Kansas, 1983

Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, May 17, 1983

May 17, 1983 · 9 events in 8 counties and zones

6 hail, 2 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
0
Property damage
$25,000
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

6 hail, 2 tornado, 1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Rooks

When
May 17, 3:30 PM CST
Where
Rooks County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
17 yd
Property damage
$25,000
Coordinates
39.520, -99.430

Hail, Ellis

When
May 17, 3:50 PM CST
Where
Ellis County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
38.870, -99.470

Hail, Rooks

When
May 17, 4:15 PM CST
Where
Rooks County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
39.380, -99.470

Hail, Graham

When
May 17, 4:15 PM CST
Where
Graham County
Measured
1 in hail
Coordinates
39.430, -99.730

Hail, Barton

When
May 17, 4:57 PM CST
Where
Barton County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
38.370, -98.670

Thunderstorm Wind, Pratt

When
May 17, 5:40 PM CST
Where
Pratt County
Coordinates
37.650, -98.730

Hail, Russell

When
May 17, 6:00 PM CST
Where
Russell County
Measured
1.75 in hail
Coordinates
38.720, -98.920

Tornado, Barber

When
May 17, 6:20 PM CST
Where
Barber County
Rating
F0
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
17 yd
Property damage
$30
Coordinates
37.200, -98.770

Hail, Kingman

When
May 17, 7:01 PM CST
Where
Kingman County
Measured
0.75 in hail
Coordinates
37.650, -98.120

What these are

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.
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.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Kansas in 1983Every state in 1983This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Kansas, 1983

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: 10023111, 10023112, 10020602, 10020603, 10020604, 10020819, 10020820, 10020821, 10020822.