Tornadoes · United States · Kansas

Tornadoes in Franklin County, Kansas

31 tornadoes have crossed Franklin County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 86th of the 105 counties in Kansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.5 years. They have killed 44 people and injured 213. 1 was rated F4 or EF4 and above, 1 at the top of the scale.

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
31
Deaths
44
Injuries
213
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F5, May 20, 1957

The deadliest in Franklin County

  1. F5 Ruskin Heights tornado, MissouriMay 20, 195744 killed, 207 injured

The strongest

  1. F5 Ruskin Heights tornado, MissouriMay 20, 1957F5, 69.4 mi (112 km)
  2. F3, Franklin County, KansasApril 16, 1960F3, 9.2 mi (15 km)
  3. F3, Franklin County, KansasMay 20, 1957F3, 5.6 mi (9 km)
  4. F2, Anderson, Franklin, Miami and Johnson counties, KansasMay 27, 1955F2, 27.0 mi (43 km)
  5. EF2, Franklin County, KansasApril 13, 2026EF2, 7.3 mi (12 km)
  6. F2, Franklin County, KansasMay 31, 1958F2, 4.3 mi (7 km)
  7. F2, Franklin County, KansasJuly 2, 1956F2, 3.0 mi (5 km)
  8. F2, Franklin County, KansasMay 31, 1958F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  9. F2, Franklin County, KansasApril 22, 1964F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)
  10. F2, Franklin County, KansasNovember 17, 1958F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 20 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Franklin County. Each year links to every tornado in Kansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
202613EF2
20171EF1
20121EF1
20111EF1
20101EF0
20091EF0
20032F1
19932F0
19821F1
19781F0
19652F1
196421F2
19631F1
19601F3
19583F2
1957344207F5
19561F2
19551F2
195432F2
19512F0

Every tornado that crossed Franklin County

31 tornadoes, newest first. 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 13, 20267:23 PM CDTEF2Franklin7.303
March 6, 20177:38 PM CSTEF1Franklin3.050
February 28, 201210:06 PM CSTEF1Douglas4.8100
May 21, 201110:43 PM CDTEF1Osage2.9100
June 8, 20105:55 PM CDTEF0Franklin0.025
June 20, 20097:11 PM CDTEF0Franklin0.325
April 24, 20035:47 PM CDTF0Franklin0.150
April 24, 20032:13 PM CDTF1Franklin0.380$100,000
May 6, 19937:25 PM CDTF0Franklin0.373
May 6, 19936:58 PM CDTF0Franklin0.330
November 11, 19824:05 PM CSTF1Anderson5.0100$5,000 to $50,000
June 17, 19787:20 PM CDTF0Franklin0.110under $50
September 20, 196510:45 PM GMT-5F1Franklin0.110$50,000 to $500,000
June 4, 19658:30 PM GMT-5F1Osage26.8200$5,000 to $50,000
April 26, 19647:25 PM GMT-5F0Franklin0.110
April 22, 19647:00 PM GMT-6F2Franklin0.1101$500 to $5,000
May 4, 19636:40 PM GMT-5F1Franklin0.110$50 to $500
April 16, 19605:00 PM GMT-6F3Franklin9.277$5,000 to $50,000
November 17, 195811:00 AM GMT-6F2Franklin0.110$50 to $500
May 31, 19587:45 PM GMT-5F2Franklin1.060$5,000 to $50,000
May 31, 19587:45 PM GMT-5F2Franklin4.310$5,000 to $50,000
June 23, 19573:00 AM GMT-5F0Franklin0.110
May 20, 19578:37 PM GMT-5F3Franklin5.610
May 20, 19577:15 PM GMT-5F5Ruskin Heights tornado69.444044207$500,000 to $5 million
July 2, 19565:45 PM GMT-5F2Franklin3.010
May 27, 19557:30 PM GMT-5F2Anderson27.010
August 5, 19549:15 PM GMT-5F1Franklin1.03002$5,000 to $50,000
August 5, 19547:30 PM GMT-5F1Franklin2.0200$5,000 to $50,000
March 24, 19548:30 PM GMT-6F2Miami0.110$500 to $5,000
August 24, 19518:30 AM GMT-5F0Franklin0.110$500 to $5,000
June 17, 195112:00 AM GMT-5F0Franklin0.110$500 to $5,000

Nearby

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