Tornadoes · United States · Kansas

Tornadoes in Cherokee County, Kansas

47 tornadoes have crossed Cherokee County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 52nd of the 105 counties in Kansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.6 years. They have killed 7 people and injured 151. 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
47
Deaths
7
Injuries
151
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, April 3, 1956

The deadliest in Cherokee County

  1. F3, Cherokee and Jasper counties, Kansas and MissouriMay 4, 20035 killed, 34 injured
  2. EF2, Ottawa and Cherokee counties, Oklahoma and KansasApril 27, 20141 killed, 37 injured
  3. F3, Labette and Cherokee counties, KansasMarch 15, 19821 killed, 6 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Ottawa, Cherokee, Jasper and Kiowa counties, Oklahoma and Kansas and MissouriApril 3, 1956F4, 41.8 mi (67 km)
  2. F3, Labette and Cherokee counties, KansasMarch 15, 1982F3, 30.0 mi (48 km)
  3. F3, Cherokee and Jasper counties, Kansas and MissouriMay 4, 2003F3, 25.0 mi (40 km)
  4. EF3, Cherokee and Jasper counties, Kansas and MissouriMay 22, 2019EF3, 9.2 mi (15 km)
  5. EF2, Ottawa and Cherokee counties, Oklahoma and KansasApril 27, 2014EF2, 11.4 mi (18 km)
  6. F2, Cherokee County, KansasFebruary 17, 1961F2, 7.3 mi (12 km)
  7. F2, Cherokee County, KansasMay 7, 1961F2, 5.7 mi (9 km)
  8. F2, Cherokee County, KansasMay 5, 1971F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  9. F2, Cherokee County, KansasSeptember 3, 1959F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  10. F2, Neosho and Cherokee counties, KansasMay 11, 1973F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 29 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Cherokee County. Each year links to every tornado in Kansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF1
20251EF1
20242EF0
20194EF3
20151EF0
20141137EF2
20101EF1
20081EF0
20071EF0
2006212F1
20053F0
20041F0
20031534F3
20022F0
19991F1
19862F1
1982316F3
19771F1
19732F2
19712F2
19651F0
196142F2
19601F1
195921F2
19571F0
1956259F4
19551F0
19541F1
19531F0

Every tornado that crossed Cherokee County

47 tornadoes, newest first. 6 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files them under that state rather than Kansas. The 1 at the top is this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and its rating is marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 26, 20269:43 PM CDTEF1Cherokee4.4500
April 20, 20251:57 PM CDTEF1Cherokee to MO24.1250$1.0 million
May 6, 202411:13 PM CDTEF0Cherokee2.750$64,000
May 6, 202411:00 PM CDTEF0Ottawa to KS24.11,100$350,000
May 22, 20198:05 PM CDTEF3Cherokee to MO9.2440$5.3 million
May 22, 20197:25 PM CDTUnratedRogers to KS1.875
May 22, 20197:25 PM CDTEF1Ottawa to KS7.31,100$75,000
May 20, 20194:14 PM CDTEF1Cherokee2.2440$25,000
April 2, 20157:58 PM CDTEF0Cherokee2.5100
April 27, 20145:29 PM CDTEF2Ottawa to KS11.4325137$13 million
July 12, 20108:25 PM CDTEF1Cherokee2.860$125,000
May 10, 20085:19 PM CDTEF0Cherokee2.0150$10,000
June 10, 20075:25 PM CDTEF0Cherokee0.150
April 6, 20067:46 PM CDTF1Cherokee to MO5.0250$100,000
April 6, 20067:05 PM CDTF1Craig to KS11.54012$240,000
June 30, 20059:45 PM CDTF0Cherokee6.025
June 30, 20059:15 PM CDTF0Cherokee3.025
April 21, 20056:05 PM CDTF0Cherokee0.120
June 12, 20044:40 PM CDTF0Cherokee0.125
May 4, 20035:45 PM CDTF3Cherokee to MO25.0880534$24 million
December 18, 20021:08 AM CSTF0Cherokee0.520
December 18, 200212:55 AM CSTF0Cherokee0.520
April 3, 19995:10 AM CSTF1Cherokee0.1100$100,000
April 7, 19867:45 PM CSTF1Cherokee0.550$500 to $5,000
April 7, 19866:46 PM CSTF0Cherokee0.150
April 2, 19822:50 PM CSTF1Cherokee0.217$5,000 to $50,000
March 15, 19828:17 PM CSTF0Cherokee0.110
March 15, 19827:40 PM CSTF3Labette30.016716$500,000 to $5 million
June 18, 19771:35 PM CDTF1Cherokee1.033$5,000 to $50,000
September 27, 19734:18 PM CDTF1Cherokee0.5100$5,000 to $50,000
May 11, 19736:00 AM CDTF2Neosho0.1300$50,000 to $500,000
May 11, 19715:15 PM CDTF0Cherokee1.9167
May 5, 19715:40 PM CDTF2Cherokee1.0440$500 to $5,000
May 18, 19659:17 PM GMT-5F0Cherokee0.110
November 2, 19612:30 AM GMT-6F1Cherokee12.41002$5,000 to $50,000
May 7, 19613:00 AM GMT-5F2Cherokee5.710$5,000 to $50,000
May 6, 19619:00 PM GMT-5F0Cherokee0.110
February 17, 196111:00 PM GMT-6F2Cherokee7.3880$500 to $5,000
May 19, 196010:00 PM GMT-5F1Cherokee0.110under $50
September 3, 19592:45 PM GMT-5F2Cherokee1.02001$500 to $5,000
February 9, 195910:16 PM GMT-6F1Cherokee0.510$500 to $5,000
May 24, 195711:00 PM GMT-5F0Cherokee0.110
July 19, 19566:45 PM GMT-5F1Cherokee0.110
April 3, 195612:10 AM GMT-6F4Ottawa to KS, MO41.840059$500,000 to $5 million
May 26, 19558:00 PM GMT-5F0Cherokee0.110
March 24, 19549:45 PM GMT-6F1Cherokee0.117
June 5, 19536:00 PM GMT-5F0Cherokee0.110

Nearby

Warnings in force in Cherokee CountyThe forecast for Cherokee CountyThe live radar over Cherokee 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.