Tornado and Hail in Kansas, October 21, 1979

Name: Tornado and Hail in Kansas, October 21, 1979
Start: 1979-10-21T16:00
End: 1979-10-21T21:35
Location: Kansas

October 21, 1979 · NWS LCO · 10 events in 8 counties and zones

5 hail, 4 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: 1
Property damage: $250,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 10

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

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

Hail, Riley

When: October 21, 4:00 PM CST
Where: Riley County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.430, -96.770

Thunderstorm Wind, Sedgwick

When: October 21, 5:29 PM CST
Where: Sedgwick County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 37.670, -97.580

Hail, Harper

When: October 21, 5:42 PM CST
Where: Harper County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 37.280, -98.020

Hail, Sedgwick

When: October 21, 6:07 PM CST
Where: Sedgwick County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 37.670, -97.580

Hail, Sedgwick

When: October 21, 6:15 PM CST
Where: Sedgwick County
Measured: 2.75 in hail
Coordinates: 37.650, -97.420

Hail, Jackson

When: October 21, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Jackson County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.280, -95.700

Tornado, Atchison

When: October 21, 6:45 PM CST
Where: Atchison County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1.9 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 39.570, -95.330

Thunderstorm Wind, Cowley

When: October 21, 7:30 PM CST
Where: Cowley County
Coordinates: 37.170, -96.980

Thunderstorm Wind, Osage

When: October 21, 8:50 PM CST
Where: Osage County
Coordinates: 38.780, -95.670

Thunderstorm Wind, Leavenworth

When: October 21, 9:35 PM CST
Where: Leavenworth County
Coordinates: 39.000, -95.030

What these are

Hail: Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
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 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: 10023153, 10023154, 10023155, 10023156, 10023157, 10023158, 10023159, 10023160, 10023161, 10023162.