Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, May 15, 1995

Name: Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, May 15, 1995
Start: 1995-05-15T17:20
End: 1995-05-15T23:40
Location: Kansas

May 15, 1995 · 23 events in 7 counties and zones

14 hail, 6 tornado, 3 thunderstorm wind, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 21 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. 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: 3
Property damage: $3.0 million
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 23

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.

The radar

The Goodland radar (KGLD), 99 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:24 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

14 hail, 6 tornado, 3 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Greeley

When: May 15, 5:20 PM CST
Where: Greeley County, Tribune
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 38.481, -101.806 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Greeley

When: May 15, 5:44 PM CST to 6:24 PM CST
Where: Greeley County, Tribune to Kanco
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.481, -101.806 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Brief tornado over open country reported by spotter.

Tornado, Greeley

When: May 15, 6:24 PM CST
Where: Greeley County
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Coordinates: 38.370, -101.970

Brief tornado over open country reported by spotter.

Tornado, Greeley

When: May 15, 6:35 PM CST
Where: Greeley County, Tribune
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.1 mi
Path width: 20 yd
Coordinates: 38.250, -101.750

Brief tornado near highway 27 observed by law enforcement.

Hail, Wichita

When: May 15, 7:02 PM CST
Where: Wichita County, Leoti
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 38.482, -101.347 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Tornado, Kearny

When: May 15, 8:08 PM CDT
Where: Kearny County, Lakin
Rating: F0
Path length: 0.2 mi
Path width: 50 yd
Coordinates: 38.000, -101.320 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One mobile home was completely destroyed. One pivot sprinkler was also destroyed.

Hail, Greeley

When: May 15, 7:15 PM CST
Where: Greeley County, Tribune
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.481, -101.806 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Kearny

When: May 15, 8:27 PM CDT to 8:30 PM CDT
Where: Kearny County, Lakin to Deerfield
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Coordinates: 38.000, -101.320 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One mobile home was completely destroyed. One pivot sprinkler was also destroyed.

Tornado, Kearny

When: May 15, 8:33 PM CDT
Where: Kearny County
Rating: F1
Path length: 1 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $70,000
Coordinates: 38.000, -101.320 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

One mobile home was completely destroyed. One pivot sprinkler was also destroyed.

Hail, Kearny

When: May 15, 9:10 PM CDT
Where: Kearny County, Deerfield
Measured: 2.5 in hail
Coordinates: 38.000, -101.320 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Hamilton

When: May 15, 9:13 PM CDT
Where: Hamilton County, 1w Kendall
Measured: 0.75 in hail
Coordinates: 37.999, -101.791 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Finney

When: May 15, 9:20 PM CDT
Where: Finney County, Garden City
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Coordinates: 38.044, -100.737 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Finney

When: May 15, 9:27 PM CDT
Where: Finney County, Garden City
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 38.044, -100.737 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Finney

When: May 15, 10:00 PM CDT
Where: Finney County, Garden City
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 38.044, -100.737 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Finney

When: May 15, 10:10 PM CDT
Where: Finney County, Pierceville
Measured: 1 in hail
Coordinates: 38.044, -100.737 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Finney

When: May 15, 10:14 PM CDT
Where: Finney County, Garden City Airport
Measured: 1.75 in hail
Property damage: $150,000
Coordinates: 38.044, -100.737 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Two mobile homes blown over and windows blown out others.

Thunderstorm Wind, Finney

When: May 15, 10:14 PM CDT
Where: Finney County, Garden City Airport
Measured: 65 kt (75 mph)
Property damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 38.044, -100.737 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Two mobile homes blown over and windows blown out others.

Thunderstorm Wind, Finney

When: May 15, 10:15 PM CDT
Where: Finney County, Pierceville
Property damage: $20,000
Coordinates: 38.044, -100.737 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Two mobile homes blown over and windows blown out others.

Tornado, Gray

When: May 15, 10:15 PM CDT to 10:18 PM CDT
Where: Gray County, 5 W Charleston
Rating: F2
Path length: 3 mi
Path width: 300 yd
Property damage: $175,000
Coordinates: 37.738, -100.438 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

A silo was blown into large machine shed, a roof was blown off a house, and numerous trees and power lines down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Gray

When: May 15, 10:20 PM CDT to 10:30 PM CDT
Where: Gray County, Charleston to Ingalls
Measured: 90 kt (104 mph)
Property damage: $2.0 million
Coordinates: 37.738, -100.438 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Rear flank downdraft damage over five miles wide and 12 miles long. Wind speeds estimated to be over 100 mph. Over 150 power poles were snapped off and 40 Pivot Sprinklers were damaged or destroyed, along with trees and fences.

Tornado, Gray

When: May 15, 10:20 PM CDT to 10:30 PM CDT
Where: Gray County, 5 W Charleston
Rating: F3
Path length: 6 mi
Path width: 900 yd
Injuries: 3 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage: $400,000
Coordinates: 37.738, -100.438 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Tornado formed one-half mile south of 2215 CDT entry. Three minor injuries when a modular home was destroyed. Other damage to several barns, sheds, implements, trees, fences, and five pivot sprinklers.

Hail, Ford

When: May 15, 11:30 PM CDT
Where: Ford County, Dodge City
Measured: 2.25 in hail
Property damage: $150,000
Coordinates: 37.692, -99.888 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Hail, Ford

When: May 15, 11:40 PM CDT
Where: Ford County, Wright
Measured: 0.88 in hail
Coordinates: 37.692, -99.888 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

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 1995 Every state in 1995 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Kansas, 1995 Warnings in Kansas, May 1995

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: 10326434, 10326435, 10326436, 10326437, 10325420, 10326693, 10326438, 10326694, 10326695, 10326696, 10326508, 10323383, 10323384, 10323385, 10323386, 10323387, 10323388, 10323389, 10323638, 10323639, 10323640, 10323541, 10323542.