

Tornado, Marion

When: May 13, 7:45 PM CST
Where: Marion County
Rating: F2
Path length: 11.9 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Coordinates: 38.170, -97.150

Hail, Marion

When: May 13, 8:15 PM CST
Where: Marion County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.170, -97.100

Hail, Marion

When: May 13, 8:30 PM CST
Where: Marion County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.250, -96.930

Hail, Harvey

When: May 13, 9:15 PM CST
Where: Harvey County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.050, -97.350

Hail, Kingman

When: May 13, 9:45 PM CST
Where: Kingman County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 37.650, -98.120

Hail, Sedgwick

When: May 13, 9:55 PM CST
Where: Sedgwick County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 37.780, -97.530

Tornado, Sedgwick

When: May 13, 10:00 PM CST
Where: Sedgwick County
Rating: F0
Path length: 40.2 mi
Path width: 27 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 37.670, -97.500

Hail, Sedgwick

When: May 13, 10:15 PM CST
Where: Sedgwick County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 37.880, -97.220

Hail, Butler

When: May 13, 10:30 PM CST
Where: Butler County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 37.950, -97.020

Hail, Sedgwick

When: May 13, 10:34 PM CST
Where: Sedgwick County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 37.650, -97.430

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 1974 Every state in 1974 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Kansas, 1974

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: 10021387, 10021388, 10021389, 10021390, 10022251, 10022252, 10022253, 10022254, 10022472, 10022473, 10022474, 10022475, 10022476, 10022477, 10022478, 10022479, 10022480, 10022481, 10022482, 10022483, 10022484, 10022485, 10022486, 10022487, 10022488, 10022489, 10022490, 10022491, 10022492, 10022493, 10022494, 10022495, 10022496, 10022497, 10022498, 10022499, 10022500, 10022501, 10022502, 10022503, and more.