Kansas, 2026

Tornado and Flash Flood in Kansas, April 26 to 27, 2026

April 26 to 27, 2026 · NWS SGF · 5 events in 2 counties and zones

Severe storms triggered by a potent weather system swept through far southeastern Kansas, bringing destructive winds and large hail. These storms were part of a 15-hour severe weather outbreak that impacted central and eastern Kansas finally moving into Missouri.

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
$1.4 million
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
5

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 SGF wrote it up.

Severe storms triggered by a potent weather system swept through far southeastern Kansas, bringing destructive winds and large hail. These storms were part of a 15-hour severe weather outbreak that impacted central and eastern Kansas finally moving into Missouri.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Springfield, MO wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Apr 26, 8:12 AM CST, 43 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Apr 26, 8:12 AM CST, 43 minutes before
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Hazardous weather outlook, Apr 26, 4:36 AM CST, 4 hours 19 minutes before
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The radar

The Tulsa radar (KINX), 128 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 14:54 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

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

Thunderstorm Wind, Cherokee

When
April 26, 8:55 AM CST
Where
Cherokee County, 0.98 mi W of Columbus to 0.55 mi W of Columbus
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Property damage
$30,000
Reported by
Utility Company
Coordinates
37.169, -94.848

Several power poles were reported broken with downed power lines and power outages.

Hail, Bourbon

When
April 26, 3:12 PM CST
Where
Bourbon County, 0.88 mi NW of Ft Scott
Measured
1 in hail
Reported by
Public
Coordinates
37.840, -94.710

Quarter sized hail was reported.

Tornado, Cherokee

When
April 26, 8:43 PM CST to 8:49 PM CST
Where
Cherokee County, 0.69 mi N of Hallowell to 1.65 mi E of Sherwin
Rating
EF1
Path length
4.4 mi
Path width
500 yd
Property damage
$1.1 million
Reported by
NWS Storm Survey
Coordinates
37.180, -95.000

A National Weather Service storm survey determined that an EF1 Tornado with estimated wind speeds of 105 mph touched down near the northeast portion of Hallowell before tracking 4.37 miles to the east. The tornado uprooted or snapped several trees, overturned several empty railcars, caused significant damaged to several grain bins, destroyed multiple outbuildings and snapped or broke numerous power poles and downed power lines. The tornado track ended approximately 1.25 miles east of Sherwin.

Thunderstorm Wind, Cherokee

When
April 26, 8:49 PM CST
Where
Cherokee County, 1.88 mi WSW of Hallowell to Hallowell
Measured
52 kt (60 mph) estimated gust
Property damage
$200,000
Reported by
Fire Department/Rescue
Coordinates
37.161, -95.032

Multiple large trees were reported down with a few having fallen on homes causing minor to moderate damage to roofs and guttering.

Flash Flood, Cherokee

When
April 26, 9:30 PM CST to April 27, 3:00 AM CST
Where
Cherokee County, 0.65 mi SW of Columbus to 0.72 mi NW of Columbus
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Fire Department/Rescue
Coordinates
37.163, -94.839

Multiple roads in town were reported flooded and impassable.

What these are

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.
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.
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.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Kansas in 2026Every state in 2026This day in weather historyThe tornado archive for Kansas, 2026Warnings in Kansas, April 2026

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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1324392, 1324390, 1329330, 1324396, 1324389.