Kansas, 1999

Tornadoes and Hail in Kansas, May 4, 1999

May 4, 1999 · NWS TOP · 14 events in 8 counties and zones

Severe thunderstorms developed over northeast and east central Kansas the afternoon of the fourth and continued into the evening hours producing large hail and at least 7 tornadoes (listed separately). One thunderstorm moved northeast from Morris county to Jackson county and produced six of the 7 tornadoes.

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
$29,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
14

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 TOP wrote it up.

Severe thunderstorms developed over northeast and east central Kansas the afternoon of the fourth and continued into the evening hours producing large hail and at least 7 tornadoes (listed separately). One thunderstorm moved northeast from Morris county to Jackson county and produced six of the 7 tornadoes.

The radar

The Topeka radar (KTWX), 93 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 20:14 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

7 hail, 7 tornado. Local standard time, as filed.

Hail, Dickinson

When
May 4, 2:15 PM CST
Where
Dickinson County, Elmo
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.680, -97.230

Hail, Dickinson

When
May 4, 3:30 PM CST
Where
Dickinson County, Enterprise
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.900, -97.120

Hail, Geary

When
May 4, 3:30 PM CST
Where
Geary County, 4 mi W of Junction City
Measured
1.75 in hail
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
39.030, -96.900

Tornado, Morris

When
May 4, 3:55 PM CST to 4:10 PM CST
Where
Morris County, Burdick to 3 mi NW of Burdick
Rating
F1
Path length
5 mi
Path width
150 yd
Property damage
$28,000
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
38.530, -96.870

A tornado moved from Marion county into Morris county and touched down southwest of Burdick and moved northeast 5 miles before lifting. It struck a farm destroying part of the roof on a house and damaging a garage, two cars, a barn and some fenses.

Tornado, Geary

When
May 4, 4:15 PM CST to 4:17 PM CST
Where
Geary County, 1 mi S of Milford
Rating
F0
Path length
0.5 mi
Path width
50 yd
Property damage
$1,000
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
39.150, -96.920

A tornado touched down near Milford Lake and did minor damage to a marina.

Hail, Morris

When
May 4, 4:20 PM CST
Where
Morris County, White City
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
38.800, -96.730

Tornado, Morris

When
May 4, 4:30 PM CST to 4:38 PM CST
Where
Morris County, Dwight to 3 mi NW of Dwight
Rating
F1
Path length
4 mi
Path width
100 yd
Reported by
NEWSPAPER
Coordinates
38.820, -96.620

The same storm that produced the tornado near Burdick produced another tornado that touched down over open country near Dwight and moved northeast 4 miles before it dissipated.

Tornado, Geary

When
May 4, 4:54 PM CST to 5:04 PM CST
Where
Geary County, Junction City to 11 mi ESE of Junction City
Rating
F0
Path length
5 mi
Path width
100 yd
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
38.920, -96.680

Another tornado touched down southeast of Junction City over open country and moved northeast 5 miles before dissipating.

Tornado, Wabaunsee

When
May 4, 5:30 PM CST to 5:33 PM CST
Where
Wabaunsee County, Alma to 3 mi NNE of Alma
Rating
F0
Path length
1.5 mi
Path width
75 yd
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER
Coordinates
39.070, -96.280

The fourth tornado touched down over open country north of Alma and moved a short distance over open country before dissipating.

Tornado, Pottawatomie

When
May 4, 6:10 PM CST to 6:11 PM CST
Where
Pottawatomie County, 4 mi NW of Emmett
Rating
F0
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
25 yd
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
39.330, -96.100

The fifth tornado touched down over open country near Emmett.

Tornado, Jackson

When
May 4, 6:37 PM CST to 6:38 PM CST
Where
Jackson County, 5 mi SW of Soldier
Rating
F0
Path length
0.2 mi
Path width
30 yd
Reported by
LAW ENFORCEMENT
Coordinates
39.480, -96.030

The final touchdown occurred over open country southwest of Soldier.

Hail, Nemaha

When
May 4, 6:57 PM CST
Where
Nemaha County, 1 mi S of Bancroft
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
39.600, -95.880

Hail, Nemaha

When
May 4, 7:25 PM CST
Where
Nemaha County, 1 mi S of Wetmore
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
39.620, -95.800

Hail, Brown

When
May 4, 7:58 PM CST
Where
Brown County, 2 mi SW of Hiawatha
Measured
0.75 in hail
Reported by
GENERAL PUBLIC
Coordinates
39.830, -95.570

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.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Kansas in 1999Every state in 1999This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Kansas, 1999Warnings in Kansas, May 1999

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: 5699922, 5699923, 5699924, 5699929, 5700029, 5699925, 5699930, 5700025, 5700026, 5700027, 5700028, 5699926, 5699927, 5699928.