Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, May 16, 1986

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, May 16, 1986
Start: 1986-05-16T00:25
End: 1986-05-16T19:40
Location: Kansas

May 16, 1986 · NWS TOP · 40 events in 21 counties and zones

32 hail, 5 thunderstorm wind, 3 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

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $278,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 40

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

32 hail, 5 thunderstorm wind, 3 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Osborne

When: May 16, 12:25 AM CST
Where: Osborne County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.430, -98.700

Hail, Riley

When: May 16, 4:05 AM CST
Where: Riley County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.430, -96.770

Tornado, Smith

When: May 16, 4:10 AM CST
Where: Smith County
Rating: F1
Path length: 18 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 39.630, -98.870

Hail, Smith

When: May 16, 4:30 AM CST
Where: Smith County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.780, -98.780

Hail, Smith

When: May 16, 4:50 AM CST
Where: Smith County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.800, -98.580

Hail, Mitchell

When: May 16, 5:30 AM CST
Where: Mitchell County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 39.470, -98.120

Hail, Washington

When: May 16, 7:25 AM CST
Where: Washington County
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Coordinates: 39.750, -96.980

Hail, Clay

When: May 16, 8:00 AM CST
Where: Clay County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 39.550, -97.120

Hail, Marshall

When: May 16, 8:15 AM CST
Where: Marshall County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.680, -96.670

Hail, Riley

When: May 16, 8:25 AM CST
Where: Riley County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.430, -96.770

Hail, Cloud

When: May 16, 1:53 PM CST
Where: Cloud County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.450, -97.480

Tornado, Clay

When: May 16, 3:00 PM CST
Where: Clay County
Rating: F1
Path length: 9 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $25,000
Coordinates: 39.370, -97.280

Hail, Washington

When: May 16, 3:25 PM CST
Where: Washington County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.580, -97.270

Hail, Clay

When: May 16, 3:30 PM CST
Where: Clay County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.430, -97.000

Hail, Washington

When: May 16, 3:30 PM CST
Where: Washington County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.730, -96.980

Hail, Ellsworth

When: May 16, 3:35 PM CST
Where: Ellsworth County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.650, -98.030

Tornado, Comanche

When: May 16, 3:55 PM CST
Where: Comanche County
Rating: F1
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $3,000
Coordinates: 37.030, -99.450

Hail, Pottawatomie

When: May 16, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Pottawatomie County
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Coordinates: 39.500, -96.400

Hail, Comanche

When: May 16, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Comanche County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 37.230, -99.230

Hail, Reno

When: May 16, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Reno County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 37.900, -98.180

Hail, Reno

When: May 16, 4:30 PM CST
Where: Reno County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 37.970, -98.420

Hail, Pottawatomie

When: May 16, 4:42 PM CST
Where: Pottawatomie County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.300, -96.730

Hail, Riley

When: May 16, 4:42 PM CST
Where: Riley County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.300, -96.730

Hail, Comanche

When: May 16, 4:52 PM CST
Where: Comanche County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 37.330, -99.220

Thunderstorm Wind, Kiowa

When: May 16, 4:58 PM CST
Where: Kiowa County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 37.450, -99.080

Hail, Barber

When: May 16, 5:00 PM CST
Where: Barber County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 37.380, -98.920

Hail, Riley

When: May 16, 5:09 PM CST
Where: Riley County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 39.080, -96.820

Hail, Reno

When: May 16, 5:12 PM CST
Where: Reno County
Measured: 1.5 in hail
Coordinates: 38.070, -97.980

Hail, Dickinson

When: May 16, 5:20 PM CST
Where: Dickinson County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.720, -97.220

Hail, Geary

When: May 16, 5:39 PM CST
Where: Geary County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 39.050, -96.770

Thunderstorm Wind, Barber

When: May 16, 6:00 PM CST
Where: Barber County
Measured: 52 kt (60 mph)
Coordinates: 37.470, -98.550

Hail, Pratt

When: May 16, 6:06 PM CST
Where: Pratt County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 37.500, -98.680

Thunderstorm Wind, Harper

When: May 16, 6:30 PM CST
Where: Harper County
Coordinates: 37.280, -98.020

Thunderstorm Wind, Wabaunsee

When: May 16, 6:40 PM CST
Where: Wabaunsee County
Coordinates: 38.980, -96.100

Hail, Kingman

When: May 16, 6:45 PM CST
Where: Kingman County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 37.650, -98.120

Thunderstorm Wind, Harper

When: May 16, 6:45 PM CST
Where: Harper County
Coordinates: 37.200, -98.100

Hail, Wabaunsee

When: May 16, 7:00 PM CST
Where: Wabaunsee County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.850, -96.100

Hail, Shawnee

When: May 16, 7:00 PM CST
Where: Shawnee County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.130, -95.950

Hail, Shawnee

When: May 16, 7:15 PM CST
Where: Shawnee County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.050, -95.780

Hail, Shawnee

When: May 16, 7:40 PM CST
Where: Shawnee County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.050, -95.780

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 1986 Every state in 1986 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Kansas, 1986 Warnings in Kansas, May 1986

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: 10034440, 10034441, 10034442, 10034443, 10034444, 10034445, 10034446, 10034447, 10034448, 10034449, 10034450, 10034451, 10034452, 10035300, 10035512, 10035513, 10035514, 10035515, 10035516, 10035517, 10035518, 10035519, 10035520, 10035521, 10035522, 10035523, 10035524, 10035525, 10035526, 10035527, 10035528, 10035529, 10035530, 10035531, 10035532, 10035533, 10035534, 10035535, 10035536, 10035537.