Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, October 18, 1979

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, October 18, 1979
Start: 1979-10-18T11:40
End: 1979-10-18T20:00
Location: Kansas

October 18, 1979 · NWS NG · 13 events in 11 counties and zones

7 tornado, 5 hail, 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: 16
Property damage: $3.3 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 13

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 tornado, 5 hail, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Shawnee

When: October 18, 11:40 AM CST
Where: Shawnee County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.050, -95.680

Tornado, Pawnee

When: October 18, 3:17 PM CST
Where: Pawnee County
Rating: F2
Path length: 15.8 mi
Path width: 400 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 39.180, -97.630

Tornado, Clay

When: October 18, 3:45 PM CST
Where: Clay County
Rating: F2
Path length: 23.7 mi
Path width: 400 yd
Injuries: 11 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 39.280, -97.370

Tornado, Riley

When: October 18, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Riley County
Rating: F0
Path length: 12.3 mi
Path width: 400 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 39.430, -96.970

Hail, Reno

When: October 18, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Reno County
Measured: 3.5 in hail
Coordinates: 38.000, -97.870

Thunderstorm Wind, Ottawa

When: October 18, 4:35 PM CST
Where: Ottawa County
Coordinates: 39.180, -97.650

Hail, Harvey

When: October 18, 4:40 PM CST
Where: Harvey County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 38.020, -97.670

Tornado, Pottawatomie

When: October 18, 4:50 PM CST
Where: Pottawatomie County
Rating: F0
Path length: 19.6 mi
Path width: 400 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 39.430, -96.730

Tornado, Pottawatomie

When: October 18, 4:52 PM CST
Where: Pottawatomie County
Rating: F2
Path length: 18.6 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Injuries: 5 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 39.250, -96.350

Hail, Washington

When: October 18, 5:05 PM CST
Where: Washington County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.820, -97.050

Tornado, Jackson

When: October 18, 5:15 PM CST
Where: Jackson County
Rating: F2
Path length: 24.9 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 39.330, -96.020

Tornado, Atchison

When: October 18, 5:40 PM CST
Where: Atchison County
Rating: F2
Path length: 10.6 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 39.500, -95.600

Hail, Shawnee

When: October 18, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Shawnee County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.050, -95.680

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 1979 Every state in 1979 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Kansas, 1979

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: 10023140, 10023141, 10023142, 10023143, 10023144, 10023145, 10023146, 10023147, 10023148, 10023149, 10023150, 10023151, 10023152.