Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, October 15, 1980

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, October 15, 1980
Start: 1980-10-15T16:50
End: 1980-10-15T22:30
Location: Kansas

October 15, 1980 · NWS MT · 9 events in 7 counties and zones

5 hail, 3 tornado, 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: 4
Property damage: $2.8 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 9

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

Hail, Ellis

When: October 15, 4:50 PM CST
Where: Ellis County
Measured: 2.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.850, -99.150

Tornado, Russell

When: October 15, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Russell County
Rating: F0
Path width: 33 yd
Coordinates: 38.880, -98.950

Tornado, Ellis

When: October 15, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Ellis County
Rating: F0
Path length: 5.1 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 38.830, -99.150

Hail, Osborne

When: October 15, 6:10 PM CST
Where: Osborne County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 39.230, -98.780

Hail, Cowley

When: October 15, 6:18 PM CST
Where: Cowley County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 37.200, -96.980

Hail, Mitchell

When: October 15, 7:05 PM CST
Where: Mitchell County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.520, -98.430

Tornado, Cowley

When: October 15, 7:12 PM CST
Where: Cowley County
Rating: F3
Path length: 13.3 mi
Path width: 150 yd
Injuries: 4 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 37.330, -96.750

Hail, Jewell

When: October 15, 8:10 PM CST
Where: Jewell County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.780, -98.220

Thunderstorm Wind, Lyon

When: October 15, 10:30 PM CST
Where: Lyon County
Measured: 57 kt (66 mph)
Coordinates: 38.400, -96.180

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 1980 Every state in 1980 This day in weather history The 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: 10020384, 10020385, 10020386, 10020387, 10021249, 10021250, 10021251, 10021466, 10021467.