Tornadoes · United States · Kansas

Tornadoes in Leavenworth County, Kansas

35 tornadoes have crossed Leavenworth County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 83rd of the 105 counties in Kansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.2 years. They have killed 2 people and injured 67. 4 were 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
35
Deaths
2
Injuries
67
F4 and above
4
Worst on record
F4, June 8, 1966

The deadliest in Leavenworth County

  1. F3, Leavenworth and Platte counties, Kansas and MissouriApril 12, 19641 killed, 22 injured
  2. F4, Leavenworth County, KansasJune 8, 19661 killed, 2 injured

The strongest

  1. EF4 Lawrence–Linwood tornado, KansasMay 28, 2019EF4, 29.1 mi (47 km)
  2. F4, Douglas, Leavenworth, Johnson and Wyandotte counties, KansasMay 22, 1952F4, 26.9 mi (43 km)
  3. F4, Leavenworth, Wyandotte, Platte and Clay counties, Kansas and MissouriMay 7, 1961F4, 26.2 mi (42 km)
  4. F4, Leavenworth County, KansasJune 8, 1966F4, 19.9 mi (32 km)
  5. F3, Douglas and Leavenworth counties, KansasApril 12, 1964F3, 33.8 mi (54 km)
  6. F3, Leavenworth, Platte and Buchanan counties, Kansas and MissouriApril 10, 1965F3, 23.2 mi (37 km)
  7. F3, Leavenworth and Platte counties, Kansas and MissouriApril 12, 1964F3, 14.0 mi (23 km)
  8. F3, Jefferson and Leavenworth counties, KansasMay 19, 1960F3, 13.3 mi (21 km)
  9. F2, Osage, Douglas and Leavenworth counties, KansasMay 26, 1955F2, 66.2 mi (107 km)
  10. F2, Leavenworth, Platte, Buchanan, Clinton and DeKalb counties, Kansas and MissouriMay 18, 1971F2, 55.4 mi (89 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 24 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Leavenworth County. Each year links to every tornado in Kansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF1
20241EF1
201914EF4
20091EF1
20081EF0
20063F0
200322F2
20022F1
20001F1
19962F1
19932F1
198411F1
19811F0
197116F2
1966212F4
1965111F3
19642125F3
19621F2
1961212F4
196011F3
19582F2
19561F2
19551F2
195223F4

Every tornado that crossed Leavenworth County

35 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
April 27, 20263:31 AM CDTEF1Leavenworth2.150
May 19, 202410:26 PM CDTEF1Leavenworth1.5150
May 28, 20196:05 PM CDTEF4Lawrence–Linwood tornado29.11,7604$26 million
April 25, 20096:35 PM CDTEF1Leavenworth7.275$400,000
June 12, 20088:05 PM CDTEF0Leavenworth0.225
April 15, 20068:20 PM CDTF0Wyandotte4.075
April 15, 20068:05 PM CDTF0Leavenworth1.050
March 12, 20068:20 AM CSTF0Leavenworth1.050$10,000
May 4, 20033:55 PM CDTF2Leavenworth6.02502$4.0 million
May 4, 20033:54 PM CDTF1Leavenworth to MO3.050$1.9 million
May 8, 20026:48 PM CDTF1Leavenworth0.540$10,000
May 8, 20026:43 PM CDTF0Leavenworth0.140$1,000
May 11, 20009:27 PM CDTF1Jefferson24.0260$2.7 million
June 5, 19969:41 PM CDTF0Leavenworth0.750
June 5, 19969:41 PM CDTF1Leavenworth0.5100$250,000
May 6, 19938:26 PM CDTF0Leavenworth0.120$500 to $5,000
March 30, 19936:18 PM CSTF1Johnson1.313$50,000 to $500,000
October 31, 19847:40 PM CSTF1Leavenworth1.01001$50,000 to $500,000
May 23, 19814:15 PM CDTF0Leavenworth2.033$50 to $500
May 18, 19712:45 PM CDTF2Leavenworth to MO55.41006$5,000 to $50,000
June 8, 19669:00 PM GMT-5F4Leavenworth19.920012$50,000 to $500,000
June 8, 19668:15 PM GMT-5F2Leavenworth8.210$5,000 to $50,000
April 10, 19652:15 PM GMT-6F3Leavenworth to MO23.220011$50,000 to $500,000
April 12, 19644:00 PM GMT-6F3Leavenworth to MO14.0440122$500,000 to $5 million
April 12, 19643:26 PM GMT-6F3Douglas33.88803$500,000 to $5 million
May 27, 19624:45 PM GMT-5F2Leavenworth0.110$500 to $5,000
May 7, 19614:15 PM GMT-5F4Leavenworth to MO26.25012$500,000 to $5 million
May 7, 19614:00 PM GMT-5F0Leavenworth0.110
May 19, 19608:30 PM GMT-5F3Jefferson13.3101
November 17, 195811:15 AM GMT-6F0Leavenworth0.110
November 17, 195810:20 AM GMT-6F2Leavenworth0.110$500 to $5,000
June 18, 19567:20 AM GMT-5F2Leavenworth0.827$500 to $5,000
May 26, 19551:27 AM GMT-5F2Osage66.210$50,000 to $500,000
June 21, 19528:00 PM GMT-5F2Leavenworth24.910$5,000 to $50,000
May 22, 19526:10 PM GMT-5F4Douglas26.94403$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

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