Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, March 15, 1982

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, March 15, 1982
Start: 1982-03-15T15:55
End: 1982-03-15T20:45
Location: Kansas

March 15, 1982 · NWS MT · 31 events in 17 counties and zones

12 tornado, 11 hail, 8 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: 3
Injuries: 18
Property damage: $45 million
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

12 tornado, 11 hail, 8 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Barber

When: March 15, 3:55 PM CST
Where: Barber County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 37.280, -98.580

Hail, Marion

When: March 15, 4:20 PM CST
Where: Marion County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.230, -97.020

Thunderstorm Wind, Marion

When: March 15, 4:20 PM CST
Where: Marion County
Coordinates: 38.230, -97.020

Hail, Cowley

When: March 15, 4:24 PM CST
Where: Cowley County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 37.320, -96.750

Hail, Kingman

When: March 15, 4:36 PM CST
Where: Kingman County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 37.450, -98.080

Tornado, Greenwood

When: March 15, 4:49 PM CST
Where: Greenwood County
Rating: F2
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 300 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 37.670, -96.070

Tornado, Woodson

When: March 15, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Woodson County
Rating: F2
Path length: 24 mi
Path width: 500 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 37.780, -95.850

Hail, Sedgwick

When: March 15, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Sedgwick County
Measured: 4.5 in hail
Coordinates: 37.770, -97.470

Thunderstorm Wind, Coffey

When: March 15, 5:30 PM CST
Where: Coffey County
Coordinates: 38.230, -95.730

Tornado, Allen

When: March 15, 5:45 PM CST
Where: Allen County
Rating: F2
Path length: 6 mi
Path width: 500 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 37.970, -95.500

Thunderstorm Wind, Anderson

When: March 15, 5:45 PM CST
Where: Anderson County
Coordinates: 38.180, -95.500

Hail, Linn

When: March 15, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Linn County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.080, -95.020

Hail, Marion

When: March 15, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Marion County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.350, -97.020

Hail, Butler

When: March 15, 6:05 PM CST
Where: Butler County
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Coordinates: 37.950, -97.020

Tornado, Montgomery

When: March 15, 6:15 PM CST
Where: Montgomery County
Rating: F3
Path length: 6 mi
Path width: 300 yd
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 37.020, -95.850

Hail, Woodson

When: March 15, 6:15 PM CST
Where: Woodson County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 37.920, -95.530

Hail, Sedgwick

When: March 15, 6:15 PM CST
Where: Sedgwick County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 37.550, -97.270

Hail, Greenwood

When: March 15, 6:35 PM CST
Where: Greenwood County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 37.820, -96.300

Thunderstorm Wind, Elk

When: March 15, 6:38 PM CST
Where: Elk County
Coordinates: 37.430, -96.250

Tornado, Montgomery

When: March 15, 6:40 PM CST
Where: Montgomery County
Rating: F1
Path width: 33 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 37.150, -95.630

Thunderstorm Wind, Montgomery

When: March 15, 6:45 PM CST
Where: Montgomery County
Coordinates: 37.070, -95.630

Thunderstorm Wind, Labette

When: March 15, 7:00 PM CST
Where: Labette County
Coordinates: 37.180, -95.280

Tornado, Labette

When: March 15, 7:10 PM CST
Where: Labette County
Rating: F2
Path length: 2 mi
Path width: 600 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 37.380, -95.070

Tornado, Crawford

When: March 15, 7:15 PM CST
Where: Crawford County
Rating: F2
Path length: 15 mi
Path width: 600 yd
Injuries: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 37.400, -95.050

Tornado, Crawford

When: March 15, 7:35 PM CST
Where: Crawford County
Rating: F3
Path length: 10 mi
Path width: 600 yd
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 8 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $25 million
Coordinates: 37.530, -94.800

Tornado, Labette

When: March 15, 7:40 PM CST
Where: Labette County
Rating: F3
Path length: 24 mi
Path width: 167 yd
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 37.020, -95.430

Thunderstorm Wind, Crawford

When: March 15, 7:42 PM CST
Where: Crawford County
Coordinates: 37.420, -94.700

Thunderstorm Wind, Cherokee

When: March 15, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Cherokee County
Coordinates: 37.170, -94.880

Tornado, Cherokee

When: March 15, 8:17 PM CST
Where: Cherokee County
Rating: F0
Path width: 33 yd
Coordinates: 37.280, -94.970

Tornado, Cherokee

When: March 15, 8:20 PM CST
Where: Cherokee County
Rating: F3
Path length: 6 mi
Path width: 167 yd
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Injuries: 6 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $2.5 million
Coordinates: 37.150, -95.070

Tornado, Crawford

When: March 15, 8:45 PM CST
Where: Crawford County
Rating: F3
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 400 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 37.320, -94.650

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

Event	Date	Kind
Tornado, Montgomery	1982-03-15	Direct
Tornado, Crawford	1982-03-15	Direct
Tornado, Cherokee	1982-03-15	Direct

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 1982 Every state in 1982 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Kansas, 1982

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: 10020731, 10020732, 10020733, 10020734, 10020735, 10020736, 10020737, 10020738, 10020739, 10020740, 10020741, 10020742, 10020743, 10021604, 10021605, 10021606, 10021607, 10021823, 10021824, 10021825, 10021826, 10021827, 10021828, 10021829, 10021830, 10021831, 10021832, 10021833, 10021834, 10021835, 10021836.