Tornadoes · United States · Kansas

Tornadoes in Montgomery County, Kansas

38 tornadoes have crossed Montgomery County since 1950, 2 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 76th of the 105 counties in Kansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.0 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 3. None was rated F4 or 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
38
Deaths
1
Injuries
3
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, March 15, 1982

The deadliest in Montgomery County

  1. F3, Montgomery County, KansasMarch 15, 19821 killed, 1 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Montgomery, Labette, Neosho and Crawford counties, KansasApril 19, 2000F3, 34.0 mi (55 km)
  2. F3, Montgomery County, KansasMarch 15, 1982F3, 6.0 mi (10 km)
  3. F2, Montgomery, Chautauqua, Wilson and Neosho counties, KansasMay 16, 1957F2, 39.3 mi (63 km)
  4. F2, Montgomery County, KansasMarch 30, 2006F2, 16.0 mi (26 km)
  5. F2, Montgomery County, KansasApril 26, 1991F2, 6.0 mi (10 km)
  6. F2, Montgomery County, KansasMay 1, 1954F2, 5.6 mi (9 km)
  7. EF2, Montgomery County, KansasApril 26, 2026EF2, 4.6 mi (7 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 21 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Montgomery County. Each year links to every tornado in Kansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
202621EF2
20241Unrated
20181EF0
20151EF0
20132EF0
200611F2
20052F0
20034F0
20004F3
19912F2
19902F1
19842F0
1982311F3
19812F1
19771F1
19651F1
19611F0
19591F1
19571F2
19551F0
19543F2

Every tornado that crossed Montgomery County

38 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 26, 20266:55 PM CDTEF1Montgomery5.030
April 26, 20267:09 PM CDTEF2Montgomery4.64001
April 27, 20247:45 PM CDTUnratedMontgomery0.020
August 14, 20185:38 PM CDTEF0Montgomery0.350
April 7, 201510:59 PM CDTEF0Montgomery0.050
May 31, 20134:18 PM CDTEF0Montgomery0.450
May 20, 20134:12 PM CDTEF0Montgomery0.550
March 30, 20064:06 PM CSTF2Montgomery16.01251$1.0 million
November 27, 20052:48 PM CSTF0Montgomery0.150
June 4, 20051:43 AM CDTF0Montgomery0.5110
May 8, 20038:28 PM CDTF0Montgomery0.550
May 8, 20038:13 PM CDTF0Montgomery2.075
April 19, 20036:42 PM CDTF0Montgomery1.0110
April 19, 20036:40 PM CDTF0Montgomery2.0110
June 4, 20006:15 PM CDTF0Montgomery1.0110$10,000
April 19, 20008:30 PM CDTF3Montgomery34.0290$71 million
April 19, 20008:05 PM CDTF0Montgomery0.150
April 19, 20007:57 PM CDTF0Montgomery0.250
April 26, 199110:20 PM CDTF0Montgomery1.050$5,000 to $50,000
April 26, 199110:45 AM CDTF2Montgomery6.0100$50,000 to $500,000
May 14, 199010:45 PM CDTF1Montgomery7.050$500 to $5,000
May 14, 199010:15 PM CDTF0Montgomery0.120
April 29, 198411:58 AM CDTF0Montgomery0.110$50 to $500
April 26, 19848:38 PM CSTF0Montgomery0.110$50 to $500
May 20, 19829:15 PM CDTF0Montgomery0.110$5,000 to $50,000
March 15, 19826:40 PM CSTF1Montgomery0.110$5,000 to $50,000
March 15, 19826:15 PM CSTF3Montgomery6.030011$500,000 to $5 million
May 23, 19816:40 PM CDTF1Montgomery0.550$5,000 to $50,000
May 23, 19816:25 PM CDTF0Montgomery0.550
May 17, 197712:15 PM CDTF1Montgomery3.3100$5,000 to $50,000
May 8, 19654:15 PM GMT-5F1Montgomery1.5300$500 to $5,000
May 7, 19619:15 PM GMT-5F0Montgomery0.110
May 9, 19596:00 PM GMT-5F1Montgomery7.8200
May 16, 19575:18 PM GMT-5F2Montgomery39.3200$50,000 to $500,000
May 11, 19553:20 PM GMT-5F0Montgomery0.110
May 1, 19547:30 PM GMT-5F2Montgomery5.633$5,000 to $50,000
April 29, 195412:00 AM GMT-5F0Montgomery0.850$500 to $5,000
March 24, 19549:30 PM GMT-6F1Montgomery2.0440$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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