Tornadoes · United States · Kansas

Tornadoes in Johnson County, Kansas

52 tornadoes have crossed Johnson County since 1950, 3 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 36th of the 105 counties in Kansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.5 years. They have killed 44 people and injured 224. 2 were rated F4 or EF4 and above, 1 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
52
Deaths
44
Injuries
224
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
F5, May 20, 1957

The deadliest in Johnson County

  1. F5 Ruskin Heights tornado, MissouriMay 20, 195744 killed, 207 injured

The strongest

  1. F5 Ruskin Heights tornado, MissouriMay 20, 1957F5, 69.4 mi (112 km)
  2. F4, Douglas, Leavenworth, Johnson and Wyandotte counties, KansasMay 22, 1952F4, 26.9 mi (43 km)
  3. F3, Douglas and Johnson counties, KansasMay 4, 1977F3, 31.6 mi (51 km)
  4. F3, Johnson County, KansasApril 19, 1966F3, 7.7 mi (12 km)
  5. F2, Anderson, Franklin, Miami and Johnson counties, KansasMay 27, 1955F2, 27.0 mi (43 km)
  6. F2, Johnson County, KansasMay 4, 1977F2, 7.8 mi (13 km)
  7. F2, Douglas and Johnson counties, KansasJuly 9, 1969F2, 7.0 mi (11 km)
  8. F2, Douglas and Johnson counties, KansasMay 31, 1980F2, 6.6 mi (11 km)
  9. F2, Johnson County, KansasMay 31, 1954F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  10. F2, Johnson County, KansasApril 30, 1972F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

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

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20263EF1
20243EF1
20221EF1
20211EF0
20181EF1
20171EF0
20152EF1
20122EF0
20113EF0
20084EF0
199512F1
19931F1
19901F0
19881F0
19822F0
19811F0
198011F2
197721F3
19731F0
19722F2
19711F1
196914F2
196614F3
19651F1
19645F1
19582F1
1957344209F5
19551F2
19542F2
195213F4

Every tornado that crossed Johnson County

52 tornadoes, newest first. The 3 at the top are this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and their ratings are marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 6, 202611:34 PM CSTEF0Johnson to MO7.950
April 27, 20265:38 AM CDTEF0Johnson0.10
April 27, 20265:45 AM CDTEF1Johnson0.10
May 19, 202410:39 PM CDTEF1Johnson2.6150
May 19, 202410:31 PM CDTEF1Johnson1.6105
May 19, 202410:19 PM CDTEF1Johnson0.975
June 8, 20221:10 AM CDTEF1Johnson to MO14.4125
March 15, 20214:30 PM CDTEF0Johnson1.450$100,000
May 2, 20189:09 PM CDTEF1Johnson4.725
March 6, 20177:51 PM CSTEF0Johnson0.3100
July 6, 20155:30 PM CDTEF0Johnson0.230
July 6, 20155:12 PM CDTEF1Douglas8.3250
May 6, 20126:22 PM CDTEF0Johnson0.125
May 6, 20126:10 PM CDTEF0Johnson0.125
May 25, 201111:38 AM CDTEF0Johnson0.140
May 25, 201111:22 AM CDTEF0Johnson0.140
May 25, 201111:10 AM CDTEF0Johnson0.760$10,000
September 12, 20085:53 PM CDTEF0Johnson0.125
September 12, 20085:25 PM CDTEF0Johnson0.125$8,000
September 12, 20085:13 PM CDTEF0Johnson0.125
September 12, 20085:10 PM CDTEF0Johnson0.025
May 16, 19959:50 PM CDTF1Johnson1.0602$5,000 to $50,000
March 30, 19936:18 PM CSTF1Johnson1.313$50,000 to $500,000
June 8, 19908:10 PM CDTF0Johnson0.110
March 24, 19882:37 PM CSTF0Johnson0.123$500 to $5,000
May 25, 19824:30 PM CDTF0Johnson0.110
May 15, 198211:25 PM CDTF0Johnson0.110under $50
June 20, 19816:58 PM CDTF0Johnson0.217
May 31, 19805:35 PM CDTF2Douglas6.6101$50,000 to $500,000
May 4, 19778:00 PM CDTF2Johnson7.870$50,000 to $500,000
May 4, 19777:05 PM CDTF3Douglas31.63001$500,000 to $5 million
March 13, 19736:20 PM CSTF0Johnson4.633$5,000 to $50,000
August 22, 19721:15 AM CDTF1Johnson0.117$5,000 to $50,000
April 30, 197211:16 PM CDTF2Johnson0.1233$50,000 to $500,000
May 31, 19718:00 PM CDTF1Johnson0.9100$500 to $5,000
July 9, 19695:50 PM GMT-5F2Douglas7.0104$50,000 to $500,000
April 19, 19663:25 PM GMT-6F3Johnson7.71504$500,000 to $5 million
July 9, 19654:00 PM GMT-5F1Johnson0.110$50,000 to $500,000
April 26, 19648:50 PM GMT-5F0Johnson0.110
April 26, 19648:40 PM GMT-5F0Johnson0.110
April 26, 19648:30 PM GMT-5F0Johnson0.110
April 22, 19647:15 PM GMT-6F1Johnson0.110$500 to $5,000
April 2, 19646:00 PM GMT-6F1Douglas7.110
July 11, 19583:00 AM GMT-5F1Johnson1.210
June 14, 19589:30 PM GMT-5F0Miami8.030
June 21, 195712:30 AM GMT-5F1Johnson9.04002$50,000 to $500,000
June 11, 19579:04 PM GMT-5F1Johnson0.2100$5,000 to $50,000
May 20, 19577:15 PM GMT-5F5Ruskin Heights tornado69.444044207$500,000 to $5 million
May 27, 19557:30 PM GMT-5F2Anderson27.010
June 30, 19547:30 PM GMT-5F0Johnson1.010$500 to $5,000
May 31, 19545:10 PM GMT-5F2Johnson2.010$5,000 to $50,000
May 22, 19526:10 PM GMT-5F4Douglas26.94403$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

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