Tornadoes · United States · Kansas

Tornadoes in Miami County, Kansas

25 tornadoes have crossed Miami County since 1950, 2 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 92nd of the 105 counties in Kansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 3.0 years. They have killed 44 people and injured 219. 1 was 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
25
Deaths
44
Injuries
219
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F5, May 20, 1957

The deadliest in Miami 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. F3, Miami and Cass counties, Kansas and MissouriApril 15, 1960F3, 8.4 mi (14 km)
  3. F3, Miami and Cass counties, Kansas and MissouriMay 15, 1968F3, 2.7 mi (4 km)
  4. F2, Anderson, Franklin, Miami and Johnson counties, KansasMay 27, 1955F2, 27.0 mi (43 km)
  5. F2, Linn, Miami, Bates and Cass counties, Kansas and MissouriApril 4, 1969F2, 18.7 mi (30 km)
  6. F2, Miami County, KansasMay 4, 1977F2, 11.9 mi (19 km)
  7. F2, Miami County, KansasMay 11, 1978F2, 11.5 mi (19 km)
  8. EF2, Miami County, KansasApril 13, 2026EF2, 3.0 mi (5 km)
  9. F2, Miami County, KansasApril 20, 1964F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)
  10. F2, Miami, Douglas and Franklin counties, KansasMarch 24, 1954F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 19 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Miami County. Each year links to every tornado in Kansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
202621EF2
20222EF0
20191EF0
201511EF1
20111EF0
20032F1
199515F1
198411F1
19822F0
197811F2
19771F2
196911F2
19681F3
19643F2
196012F3
19581F0
1957144207F5
19551F2
19541F2

Every tornado that crossed Miami County

25 tornadoes, newest first. The 2 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
April 13, 20268:18 PM CDTEF2Miami3.02501
April 26, 20264:20 PM CDTEF1Miami2.050
June 8, 20221:24 AM CDTEF0Miami9.675
June 8, 20221:21 AM CDTEF0Miami9.775
April 29, 20194:10 AM CDTEF0Miami2.115$50,000
September 18, 20157:09 PM CDTEF1Miami9.31001
May 25, 201110:45 AM CDTEF0Miami0.140$5,000
May 4, 20035:06 PM CDTF1Miami to MO9.0150
April 24, 20033:13 PM CDTF0Miami0.250
May 16, 199512:45 AM CDTF1Miami8.0735$50,000 to $500,000
February 11, 19846:05 PM CSTF1Miami2.0201$5,000 to $50,000
May 15, 198212:06 AM CDTF0Miami0.110under $50
May 15, 198211:28 PM CDTF0Miami0.110under $50
May 11, 19786:00 PM CDTF2Miami11.51001$500,000 to $5 million
May 4, 197712:30 PM CDTF2Miami11.950$50,000 to $500,000
April 4, 19693:00 PM GMT-6F2Linn to MO18.72001$50,000 to $500,000
May 15, 19683:45 PM GMT-5F3Miami to MO2.750$5,000 to $50,000
April 22, 19647:15 PM GMT-6F1Miami0.110$500 to $5,000
April 22, 19647:00 PM GMT-6F0Miami0.110
April 20, 19649:40 PM GMT-6F2Miami0.110$500 to $5,000
April 15, 19606:00 PM GMT-6F3Miami to MO8.45002
June 14, 19589:30 PM GMT-5F0Miami8.030
May 20, 19577:15 PM GMT-5F5Ruskin Heights tornado69.444044207$500,000 to $5 million
May 27, 19557:30 PM GMT-5F2Anderson27.010
March 24, 19548:30 PM GMT-6F2Miami0.110$500 to $5,000

Nearby

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