Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, May 6, 1986

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, May 6, 1986
Start: 1986-05-06T19:06
End: 1986-05-06T23:45
Location: Kansas

May 6, 1986 · NWS TOP · 29 events in 12 counties and zones

26 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: $500,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 29

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

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

Hail, Dickinson

When: May 6, 7:06 PM CST
Where: Dickinson County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.800, -96.970

Hail, Geary

When: May 6, 7:25 PM CST
Where: Geary County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 39.050, -96.770

Hail, Geary

When: May 6, 7:40 PM CST
Where: Geary County
Measured: 3 in hail
Coordinates: 39.020, -96.770

Hail, Riley

When: May 6, 7:45 PM CST
Where: Riley County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 39.180, -96.580

Hail, Dickinson

When: May 6, 7:51 PM CST
Where: Dickinson County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.970, -97.020

Hail, Geary

When: May 6, 8:00 PM CST
Where: Geary County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.880, -96.800

Tornado, Morris

When: May 6, 8:03 PM CST
Where: Morris County
Rating: F1
Path length: 7 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 38.870, -96.820

Tornado, Geary

When: May 6, 8:30 PM CST
Where: Geary County
Rating: F1
Path length: 8 mi
Path width: 200 yd
Property damage: $250,000
Coordinates: 38.880, -96.700

Hail, Clay

When: May 6, 8:50 PM CST
Where: Clay County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.220, -97.020

Hail, Marshall

When: May 6, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Marshall County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.770, -96.520

Hail, Nemaha

When: May 6, 9:00 PM CST
Where: Nemaha County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.980, -96.180

Hail, Geary

When: May 6, 9:15 PM CST
Where: Geary County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 39.050, -96.770

Hail, Nemaha

When: May 6, 9:25 PM CST
Where: Nemaha County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.950, -96.220

Hail, Riley

When: May 6, 9:30 PM CST
Where: Riley County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.080, -96.580

Hail, Geary

When: May 6, 9:30 PM CST
Where: Geary County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.030, -96.520

Thunderstorm Wind, Washington

When: May 6, 9:30 PM CST
Where: Washington County
Coordinates: 39.980, -97.000

Hail, Dickinson

When: May 6, 9:33 PM CST
Where: Dickinson County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.070, -97.130

Hail, Wabaunsee

When: May 6, 9:35 PM CST
Where: Wabaunsee County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.080, -96.280

Hail, Geary

When: May 6, 9:43 PM CST
Where: Geary County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.050, -96.770

Hail, Wabaunsee

When: May 6, 9:50 PM CST
Where: Wabaunsee County
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.020, -96.230

Hail, Clay

When: May 6, 9:52 PM CST
Where: Clay County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.380, -97.120

Hail, Nemaha

When: May 6, 9:55 PM CST
Where: Nemaha County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.850, -96.180

Hail, Wabaunsee

When: May 6, 10:10 PM CST
Where: Wabaunsee County
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 39.080, -96.030

Hail, Shawnee

When: May 6, 10:20 PM CST
Where: Shawnee County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.130, -95.950

Hail, Shawnee

When: May 6, 10:20 PM CST
Where: Shawnee County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.020, -95.770

Hail, Jefferson

When: May 6, 11:00 PM CST
Where: Jefferson County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.220, -95.400

Hail, Clay

When: May 6, 11:10 PM CST
Where: Clay County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.150, -97.170

Hail, Dickinson

When: May 6, 11:12 PM CST
Where: Dickinson County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.100, -97.170

Hail, Atchison

When: May 6, 11:45 PM CST
Where: Atchison County
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 39.470, -95.250

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: 10035030, 10035031, 10035032, 10035033, 10035034, 10035035, 10035036, 10035037, 10035038, 10035039, 10035040, 10035041, 10035042, 10035043, 10035044, 10035045, 10035046, 10035047, 10035048, 10035049, 10035050, 10035051, 10035052, 10035053, 10035054, 10035055, 10035056, 10035057, 10035058.