Tornadoes · United States · Kansas

Tornadoes in Mitchell County, Kansas

52 tornadoes have crossed Mitchell County since 1950, 35th of the 105 counties in Kansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.5 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 12. 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
52
Deaths
1
Injuries
12
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, June 15, 1992

The deadliest in Mitchell County

  1. F2, Mitchell and Cloud counties, KansasJune 9, 19671 killed, 10 injured

The strongest

  1. F4, Mitchell County, KansasJune 15, 1992F4, 3.0 mi (5 km)
  2. F3, Osborne, Mitchell and Cloud counties, KansasMarch 2, 1951F3, 38.1 mi (61 km)
  3. F3, Russell, Lincoln and Mitchell counties, KansasOctober 29, 1956F3, 28.7 mi (46 km)
  4. EF3, Mitchell and Jewell counties, KansasMay 29, 2008EF3, 18.9 mi (30 km)
  5. F3, Mitchell County, KansasJune 15, 1992F3, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  6. F2, Mitchell and Cloud counties, KansasJune 9, 1967F2, 42.5 mi (68 km)
  7. EF2, Russell, Osborne and Mitchell counties, KansasMay 28, 2019EF2, 24.4 mi (39 km)
  8. EF2, Mitchell and Cloud counties, KansasApril 24, 2008EF2, 14.1 mi (23 km)
  9. F2, Mitchell County, KansasMay 8, 1950F2, 12.6 mi (20 km)
  10. F2, Mitchell County, KansasMay 13, 1968F2, 4.7 mi (8 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 29 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Mitchell County. Each year links to every tornado in Kansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20231Unrated
20192EF2
20181EF0
20151EF0
20121EF1
20084EF3
20063F0
20051F1
20042F0
20011F0
19991F0
19941F1
19931F0
199212F4
19902F0
19821F1
19751F0
19741F0
19711F1
19681F2
19671110F2
19642F2
19601F2
19571F0
195632F3
19551F1
19531F1
19512F3
19501F2

Every tornado that crossed Mitchell County

52 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
October 12, 20233:39 PM CDTUnratedMitchell0.020
May 28, 20195:20 PM CDTEF2Russell24.4880$150,000
May 27, 20191:13 AM CDTEF0Mitchell0.025$25,000
May 1, 20186:09 PM CDTEF0Mitchell0.025
June 3, 201510:28 PM CDTEF0Mitchell0.325$25,000
April 14, 20122:03 PM CDTEF1Mitchell4.0300$100,000
May 29, 20088:58 PM CDTEF0Mitchell9.8200$7,000
May 29, 20088:40 PM CDTEF3Mitchell18.92,000$5.5 million
May 29, 20088:16 PM CDTEF1Osborne16.0400$15,000
April 24, 200812:23 AM CDTEF2Mitchell14.11,050$750,000
September 21, 20064:03 PM CDTF0Mitchell6.050
September 21, 20063:36 PM CDTF0Mitchell6.0100
September 21, 20063:13 PM CDTF0Lincoln17.0300$30,000
June 29, 200511:15 PM CDTF1Mitchell1.060$100,000
July 7, 20043:30 PM CDTF0Mitchell0.525
May 29, 20044:43 PM CDTF0Mitchell0.150
May 8, 20017:15 PM CDTF0Mitchell2.080
May 4, 19992:45 PM CDTF0Lincoln6.00
July 1, 19949:39 PM CDTF1Osborne12.073$50,000 to $500,000
May 7, 19936:53 PM CDTF0Lincoln13.0440$5,000 to $50,000
June 15, 19928:35 PM CDTF1Mitchell2.073$50,000 to $500,000
June 15, 19928:05 PM CDTF1Mitchell1.350$50,000 to $500,000
June 15, 19927:55 PM CDTF1Mitchell1.550$50,000 to $500,000
June 15, 19927:45 PM CDTF3Mitchell2.0100$50,000 to $500,000
June 15, 19927:40 PM CDTF1Mitchell2.050$50,000 to $500,000
June 15, 19927:38 PM CDTF2Mitchell2.073
June 15, 19927:35 PM CDTF2Mitchell2.050$50,000 to $500,000
June 15, 19927:30 PM CDTF4Mitchell3.0100$50,000 to $500,000
June 15, 19927:10 PM CDTF2Mitchell4.0100$50,000 to $500,000
June 15, 19927:07 PM CDTF1Mitchell1.573$50,000 to $500,000
June 15, 19927:02 PM CDTF2Mitchell3.0100$50,000 to $500,000
June 15, 19926:56 PM CDTF2Mitchell3.5100$50,000 to $500,000
June 15, 19908:30 PM CDTF0Mitchell0.110
June 15, 19908:05 PM CDTF0Mitchell0.110
April 14, 198210:09 PM CSTF1Mitchell0.217$5,000 to $50,000
April 27, 19756:30 PM CDTF0Mitchell0.5300$500 to $5,000
May 17, 19748:30 PM CDTF0Mitchell3.320$500 to $5,000
May 30, 19717:30 PM CDTF1Mitchell1.530$500 to $5,000
May 13, 19688:20 PM GMT-5F2Mitchell4.720$500 to $5,000
June 9, 19676:35 PM GMT-5F2Mitchell42.51,320110$500,000 to $5 million
August 27, 19644:25 PM GMT-5F1Mitchell23.517$5,000 to $50,000
June 12, 196412:34 AM GMT-5F2Mitchell4.1200$5,000 to $50,000
May 24, 196012:45 AM GMT-5F2Mitchell0.110$50 to $500
May 20, 19572:25 PM GMT-5F0Mitchell0.110
October 29, 19569:00 PM GMT-6F3Russell28.72002$50,000 to $500,000
May 10, 19568:00 PM GMT-5F0Mitchell0.110
April 2, 19567:30 PM GMT-6F0Mitchell3.410
June 2, 195510:30 PM GMT-5F1Mitchell19.810$500 to $5,000
June 19, 19535:45 PM GMT-5F1Mitchell6.6440$5,000 to $50,000
June 21, 19512:00 AM GMT-5F1Osborne22.210
March 2, 19514:00 PM GMT-6F3Osborne38.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 8, 19507:30 PM GMT-5F2Mitchell12.6660$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

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