Tornadoes · United States · Kansas

Tornadoes in Kiowa County, Kansas

65 tornadoes have crossed Kiowa County since 1950, 16th of the 105 counties in Kansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.2 years. They have killed 12 people and injured 130. 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
65
Deaths
12
Injuries
130
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
EF5, May 4, 2007

The deadliest in Kiowa County

  1. EF5 Greensburg tornado, KansasMay 4, 200711 killed, 63 injured
  2. EF3, Kiowa, Pratt, Edwards and Stafford counties, KansasMay 4, 20071 killed, 2 injured

The strongest

  1. EF5 Greensburg tornado, KansasMay 4, 2007EF5, 25.8 mi (42 km)
  2. F4, Ottawa, Cherokee, Jasper and Kiowa counties, Oklahoma and Kansas and MissouriApril 3, 1956F4, 41.8 mi (67 km)
  3. F3, Comanche, Kiowa and Pratt counties, KansasSeptember 25, 1973F3, 58.0 mi (93 km)
  4. EF3, Kiowa, Edwards and Stafford counties, KansasApril 14, 2012EF3, 48.0 mi (77 km)
  5. EF3, Kiowa and Edwards counties, KansasMay 4, 2007EF3, 23.5 mi (38 km)
  6. EF3, Clark and Kiowa counties, KansasMay 23, 2008EF3, 20.9 mi (34 km)
  7. EF3, Kiowa, Pratt, Edwards and Stafford counties, KansasMay 4, 2007EF3, 18.2 mi (29 km)
  8. EF3, Kiowa and Edwards counties, KansasMay 18, 2025EF3, 15.8 mi (25 km)
  9. EF3, Kiowa County, KansasMay 18, 2025EF3, 10.4 mi (17 km)
  10. F3, Kiowa County, KansasMay 7, 2002F3, 10.0 mi (16 km)

Every year with a tornado

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

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20253EF3
20212EF1
20162EF0
20132EF1
20124EF3
20092EF0
200810EF3
2007141266EF5
20061F0
20031F0
200251F3
20011F0
20001F1
19961F0
19941F0
19932F0
19921F1
198613F1
19811F0
19752F1
19731F3
19651F1
19621F2
19601F0
195811F1
1956259F4
19541F1

Every tornado that crossed Kiowa County

65 tornadoes, newest first. 1 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files it under that state rather than Kansas.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 18, 202510:14 PM CDTEF1Kiowa2.850
May 18, 202510:04 PM CDTEF3Kiowa15.8500
May 18, 20259:44 PM CDTEF3Kiowa10.4500
October 12, 202111:49 PM CDTEF1Kiowa3.575
October 12, 202111:48 PM CDTUnratedKiowa4.675
December 25, 201610:51 AM CSTEF0Kiowa6.330
December 25, 201610:30 AM CSTEF0Kiowa3.230
June 4, 201312:48 AM CDTEF0Kiowa2.075
June 4, 201312:32 AM CDTEF1Kiowa1.050$18,000
April 30, 20127:12 PM CDTEF0Kiowa0.675
April 30, 20126:39 PM CDTEF0Kiowa0.750
April 14, 20128:40 PM CDTEF1Kiowa4.975
April 14, 20128:27 PM CDTEF3Kiowa48.01,720
June 20, 20095:44 PM CDTEF0Kiowa1.050
June 9, 20096:53 PM CDTEF0Kiowa0.650
May 26, 20086:04 PM CDTEF0Kiowa0.325
May 23, 200810:11 PM CDTEF0Kiowa3.6125
May 23, 20089:52 PM CDTEF2Comanche13.51,600
May 23, 20089:08 PM CDTEF0Kiowa6.4125
May 23, 20088:56 PM CDTEF0Kiowa1.050
May 23, 20088:35 PM CDTEF0Kiowa1.675
May 23, 20088:34 PM CDTEF0Kiowa0.520
May 23, 20088:17 PM CDTEF0Kiowa1.2175
May 23, 20088:11 PM CDTEF0Kiowa1.275
May 23, 20087:25 PM CDTEF3Clark20.93,170
May 5, 20078:37 PM CDTEF1Kiowa1.650
May 5, 20077:26 PM CDTEF0Kiowa1.350
May 5, 20077:22 PM CDTEF2Kiowa26.9880
May 5, 20077:02 PM CDTEF0Kiowa7.875
May 4, 200710:39 PM CDTEF3Kiowa18.22,11012
May 4, 200710:03 PM CDTEF3Kiowa23.53,8721$1.5 million
May 4, 20079:55 PM CDTEF0Kiowa0.530
May 4, 20079:55 PM CDTEF1Kiowa4.6100
May 4, 20079:25 PM CDTEF0Kiowa0.730
May 4, 20079:24 PM CDTEF0Kiowa1.575
May 4, 20079:18 PM CDTEF0Kiowa0.125
May 4, 20079:18 PM CDTEF0Kiowa0.530
May 4, 20079:08 PM CDTEF1Kiowa1.350
May 4, 20079:03 PM CDTEF5Greensburg tornado25.83,0001163$250 million
September 15, 200610:54 PM CDTF0Kiowa0.320
April 23, 20034:13 PM CDTF0Kiowa1.0100
May 11, 20025:56 PM CDTF0Kiowa0.350
May 7, 20027:25 PM CDTF2Kiowa19.6900$500,000
May 7, 20026:51 PM CDTF3Kiowa10.06001$800,000
May 7, 20026:50 PM CDTF1Edwards5.5200
May 7, 20026:40 PM CDTF1Ford1.775
June 7, 200112:47 PM CDTF0Kiowa0.130
March 23, 20004:02 PM CSTF1Kiowa13.0100
June 11, 19967:28 PM CDTF0Kiowa2.550
April 9, 19946:25 PM CDTF0Kiowa0.123
May 7, 19935:59 PM CDTF0Kiowa5.020
May 7, 19935:42 PM CDTF0Kiowa7.020
March 8, 19929:08 PM CSTF1Kiowa16.010$5,000 to $50,000
August 1, 19866:15 PM CDTF1Kiowa7.02503$5,000 to $50,000
June 3, 198112:30 PM CDTF0Kiowa0.517
June 16, 19759:30 PM CDTF0Kiowa0.110
May 2, 19757:01 PM CDTF1Kiowa0.110$500 to $5,000
September 25, 19737:35 PM CDTF3Comanche58.080$50,000 to $500,000
May 13, 19659:20 PM GMT-5F1Kiowa0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 20, 19624:35 PM GMT-5F2Kiowa25.310$5,000 to $50,000
August 20, 19605:20 PM GMT-5F0Kiowa0.110under $50
June 6, 19585:30 PM GMT-5F1Kiowa7.3101$500 to $5,000
October 29, 19569:00 PM GMT-6F1Kiowa0.110
April 3, 195612:10 AM GMT-6F4Ottawa to KS, MO41.840059$500,000 to $5 million
August 5, 19546:15 PM GMT-5F1Kiowa73.010

Nearby

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