Tornado and Damaging Winds in Kansas, September 17, 1978

Name: Tornado and Damaging Winds in Kansas, September 17, 1978
Start: 1978-09-17T13:00
End: 1978-09-17T20:15
Location: Kansas

September 17, 1978 · NWS NG · 8 events in 8 counties and zones

7 thunderstorm wind, 1 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: 0
Property damage: $25,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 8

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

7 thunderstorm wind, 1 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Edwards

When: September 17, 1:00 PM CST
Where: Edwards County
Coordinates: 37.830, -99.420

Thunderstorm Wind, Pawnee

When: September 17, 1:30 PM CST
Where: Pawnee County
Coordinates: 38.170, -99.080

Thunderstorm Wind, Stafford

When: September 17, 1:45 PM CST
Where: Stafford County
Coordinates: 38.000, -98.920

Thunderstorm Wind, Barton

When: September 17, 1:45 PM CST
Where: Barton County
Coordinates: 38.580, -98.830

Thunderstorm Wind, Reno

When: September 17, 5:35 PM CST
Where: Reno County
Coordinates: 37.770, -97.830

Thunderstorm Wind, Saline

When: September 17, 5:53 PM CST
Where: Saline County
Measured: 51 kt (59 mph)
Coordinates: 38.800, -97.650

Thunderstorm Wind, Butler

When: September 17, 7:05 PM CST
Where: Butler County
Coordinates: 37.820, -96.880

Tornado, Greenwood

When: September 17, 8:15 PM CST
Where: Greenwood County
Rating: F0
Path length: 2 mi
Path width: 7 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 37.980, -96.020

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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Kansas in 1978 Every state in 1978 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Kansas, 1978

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: 10021651, 10021652, 10021653, 10021654, 10021655, 10021656, 10021657, 10021658.