Tornadoes · United States · Kansas

Tornadoes in Morris County, Kansas

39 tornadoes have crossed Morris County since 1950, 2 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 73rd of the 105 counties in Kansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.9 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 7. 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
39
Deaths
0
Injuries
7
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, June 6, 1971

The strongest

  1. F3, Chase, Morris, Lyon and Wabaunsee counties, KansasMay 10, 1953F3, 52.2 mi (84 km)
  2. F3, Morris County, KansasJune 6, 1971F3, 2.0 mi (3 km)
  3. F2, Morris, Wabaunsee and Shawnee counties, KansasMarch 7, 1974F2, 108.4 mi (174 km)
  4. F2, Marion, Morris, Geary and Wabaunsee counties, KansasMarch 13, 1990F2, 55.0 mi (88 km)
  5. F2, Morris County, KansasJune 17, 1969F2, 6.2 mi (10 km)
  6. EF2, Chase and Morris counties, KansasApril 19, 2023EF2, 5.2 mi (8 km)
  7. F2, Morris County, KansasJune 7, 1995F2, 0.5 mi (1 km)

Every year with a tornado

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

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20262EF1
20231EF2
20221EF1
20201Unrated
20171EF0
20161EF1
20151EF0
20122EF1
20111EF0
20071EF0
20054F1
19992F1
19972F0
199511F2
19921F0
19911F0
19901F2
19871F0
19861F1
19841F0
19741F2
19712F3
196916F2
19644F1
19591F0
19581F0
19532F3

Every tornado that crossed Morris County

39 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 23, 20266:26 PM CDTEF1Morris0.930
May 18, 20267:44 PM CDTEF1Morris15.150
April 19, 20238:55 PM CDTEF2Chase5.2300
April 29, 20228:00 PM CDTEF1Dickinson21.850
May 14, 20208:49 PM CDTUnratedMorris3.750
May 19, 20178:09 PM CDTEF0Morris0.025
May 25, 20169:27 PM CDTEF1Morris5.375
June 14, 20157:42 PM CDTEF0Morris0.020
April 27, 20125:59 PM CDTEF0Morris0.010
April 14, 20128:41 PM CDTEF1Marion16.4250
June 19, 20118:12 PM CDTEF0Morris0.125
March 30, 20079:28 PM CDTEF0Morris2.820
November 27, 20052:58 PM CSTF0Morris0.3100
November 27, 20052:32 PM CSTF0Morris6.0100
November 27, 20052:12 PM CSTF1Morris20.0400$250,000
November 27, 20052:05 PM CSTF0Morris0.3100
May 4, 19995:30 PM CDTF1Morris4.0100
May 4, 19994:35 PM CDTF1Marion20.00$80,000
October 8, 19975:39 PM CDTF0Morris0.130
May 7, 19977:09 PM CDTF0Morris0.123
June 7, 199512:05 AM CDTF2Morris0.5701$5,000 to $50,000
July 9, 19927:35 PM CDTF0Morris0.230$5,000 to $50,000
April 26, 19914:10 PM CDTF0Morris13.050$500,000 to $5 million
March 13, 19906:15 PM CSTF2Marion55.0220$500,000 to $5 million
June 22, 19873:40 PM CDTF0Morris0.550
May 6, 19869:03 PM CDTF1Geary15.0200$50,000 to $500,000
June 9, 19842:45 PM CDTF0Morris0.110
March 7, 197411:30 PM CDTF2Morris108.4220$50,000 to $500,000
June 6, 19719:15 PM CDTF3Morris2.0200$50,000 to $500,000
May 21, 19712:40 PM CDTF1Morris2.0467
June 17, 19695:00 PM GMT-5F2Morris6.2376$50,000 to $500,000
June 13, 19644:00 AM GMT-5F0Morris0.110
April 22, 19646:00 PM GMT-6F0Morris0.110
April 22, 19646:00 PM GMT-6F0Morris0.110
April 22, 19646:00 PM GMT-6F1Morris0.110$500 to $5,000
May 4, 19598:30 PM GMT-5F0Morris2.010
June 15, 19584:00 AM GMT-5F0Morris0.110
May 16, 19534:30 PM GMT-5F1Morris2.5220$500 to $5,000
May 10, 19535:00 AM GMT-5F3Chase52.210$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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