Tornadoes · United States · Kansas

Tornadoes in Cheyenne County, Kansas

51 tornadoes have crossed Cheyenne County since 1950, 40th of the 105 counties in Kansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.5 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 0. None was rated F4 or 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
51
Deaths
0
Injuries
0
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF2, May 18, 2025

The strongest

  1. EF2, Cheyenne County, KansasMarch 28, 2007EF2, 27.0 mi (43 km)
  2. F2, Cheyenne County, KansasJune 7, 1994F2, 10.0 mi (16 km)
  3. F2, Cheyenne County, KansasJune 7, 1994F2, 7.0 mi (11 km)
  4. EF2, Cheyenne County, KansasMay 18, 2025EF2, 3.9 mi (6 km)
  5. F2, Cheyenne County, KansasOctober 17, 1971F2, 0.5 mi (1 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 32 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Cheyenne County. Each year links to every tornado in Kansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251EF2
20241Unrated
20232EF1
20211Unrated
20193EF1
20171EF0
20143EF0
20092EF0
20074EF2
20051F1
20042F0
20033F0
20021F0
20011F0
20001F1
19991F0
19981F0
19961F0
19951F0
19944F2
19932F1
19911F0
19901F0
19841F0
19771F1
19712F2
19651F1
19623F1
19571F0
19561F0
19521F0
19511F1

Every tornado that crossed Cheyenne County

51 tornadoes, newest first. 2 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files them under that state rather than Kansas.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 18, 20255:12 PM CDTEF2Cheyenne3.9200$300,000
April 25, 20244:45 PM CDTUnratedCheyenne0.010
August 7, 20234:35 PM CDTUnratedCheyenne0.275
May 11, 202312:57 PM CDTEF1Cheyenne to CO5.2100
March 14, 202112:50 PM CDTUnratedCheyenne0.125
August 11, 20197:47 PM CDTEF1Cheyenne1.2175$50,000
June 8, 20194:45 PM CDTUnratedCheyenne1.1100
June 8, 20194:35 PM CDTUnratedCheyenne1.3100
July 21, 20175:52 PM CDTEF0Cheyenne0.0400
August 9, 20144:55 PM CDTEF0Cheyenne0.310
August 9, 20143:57 PM CDTEF0Cheyenne0.310
August 9, 20143:45 PM CDTEF0Cheyenne0.510
July 20, 20097:03 PM CDTEF0Cheyenne0.310$51,000
June 1, 20099:24 PM CDTEF0Cheyenne0.325
March 28, 200710:24 PM CDTEF0Cheyenne2.025
March 28, 20079:09 PM CDTEF1Cheyenne3.0200$25,000
March 28, 20078:49 PM CDTEF1Cheyenne4.0100$6,000
March 28, 20078:29 PM CDTEF2Cheyenne27.0700$2.0 million
June 2, 20059:35 PM CDTF1Cheyenne3.075
June 26, 20046:10 PM CDTF0Cheyenne0.250
June 26, 20044:45 PM CDTF0Cheyenne0.350
July 21, 20038:30 PM CDTF0Cheyenne0.225
July 6, 20037:05 PM CDTF0Cheyenne0.325
July 6, 20036:14 PM CDTF0Cheyenne0.325
August 26, 20024:35 PM CDTF0Cheyenne0.325
May 31, 20016:50 PM CDTF0Cheyenne1.050
June 29, 20006:29 PM CDTF1Cheyenne2.5650
July 2, 19997:50 PM CDTF0Cheyenne0.2200
June 11, 19981:11 AM CDTF0Cheyenne0.130
July 23, 19962:30 PM CDTF0Cheyenne0.120
July 20, 19958:21 PM CDTF0Cheyenne0.120
June 10, 19945:05 PM CDTF1Cheyenne to KS1.5200
June 7, 19948:32 PM CDTF2Cheyenne7.0800$500,000 to $5 million
June 7, 19948:08 PM CDTF0Cheyenne0.150
June 7, 19947:55 PM CDTF2Cheyenne10.0800$50,000 to $500,000
July 1, 19938:10 PM CDTF0Cheyenne2.020
June 22, 19938:15 PM CDTF1Cheyenne0.530
May 16, 19913:18 PM CDTF0Cheyenne7.020
May 13, 19907:27 PM CDTF0Cheyenne13.010
May 31, 19845:55 PM CDTF0Cheyenne5.0200
May 3, 19778:15 PM CDTF1Cheyenne1.3133$5,000 to $50,000
October 17, 197112:15 AM CDTF2Cheyenne0.5100$5,000 to $50,000
May 31, 19716:30 PM CDTF1Cheyenne0.520$500 to $5,000
May 25, 19658:10 PM GMT-5F1Cheyenne0.110$500 to $5,000
May 28, 19625:30 PM GMT-5F1Cheyenne0.110
May 28, 19624:30 PM GMT-5F1Cheyenne0.510$500 to $5,000
May 16, 19624:00 PM GMT-5F0Cheyenne0.110
May 20, 195712:00 PM GMT-5F0Kit Carson to KS70.110$50 to $500
June 23, 19564:55 PM GMT-5F0Cheyenne0.110
July 6, 19525:30 PM GMT-5F0Cheyenne0.110
August 10, 19517:30 PM GMT-5F1Cheyenne2.3250$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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