Tornadoes · United States · Kansas

Tornadoes in Harvey County, Kansas

51 tornadoes have crossed Harvey County since 1950, 41st of the 105 counties in Kansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.5 years. They have killed 2 people and injured 74. 2 were rated F4 or EF4 and above, 2 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
51
Deaths
2
Injuries
74
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
F5, March 13, 1990

The deadliest in Harvey County

The strongest

Every year with a tornado

The 28 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Harvey County. Each year links to every tornado in Kansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20241Unrated
20221Unrated
201521EF3
20091EF0
20061F0
20021F0
20011F0
19982F0
19972F1
19951F0
19911F1
19906260F5
19893F0
19881F0
19843F0
19751F0
197422F2
19701F2
19662F0
1965210F3
19643F1
196321F2
19621F3
19612F2
19602F1
19591F1
19561F2
19554F2

Every tornado that crossed Harvey County

51 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 30, 20244:30 PM CDTUnratedHarvey0.010
April 29, 20228:19 PM CDTUnratedHarvey0.250
August 28, 20156:40 PM CDTEF0Harvey0.140
May 6, 20154:49 PM CDTEF3Sedgwick16.53001$630,000
March 7, 20095:15 PM CSTEF0Harvey0.575
January 28, 20063:17 PM CSTF0Harvey4.050$100,000
April 11, 20026:00 PM CDTF0Harvey0.5110
June 5, 20017:39 PM CDTF0Harvey1.5220$50,000
June 8, 19985:17 PM CDTF0Harvey0.260
June 8, 19984:44 PM CDTF0Harvey2.0110$150,000
May 25, 19978:23 PM CDTF1Harvey1.0100$70,000
May 25, 19977:36 PM CDTF0Harvey1.050
May 22, 19957:05 PM CDTF0Harvey0.120
April 26, 19916:10 PM CDTF1Sedgwick16.050$5,000 to $50,000
May 15, 19909:35 PM CDTF1Harvey20.050$500 to $5,000
May 15, 19909:00 PM CDTF0Harvey2.027
April 9, 19907:12 PM CDTF0Harvey20.0210$5,000 to $50,000
March 13, 19906:55 PM CSTF3McPherson18.0200$50,000 to $500,000
March 13, 19905:30 PM CSTF5Goessel tornado22.01,3201$5 million to $50 million
March 13, 19904:34 PM CSTF5Hesston tornado48.01,320160$5 million to $50 million
October 27, 19897:40 PM CDTF0Harvey0.110
October 27, 19897:30 PM CDTF0Harvey0.110
October 27, 19897:28 PM CDTF0Harvey0.110
May 31, 19883:20 PM CDTF0Harvey0.120
October 31, 19848:40 PM CSTF0Harvey0.110
June 3, 19848:45 PM CDTF0Harvey0.520$500 to $5,000
April 26, 19847:45 PM CSTF0Harvey0.110$50 to $500
November 29, 19753:00 PM CSTF0Harvey0.110$50,000 to $500,000
May 13, 19748:00 PM CDTF2Reno51.71002
April 20, 19741:05 AM CDTF0Kingman41.333under $50
March 2, 197010:58 PM CSTF2Harvey25.5360$500,000 to $5 million
May 20, 19666:45 PM GMT-5F0Harvey0.110
May 20, 19666:45 PM GMT-5F0Harvey0.110
May 13, 196511:52 PM GMT-5F0Harvey0.110
May 13, 19659:50 PM GMT-5F3Sumner62.510010$50,000 to $500,000
May 23, 19646:30 PM GMT-5F0Harvey0.110
April 23, 19645:30 PM GMT-6F0Harvey0.110
April 22, 19645:30 PM GMT-6F1Harvey0.110$500 to $5,000
July 12, 19639:25 PM GMT-5F2Harvey0.1101under $50
May 26, 19633:55 PM GMT-5F0Harvey0.110
May 24, 19627:30 PM GMT-5F3Harvey18.810$50,000 to $500,000
July 13, 19613:45 PM GMT-5F2Harvey0.110$50 to $500
March 26, 19617:45 PM GMT-6F0Harvey0.110
May 25, 19604:00 AM GMT-5F1Harvey0.110under $50
March 31, 19607:15 PM GMT-6F1Harvey0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 10, 19593:20 PM GMT-5F1Harvey2.510$500 to $5,000
July 21, 19566:16 PM GMT-5F2Harvey0.110
May 27, 195510:15 PM GMT-5F0Harvey0.110
May 27, 195510:15 PM GMT-5F0Harvey0.110
May 27, 195510:15 PM GMT-5F1Harvey0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 27, 19556:30 PM GMT-5F2Harvey2.010$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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