Tornadoes in Kansas, May 31, 1996

Name: Tornadoes in Kansas, May 31, 1996
Start: 1996-05-31T17:09
End: 1996-05-31T17:45
Location: Kansas

May 31, 1996 · NWS DDC · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Tornado did not have much to strike as it was across open farmland. One stone house was destroyed along with trees and fences.

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: $60,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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.

What happened

The episode as NWS DDC wrote it up.

Tornado did not have much to strike as it was across open farmland. One stone house was destroyed along with trees and fences. a few out buildings had some damage.

The radar

The Dodge City radar (KDDC), 74 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 23:08 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

2 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Tornado, Ness

When: May 31, 5:09 PM CST to 5:39 PM CST
Where: Ness County, Ness City to 3 mi ESE of Bazine
Rating: F1
Path length: 15 mi
Path width: 300 yd
Property damage: $50,000
Coordinates: 38.420, -99.870

Tornado, Rush

When: May 31, 5:39 PM CST to 5:45 PM CST
Where: Rush County, Bazine to 6 mi SSE of Alexander
Rating: F1
Path length: 3 mi
Path width: 100 yd
Property damage: $10,000
Coordinates: 38.420, -99.580

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.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Kansas in 1996 Every state in 1996 This day in weather history The tornado archive for Kansas, 1996 Warnings in Kansas, May 1996

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: 5572653, 5572654.