Tornadoes · United States · Kansas

Tornadoes in Jackson County, Kansas

38 tornadoes have crossed Jackson County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 77th of the 105 counties in Kansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.0 years. They have killed 5 people and injured 23. 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
38
Deaths
5
Injuries
23
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, August 6, 1962

The deadliest in Jackson County

  1. F3, Pottawatomie and Jackson counties, KansasMay 31, 19783 killed, 1 injured
  2. EF2, Pottawatomie, Jackson and Nemaha counties, KansasJune 11, 20082 killed

The strongest

  1. F4, Jackson County, KansasAugust 6, 1962F4, 11.0 mi (18 km)
  2. F3, Shawnee, Jefferson, Jackson and Atchison counties, KansasJune 11, 1967F3, 43.9 mi (71 km)
  3. F3, Pottawatomie and Jackson counties, KansasMay 31, 1978F3, 37.0 mi (60 km)
  4. F3, Brown and Jackson counties, KansasMay 5, 1950F3, 17.3 mi (28 km)
  5. F2, Pottawatomie, Jackson and Atchison counties, KansasOctober 18, 1979F2, 54.1 mi (87 km)
  6. F2, Wabaunsee, Shawnee and Jackson counties, KansasApril 26, 1991F2, 44.0 mi (71 km)
  7. F2, Jackson County, KansasMay 4, 1959F2, 24.9 mi (40 km)
  8. EF2, Pottawatomie, Jackson and Nemaha counties, KansasJune 11, 2008EF2, 17.3 mi (28 km)
  9. EF2, Jackson County, KansasMay 21, 2019EF2, 17.1 mi (28 km)
  10. F2, Jackson County, KansasApril 26, 1984F2, 10.0 mi (16 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 30 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Jackson County. Each year links to every tornado in Kansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF1
20233EF1
20221EF1
20192EF2
20151EF0
20101EF0
200812EF2
20061F0
19991F0
19982F1
19971F1
19951F0
19933F1
19921F0
19911F2
198911F0
198411F2
19821F2
197915F2
1978131F3
19731F0
19672F3
196223F4
19611F2
19591F2
19581F0
19541F1
19531F2
19511F0
1950112F3

Every tornado that crossed Jackson County

38 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
May 18, 20267:16 PM CDTEF1Jackson8.275
May 12, 20237:49 PM CDTUnratedJackson0.010
May 12, 20237:38 PM CDTUnratedJackson0.010
May 12, 20237:11 PM CDTEF1Jackson3.650
April 29, 20228:37 PM CDTEF1Jackson3.340
May 21, 20196:38 PM CDTEF2Jackson17.175
May 21, 20196:10 PM CDTEF0Shawnee12.650
May 15, 20156:22 PM CDTEF0Jackson0.120
July 4, 20104:46 PM CDTEF0Jackson2.175$25,000
June 11, 200811:46 PM CDTEF2Pottawatomie17.33002
April 15, 20066:20 PM CDTF0Jackson11.0100$70,000
May 4, 19997:37 PM CDTF0Jackson0.230
June 29, 19986:34 PM CDTF1Jackson1.030$70,000
June 20, 19987:40 PM CDTF0Jackson0.130
October 8, 19977:18 PM CDTF1Atchison12.0100$150,000
July 4, 19954:05 PM CDTF0Jackson0.550
September 21, 19932:35 PM CDTF0Jackson0.223
September 21, 19931:50 PM CDTF0Jackson0.530$500 to $5,000
May 6, 19936:00 PM CDTF1Jackson5.0250$50,000 to $500,000
September 5, 19927:25 PM CDTF0Jackson3.013$500 to $5,000
April 26, 19914:35 PM CDTF2Wabaunsee44.0200$50,000 to $500,000
September 8, 19898:10 PM CDTF0Jackson1.03501$5,000 to $50,000
April 26, 19849:45 PM CSTF2Jackson10.04001$500,000 to $5 million
June 8, 19828:15 PM CDTF2Jackson10.0200$50,000 to $500,000
October 18, 19795:52 PM CDTF2Pottawatomie54.12005$50,000 to $500,000
May 31, 19784:30 PM CDTF3Pottawatomie37.01,30031$50,000 to $500,000
May 6, 19735:30 PM CDTF0Jackson0.2133$50 to $500
June 11, 19677:00 PM GMT-5F3Shawnee43.910$50,000 to $500,000
June 11, 19676:25 PM GMT-5F1Wabaunsee24.710$50,000 to $500,000
August 6, 19626:40 PM GMT-5F4Jackson11.06673$50,000 to $500,000
August 6, 19626:40 PM GMT-5F1Jackson0.110$50,000 to $500,000
October 12, 19615:10 PM GMT-5F2Jackson1.010$500 to $5,000
May 4, 19599:30 PM GMT-5F2Jackson24.91,760$50,000 to $500,000
April 4, 19585:30 PM GMT-6F0Jackson1.010under $50
April 5, 19547:30 PM GMT-6F1Jackson3.3100$5,000 to $50,000
June 19, 19534:00 PM GMT-5F2Jackson0.110
May 30, 195111:50 PM GMT-5F0Jackson0.110$500 to $5,000
May 5, 19504:30 AM GMT-5F3Brown17.344012$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

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