Tornadoes · United States · Kansas

Tornadoes in Greenwood County, Kansas

50 tornadoes have crossed Greenwood County since 1950, 47th of the 105 counties in Kansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.5 years. They have killed 3 people and injured 44. 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
50
Deaths
3
Injuries
44
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, April 2, 1956

The deadliest in Greenwood County

  1. F4, Kay, Cowley, Chautauqua, Elk and Greenwood counties, Oklahoma and KansasApril 2, 19562 killed, 29 injured
  2. F3, Elk and Greenwood counties, KansasApril 26, 19911 killed, 2 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Kay, Cowley, Chautauqua, Elk and Greenwood counties, Oklahoma and KansasApril 2, 1956F4, 108.3 mi (174 km)
  2. F3, Greenwood and Woodson counties, KansasApril 26, 1991F3, 15.0 mi (24 km)
  3. F3, Elk and Greenwood counties, KansasApril 26, 1991F3, 14.0 mi (23 km)
  4. EF3, Greenwood County, KansasJune 26, 2018EF3, 9.2 mi (15 km)
  5. EF3, Greenwood County, KansasJuly 7, 2016EF3, 4.2 mi (7 km)
  6. F2, Chase, Greenwood and Butler counties, KansasMay 30, 1974F2, 25.1 mi (40 km)
  7. F2, Greenwood and Woodson counties, KansasApril 7, 1986F2, 22.6 mi (36 km)
  8. F2, Elk and Greenwood counties, KansasJune 3, 1965F2, 22.4 mi (36 km)
  9. F2, Wilson and Greenwood counties, KansasApril 19, 1972F2, 20.0 mi (32 km)
  10. F2, Greenwood County, KansasJune 4, 1973F2, 5.9 mi (9 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 33 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Greenwood County. Each year links to every tornado in Kansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20242EF2
20222EF1
20191Unrated
201818EF3
20162EF3
20141EF0
20122EF0
20102EF0
20091EF0
20071EF0
20051F0
20032F1
19971F0
1991212F3
19901F0
19862F2
19841F1
19831F0
19821F2
19783F0
197411F2
19731F2
19721F2
196823F2
19662F1
19651F2
19641F2
19622F0
196141F2
19581F0
19572F1
19561229F4
19511F0

Every tornado that crossed Greenwood County

50 tornadoes, newest first. 1 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files it under that state rather than Kansas.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 16, 20247:34 AM CDTEF2Greenwood2.7116
April 16, 20244:21 AM CDTEF1Greenwood7.5200
June 15, 20229:20 PM CDTEF0Greenwood0.4100
April 29, 20229:44 PM CDTEF1Greenwood0.060
April 17, 20197:50 PM CDTUnratedGreenwood0.130
June 26, 20187:18 PM CDTEF3Greenwood9.25008$14 million
July 7, 20169:41 PM CDTEF2Greenwood3.6150$3.8 million
July 7, 20169:10 PM CDTEF3Greenwood4.21,144$100,000
May 10, 20148:16 PM CDTEF0Greenwood0.175
March 28, 20129:17 PM CDTEF0Greenwood0.350
March 28, 20128:37 PM CDTEF0Greenwood0.350
September 15, 20107:17 PM CDTEF0Greenwood0.675
September 15, 20107:02 PM CDTEF0Greenwood0.475
June 15, 20098:40 PM CDTEF0Greenwood0.755
May 10, 20075:15 PM CDTEF0Greenwood1.030
June 4, 20058:02 PM CDTF0Greenwood0.5110
May 8, 20036:32 PM CDTF1Greenwood3.0100$70,000
May 8, 20036:25 PM CDTF0Greenwood2.075$20,000
May 25, 199710:43 PM CDTF0Greenwood0.550
April 26, 19918:35 PM CDTF3Greenwood15.050$500,000 to $5 million
April 26, 19917:26 PM CDTF3Elk14.020012$50,000 to $500,000
June 8, 19908:15 PM CDTF0Greenwood0.550
April 7, 19865:45 PM CSTF2Greenwood22.6100$50,000 to $500,000
April 7, 19865:35 PM CSTF1Greenwood0.150$50,000 to $500,000
April 26, 198410:20 PM CSTF1Elk28.0200$5,000 to $50,000
May 27, 19838:30 PM CDTF0Greenwood0.217$5,000 to $50,000
March 15, 19824:49 PM CSTF2Greenwood1.0300$500,000 to $5 million
September 17, 19789:15 PM CDTF0Greenwood2.010$5,000 to $50,000
May 11, 19786:37 PM CDTF0Greenwood0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 11, 19786:03 PM CDTF0Greenwood0.110$50 to $500
May 30, 19745:30 PM CDTF2Chase25.11671$500,000 to $5 million
June 4, 19737:00 PM CDTF2Greenwood5.9300$50,000 to $500,000
April 19, 19725:50 PM CSTF2Wilson20.0100$5,000 to $50,000
June 10, 19687:45 PM GMT-5F2Greenwood1.5503$50,000 to $500,000
April 19, 19686:45 PM GMT-6F1Elk9.910
May 11, 19664:30 PM GMT-5F0Greenwood0.110
May 11, 19664:15 PM GMT-5F1Greenwood0.110$500 to $5,000
June 3, 19656:30 AM GMT-5F2Elk22.487
November 15, 19645:00 AM GMT-6F2Greenwood0.8400$5,000 to $50,000
July 6, 19625:30 PM GMT-5F0Greenwood0.110
June 11, 19622:15 PM GMT-5F0Chase2.377
March 26, 19614:00 PM GMT-6F0Greenwood0.110
March 26, 19613:55 PM GMT-6F0Greenwood0.110
March 26, 19613:35 PM GMT-6F2Greenwood2.04401$50,000 to $500,000
March 26, 19613:30 PM GMT-6F0Greenwood0.110
June 14, 19589:55 PM GMT-5F0Greenwood21.010$5,000 to $50,000
May 20, 19577:15 PM GMT-5F0Greenwood1.0100
May 16, 19574:30 PM GMT-5F1Greenwood13.5440
April 2, 19569:30 PM GMT-6F4Kay to KS108.3880229$500,000 to $5 million
June 22, 19513:00 AM GMT-5F0Greenwood0.110$50 to $500

Nearby

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