Tornadoes · United States · Kansas

Tornadoes in Barber County, Kansas

42 tornadoes have crossed Barber County since 1950, 66th of the 105 counties in Kansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.8 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 5. 1 was rated F4 or EF4 and above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes
42
Deaths
0
Injuries
5
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, April 17, 1976

The strongest

Every year with a tornado

The 26 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Barber County. Each year links to every tornado in Kansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20241EF0
20191EF0
20173EF0
20153EF0
20141EF0
20121EF1
20091EF0
20085EF2
20073EF0
20061F1
20043F1
19991F0
19981F0
19921F0
19912F0
198613F1
19831F0
19791F0
197622F4
19681F0
19671F2
19641F3
19631F0
19592F1
19572F1
19541F0

Every tornado that crossed Barber County

42 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 25, 20247:15 PM CDTEF0Barber1.31
September 24, 20197:23 PM CDTEF0Barber0.850
May 19, 20174:14 PM CDTEF0Pratt4.575
May 19, 20173:53 PM CDTEF0Barber3.0150
May 19, 20173:37 PM CDTEF0Barber0.450
April 12, 20158:18 PM CDTEF0Barber0.575
April 8, 20158:15 PM CDTEF0Barber0.650
April 8, 20156:49 PM CDTEF0Barber16.2250
April 2, 20146:55 PM CDTEF0Barber0.340
April 14, 20123:59 PM CDTEF1Comanche10.9125
March 7, 20096:18 PM CSTEF0Barber0.020
May 23, 200810:17 PM CDTEF0Barber3.3100
May 23, 200810:15 PM CDTEF1Barber12.8150
May 23, 200810:08 PM CDTEF2Barber6.9250
May 23, 20089:41 PM CDTEF0Barber4.0100
May 23, 20089:22 PM CDTEF0Barber4.6150
May 6, 20074:40 PM CDTEF0Barber1.450
May 6, 20074:33 PM CDTEF0Barber1.350
May 6, 20074:27 PM CDTEF0Barber3.0300
April 1, 20067:20 PM CSTF1Barber12.8300
May 12, 20047:08 PM CDTF1Barber2.5120$10,000
May 12, 20047:04 PM CDTF0Barber0.340
March 27, 20045:45 PM CSTF0Barber0.530
April 26, 19998:46 PM CDTF0Barber4.250
September 27, 199811:13 PM CDTF0Barber0.150
March 17, 19926:25 PM CSTF0Barber0.110
April 2, 19917:10 PM CSTF0Barber1.520
April 2, 19914:30 PM CSTF0Barber1.017
August 1, 19866:15 PM CDTF1Kiowa7.02503$5,000 to $50,000
May 17, 19837:20 PM CDTF0Barber0.217under $50
September 1, 19797:05 PM CDTF0Barber8.220under $50
April 17, 19761:50 AM CSTF4Barber19.51002$50,000 to $500,000
March 11, 19764:40 PM CSTF1Barber1.020$500 to $5,000
October 16, 19684:20 PM GMT-5F0Barber0.110
June 11, 19678:35 PM GMT-5F2Barber32.210$50,000 to $500,000
May 5, 19649:45 PM GMT-5F3Barber33.0660$5,000 to $50,000
October 20, 19637:22 PM GMT-5F0Barber0.110
May 4, 19596:35 PM GMT-5F1Barber0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 4, 19596:35 PM GMT-5F1Barber1.010
June 14, 19571:15 AM GMT-5F1Barber23.010
May 31, 195712:55 PM GMT-5F0Barber3.6150
June 14, 19542:30 PM GMT-5F0Barber2.0440$50 to $500

Nearby

Warnings in force in Barber CountyThe forecast for Barber CountyThe live radar over Barber CountyEvery county in Kansas

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.