Tornadoes · United States · Kansas

Tornadoes in Hamilton County, Kansas

36 tornadoes have crossed Hamilton County since 1950, 81st of the 105 counties in Kansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.1 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 1. 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
36
Deaths
0
Injuries
1
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F2, June 19, 1990

The strongest

  1. F2, Greeley and Hamilton counties, KansasNovember 21, 1963F2, 25.7 mi (41 km)
  2. F2, Hamilton County, KansasMay 17, 1962F2, 12.6 mi (20 km)
  3. F2, Hamilton County, KansasJune 19, 1990F2, 1.5 mi (2 km)
  4. F2, Hamilton County, KansasMay 26, 1954F2, 0.5 mi (1 km)
  5. F2, Hamilton County, KansasJuly 6, 1966F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 27 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Hamilton County. Each year links to every tornado in Kansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20251Unrated
20241EF0
20203EF0
20184EF0
20161EF1
20152EF0
20141EF0
20131EF0
20081EF0
20071EF0
20011F0
20001F0
19971F0
19962F0
19951F0
19901F2
19881F0
19831F0
19771F0
19711F1
196621F2
19631F2
19622F2
19611F0
19561F1
19541F2
19511F0

Every tornado that crossed Hamilton County

36 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
August 3, 20256:01 PM MDTUnratedHamilton0.625
April 27, 20243:35 PM MDTEF0Hamilton0.110
May 21, 20205:06 PM MDTEF0Hamilton0.150
May 21, 20203:15 PM MDTEF0Hamilton0.650
May 21, 20203:15 PM MDTEF0Hamilton0.350
July 13, 20187:20 PM MDTEF0Hamilton2.950
May 18, 20188:25 PM MDTEF0Hamilton0.550
May 18, 20188:17 PM MDTEF0Hamilton0.750
May 18, 20187:55 PM MDTEF0Hamilton0.950
July 15, 20163:48 PM MDTEF1Hamilton7.8400
April 16, 20156:00 PM MDTEF0Hamilton1.650
April 16, 20155:18 PM MDTEF0Hamilton0.430
June 21, 20145:43 PM MDTEF0Hamilton0.525
July 25, 20133:05 PM MDTEF0Hamilton0.450
June 26, 20086:45 PM MDTEF0Hamilton0.950
March 28, 20076:33 PM MDTEF0Hamilton10.6100
May 20, 20018:10 PM MDTF0Hamilton0.230
May 20, 20001:41 PM MDTF0Hamilton0.550
August 13, 19975:10 PM MDTF0Hamilton0.250
July 23, 19968:20 PM MDTF0Hamilton0.520
July 23, 19968:16 PM MDTF0Hamilton0.520
July 1, 19954:45 PM MDTF0Hamilton0.110
June 19, 199010:00 PM MDTF2Hamilton1.5150$50,000 to $500,000
May 2, 198810:00 AM MDTF0Hamilton0.120$500 to $5,000
June 1, 19838:45 PM MDTF0Hamilton0.110under $50
August 5, 19777:40 PM MDTF0Hamilton0.113under $50
June 10, 19714:35 PM MDTF1Hamilton0.410
July 6, 19666:30 PM GMT-6F0Hamilton0.110$500 to $5,000
July 6, 19666:30 PM GMT-6F2Hamilton0.1101$5,000 to $50,000
November 21, 19634:30 PM GMT-7F2Greeley25.7100$500 to $5,000
June 22, 19623:30 PM GMT-7F0Hamilton15.710
May 17, 19629:05 PM GMT-7F2Hamilton12.6250$5,000 to $50,000
June 2, 19614:45 PM GMT-7F0Hamilton0.110
May 27, 19565:00 PM GMT-7F1Hamilton30.810
May 26, 19542:30 PM GMT-7F2Hamilton0.5100$50,000 to $500,000
June 17, 19512:00 PM GMT-7F0Hamilton0.110$500 to $5,000

Nearby

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