Tornadoes · United States · Kansas

Tornadoes in Jefferson County, Kansas

41 tornadoes have crossed Jefferson County since 1950, 69th of the 105 counties in Kansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.9 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 109. 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
41
Deaths
1
Injuries
109
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, May 19, 1960

The deadliest in Jefferson County

  1. F4, Shawnee and Jefferson counties, KansasMay 19, 19601 killed, 92 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Shawnee and Jefferson counties, KansasMay 19, 1960F4, 27.5 mi (44 km)
  2. F3, Shawnee, Jefferson, Jackson and Atchison counties, KansasJune 11, 1967F3, 43.9 mi (71 km)
  3. F3, Atchison, Jefferson and Doniphan counties, KansasApril 26, 1984F3, 32.0 mi (51 km)
  4. F3, Jefferson and Leavenworth counties, KansasMay 19, 1960F3, 13.3 mi (21 km)
  5. F3, Jefferson County, KansasMay 19, 1960F3, 11.5 mi (19 km)
  6. F3, Shawnee and Jefferson counties, KansasMay 11, 1966F3, 9.9 mi (16 km)
  7. F2, Jefferson and Atchison counties, KansasApril 26, 1991F2, 25.0 mi (40 km)
  8. F2, Jefferson County, KansasMay 31, 1951F2, 3.0 mi (5 km)
  9. F2, Jefferson County, KansasAugust 6, 1962F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)
  10. F2, Jefferson County, KansasAugust 6, 1962F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 26 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Jefferson County. Each year links to every tornado in Kansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20241EF1
20221EF1
20181EF0
20111EF0
20051F0
20031F0
20024F1
20003F1
19981F0
19961F1
19921F0
199126F2
19901F1
19881F0
198419F3
19822F0
19691F0
19671F3
19661F3
19631F1
19624F2
19613F1
19603194F4
19581F1
19541F1
19512F2

Every tornado that crossed Jefferson County

41 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 30, 20246:57 PM CDTEF1Jefferson2.175
March 29, 20227:56 PM CDTEF1Jefferson9.910
June 30, 201811:11 PM CDTEF0Jefferson0.240
May 21, 20117:20 PM CDTEF0Jefferson1.950
June 8, 20055:28 PM CDTF0Jefferson0.540$1,000
May 8, 20037:24 PM CDTF0Jefferson0.180
May 8, 20026:36 PM CDTF1Jefferson0.2100$30,000
May 8, 20026:34 PM CDTF0Jefferson0.150$10,000
May 8, 20026:30 PM CDTF1Jefferson0.2100$50,000
May 8, 20026:26 PM CDTF1Jefferson0.2100$10,000
July 17, 20004:47 PM CDTF0Jefferson0.150
May 11, 20009:27 PM CDTF1Jefferson24.0260$2.7 million
May 11, 20008:53 PM CDTF0Jefferson1.040$1,000
June 29, 19987:36 PM CDTF0Jefferson0.130
June 5, 199610:05 PM CDTF1Jefferson1.0100$600,000
September 7, 19922:40 PM CDTF0Jefferson0.113
April 26, 19919:25 PM CDTF2Jefferson25.0272$500,000 to $5 million
April 26, 19918:54 PM CDTF1Shawnee11.0204$5,000 to $50,000
March 13, 199012:10 AM CSTF1Jefferson3.0100$50,000 to $500,000
November 15, 19882:30 PM CSTF0Jefferson0.120$50 to $500
April 26, 198410:02 PM CSTF3Atchison32.01,2009$5 million to $50 million
June 8, 198210:25 PM CDTF0Jefferson0.110under $50
June 8, 198210:06 PM CDTF0Jefferson0.110under $50
May 7, 19692:00 PM GMT-5F0Jefferson0.220
June 11, 19677:00 PM GMT-5F3Shawnee43.910$50,000 to $500,000
May 11, 19663:15 PM GMT-5F3Shawnee9.9660$5,000 to $50,000
September 4, 19634:00 AM GMT-5F1Jefferson0.110$50 to $500
August 6, 19627:40 PM GMT-5F2Jefferson0.110$50 to $500
August 6, 19627:40 PM GMT-5F2Jefferson0.110$50 to $500
August 6, 19627:40 PM GMT-5F1Jefferson0.110$50 to $500
May 28, 19626:20 PM GMT-5F1Jefferson0.110$500,000 to $5 million
October 12, 19619:06 PM GMT-5F1Jefferson0.110
October 12, 19616:30 PM GMT-5F1Jefferson4.510$5,000 to $50,000
October 12, 19615:45 PM GMT-5F0Jefferson3.310$50 to $500
May 19, 19608:30 PM GMT-5F3Jefferson13.3101
May 19, 19607:04 PM GMT-5F3Jefferson11.5101
May 19, 19606:47 PM GMT-5F4Shawnee27.5880192$500,000 to $5 million
July 11, 19582:20 AM GMT-5F1Jefferson0.110
March 18, 19541:30 PM GMT-6F1Jefferson0.1100
May 31, 195112:45 AM GMT-5F2Jefferson3.0440$500 to $5,000
May 9, 19518:00 AM GMT-5F1Jefferson2.310$50 to $500

Nearby

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