Kansas, 1998

Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Kansas, August 3 to 27, 1998

August 3 to 27, 1998 · NWS ICT · 30 events in 14 counties and zones

18 thunderstorm wind, 6 hail, 2 tornado, 2 heat, 1 lightning, 1 flash flood, as filed by the National Weather Service.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 4 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

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The toll

Deaths
2
Injuries
0
Property damage
$430,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
30

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 national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

18 thunderstorm wind, 6 hail, 2 tornado, 2 heat, 1 lightning, 1 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Lightning, Rice

When
August 3, 2:00 AM CST
Where
Rice County, 3 mi W of Chase
Property damage
$50,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
38.347, -98.201 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Lightning set fire to two oil tank batteries.

Tornado, Kingman

When
August 3, 11:11 AM CST to 11:16 AM CST
Where
Kingman County, 2 mi S of Mt Vernon
Rating
F0
Path length
1 mi
Path width
110 yd
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
37.680, -97.850

Thunderstorm Wind, Sumner

When
August 3, 3:02 PM CST
Where
Sumner County, 10 mi SW of Mulvane
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
37.380, -97.380

Trees blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Cowley

When
August 3, 3:30 PM CST
Where
Cowley County, 7 mi NW of Arkansas City
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
37.130, -97.130

Thunderstorm Wind, Neosho

When
August 9, 9:01 AM CST to 9:30 AM CST
Where
Neosho County, 5 mi SW of St Paul
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Property damage
$25,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
37.470, -95.230

Power poles and power lines blown down.

Flash Flood, Labette

When
August 9, 10:15 AM CST to 11:00 AM CST
Where
Labette County, Bartlett
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
37.191, -95.298 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Turkey Creek flooded closing county roads.

Hail, Neosho

When
August 9, 4:00 PM CST to 4:30 PM CST
Where
Neosho County, 5 mi S of Galesburg
Measured
4.5 in hail
Property damage
$250,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
37.400, -95.350

Tennisball to softball-sized hail pelted a one square mile section on the south side of Lake Parsons, inflicting extensive damage to boats, tents, campers, vehicles, buildings and crops.

Heat, Sedgwick

When
August 17, 10:00 AM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
Sedgwick forecast zone
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
37.685, -97.461 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Heat, Butler

When
August 17, 10:00 AM CST to 10:00 PM CST
Where
Butler forecast zone
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
37.781, -96.839 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Two football players, one at Circle High School, Towanda, Butler County, and one at Wichita Southeast High School, Sedgwick County, suffered from heat stroke during practice at approximately 15:00 and 10:00, respectively. Both players died at area hospitals the following morning, 08/18/98.

Thunderstorm Wind, Chase

When
August 19, 6:15 PM CST
Where
Chase County, 15 mi W of Strong City
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
38.400, -96.820

Hail, Cowley

When
August 25, 1:59 PM CST
Where
Cowley County, 1 mi NW of Burden
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
37.330, -96.770

Tornado, Kingman

When
August 25, 3:08 PM CST to 3:15 PM CST
Where
Kingman County, 7 mi S of Kingman
Rating
F0
Path length
1 mi
Path width
110 yd
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
37.550, -98.120

Thunderstorm Wind, Sedgwick

When
August 25, 3:46 PM CST to 3:47 PM CST
Where
Sedgwick County, Derby to 3 mi of Derby
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.580, -97.230

Thunderstorm Wind, Sedgwick

When
August 25, 3:50 PM CST
Where
Sedgwick County, 4 mi SE of Derby
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Property damage
$5,000
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
37.520, -97.220

Large birch tree blown down.

Hail, Sedgwick

When
August 25, 4:05 PM CST
Where
Sedgwick County, Wichita
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
37.700, -97.330

Reported 2 miles northeast Mid-Continent airport.

Thunderstorm Wind, Kingman

When
August 25, 4:10 PM CST
Where
Kingman County, 5 mi N of Norwich
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Property damage
$25,000
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
37.520, -97.850

Trees and power lines blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Sedgwick

When
August 25, 4:15 PM CST
Where
Sedgwick County, Wichita
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
37.700, -97.330

Reported 2 miles northeast Mid-Continent airport.

Thunderstorm Wind, Sedgwick

When
August 25, 4:17 PM CST
Where
Sedgwick County, Wichita
Measured
63 kt (72 mph)
Reported by
OFFICIAL NWS OBS.
Coordinates
37.700, -97.330

Thunderstorm Wind, Greenwood

When
August 26, 3:11 PM CST
Where
Greenwood County, 2 mi W of Severy
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
BROADCAST MEDIA
Coordinates
37.630, -96.270

Several trees blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Allen

When
August 26, 3:25 PM CST to 3:40 PM CST
Where
Allen County, Iola
Measured
71 kt (82 mph)
Property damage
$75,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
37.920, -95.400

Severe thunderstorm winds peeled off a 30-foot by 50-foot section of roofing from a business in Iola. The wind combined with heavy rain to damage much of the office area as well as most of the merchandise. Wind-driven rain also flooded sections of two schools in Iola.

Thunderstorm Wind, Allen

When
August 26, 3:31 PM CST
Where
Allen County, Iola
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
37.920, -95.400

Several 4-inch diameter limbs blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Barton

When
August 26, 4:50 PM CST
Where
Barton County, Odin
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
38.570, -98.600

Several trees blown down.

Thunderstorm Wind, Barton

When
August 26, 4:59 PM CST
Where
Barton County, Odin
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
38.570, -98.600

Numerous large tree limbs blown down.

Hail, Russell

When
August 27, 3:43 PM CST
Where
Russell County, 3 mi W of Milberger
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
38.720, -98.970

Thunderstorm Wind, Russell

When
August 27, 3:55 PM CST
Where
Russell County, 2 mi SW of Russell
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
38.870, -98.880

Hail, Russell

When
August 27, 4:25 PM CST
Where
Russell County, 3 mi S of Bunker Hill
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
UNKNOWN
Coordinates
38.820, -98.680

Thunderstorm Wind, Lincoln

When
August 27, 4:56 PM CST
Where
Lincoln County, Sylvan Grove
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
39.020, -98.380

Hail, Russell

When
August 27, 5:08 PM CST
Where
Russell County, 3 mi W of Russell
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
38.880, -98.900

Thunderstorm Wind, Russell

When
August 27, 5:08 PM CST
Where
Russell County, 3 mi W of Russell
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
38.880, -98.900

Thunderstorm Wind, Lincoln

When
August 27, 5:29 PM CST
Where
Lincoln County, 4 mi NE of Lincoln
Measured
52 kt (60 mph)
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
39.070, -98.100

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Heat, Sedgwick1998-08-1817MaleBall FieldDirect
Heat, Butler1998-08-1815MaleBall FieldDirect

What these are

Lightning
A lightning strike that killed, injured or caused damage.
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.
Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
Hail
Hail three-quarters of an inch or larger, or smaller hail that caused damage, filed with the largest stone measured.
Heat
Heat below excessive heat criteria that still caused deaths, injuries or significant impacts.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Kansas in 1998Every state in 1998This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Kansas, 1998Warnings in Kansas, August 1998

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: 5657839, 5657766, 5657767, 5657768, 5657769, 5657770, 5657852, 5657837, 5657838, 5657771, 5657773, 5657774, 5657775, 5657779, 5657776, 5657778, 5657777, 5657772, 5657847, 5657851, 5657848, 5657849, 5657850, 5657840, 5657841, 5657842, 5657843, 5657844, 5657845, 5657846.