Kansas, 1980

Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, May 31, 1980

May 31, 1980 · NWS T · 31 events in 15 counties and zones

16 hail, 9 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
1
Property damage
$780,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
31

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

16 hail, 9 tornado, 6 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Jewell

When
May 31, 11:05 AM CST
Where
Jewell County
Measured
2 in hail
Coordinates
39.870, -98.300

Hail, Jewell

When
May 31, 11:18 AM CST
Where
Jewell County
Measured
2.75 in hail
Coordinates
39.780, -98.220

Hail, Washington

When
May 31, 1:15 PM CST
Where
Washington County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
39.680, -97.080

Hail, Atchison

When
May 31, 1:20 PM CST
Where
Atchison County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
39.550, -95.520

Hail, Jackson

When
May 31, 1:30 PM CST
Where
Jackson County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
39.470, -95.750

Hail, Atchison

When
May 31, 1:50 PM CST
Where
Atchison County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
39.570, -95.300

Thunderstorm Wind, Riley

When
May 31, 2:33 PM CST
Where
Riley County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
39.180, -96.580

Tornado, Pottawatomie

When
May 31, 2:45 PM CST
Where
Pottawatomie County
Rating
F1
Path length
5.6 mi
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
39.180, -96.300

Hail, Shawnee

When
May 31, 3:35 PM CST
Where
Shawnee County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
39.100, -95.870

Thunderstorm Wind, Shawnee

When
May 31, 3:35 PM CST
Where
Shawnee County
Measured
65 kt (75 mph)
Coordinates
39.100, -95.870

Hail, Shawnee

When
May 31, 3:38 PM CST
Where
Shawnee County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
39.050, -95.750

Hail, Shawnee

When
May 31, 3:47 PM CST
Where
Shawnee County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
39.120, -95.750

Hail, Shawnee

When
May 31, 3:47 PM CST
Where
Shawnee County
Measured
4.5 in hail
Coordinates
39.000, -95.630

Thunderstorm Wind, Shawnee

When
May 31, 3:47 PM CST
Where
Shawnee County
Measured
55 kt (63 mph)
Coordinates
39.070, -95.620

Thunderstorm Wind, Shawnee

When
May 31, 3:47 PM CST
Where
Shawnee County
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates
39.070, -95.620

Tornado, Shawnee

When
May 31, 3:55 PM CST
Where
Shawnee County
Rating
F2
Path length
2 mi
Path width
220 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
39.050, -95.570

Hail, Douglas

When
May 31, 4:09 PM CST
Where
Douglas County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
39.020, -95.380

Thunderstorm Wind, Shawnee

When
May 31, 4:15 PM CST
Where
Shawnee County
Coordinates
38.980, -95.750

Thunderstorm Wind, Douglas

When
May 31, 4:19 PM CST
Where
Douglas County
Measured
58 kt (67 mph)
Coordinates
39.020, -95.220

Tornado, Douglas

When
May 31, 4:35 PM CST
Where
Douglas County
Rating
F2
Path length
3.3 mi
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
38.970, -95.100

Tornado, Johnson

When
May 31, 4:40 PM CST
Where
Johnson County
Rating
F2
Path length
3.3 mi
Path width
33 yd
Injuries
1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$250,000
Coordinates
38.970, -95.030

Hail, Mitchell

When
May 31, 5:22 PM CST
Where
Mitchell County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
39.530, -97.950

Hail, Phillips

When
May 31, 5:59 PM CST
Where
Phillips County
Measured
4.5 in hail
Coordinates
39.520, -99.320

Tornado, Trego

When
May 31, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Trego County
Rating
F0
Path length
2 mi
Path width
100 yd
Coordinates
39.100, -100.120

Tornado, Trego

When
May 31, 6:40 PM CST
Where
Trego County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
100 yd
Coordinates
39.100, -99.950

Hail, Osborne

When
May 31, 6:58 PM CST
Where
Osborne County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
39.430, -98.750

Hail, Osborne

When
May 31, 6:58 PM CST
Where
Osborne County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
39.430, -98.870

Hail, Jewell

When
May 31, 7:00 PM CST
Where
Jewell County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
39.870, -98.300

Tornado, Osborne

When
May 31, 7:10 PM CST
Where
Osborne County
Rating
F0
Path width
33 yd
Coordinates
39.380, -98.600

Tornado, Russell

When
May 31, 8:30 PM CST
Where
Russell County
Rating
F1
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
38.880, -98.850

Tornado, Saline

When
May 31, 10:30 PM CST
Where
Saline County
Rating
F1
Path width
33 yd
Property damage
$3,000
Coordinates
38.850, -97.600

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

More

Every storm in Kansas in 1980Every state in 1980This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Kansas, 1980

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: 10022836, 10022837, 10022838, 10022839, 10022840, 10022841, 10022842, 10022843, 10022844, 10022845, 10022846, 10022847, 10022848, 10022849, 10022850, 10022851, 10022852, 10022853, 10022854, 10022855, 10022856, 10022857, 10022858, 10022859, 10022860, 10022861, 10022862, 10022863, 10022864, 10022865, 10022866.