Tornadoes · United States · Kansas
Tornadoes in Ness County, Kansas
53 tornadoes have crossed Ness County since 1950, 35th of the 105 counties in Kansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.4 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 5. 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
- 53
- Deaths
- 0
- Injuries
- 5
- F4 and above
- 1
- Worst on record
- F4, April 30, 1972
The strongest
- F4, Hodgeman and Ness counties, KansasApril 30, 1972
- F3, Ness, Trego and Ellis counties, KansasApril 25, 1990
- F3, Finney, Lane and Ness counties, KansasJune 16, 1962
- EF3, Hodgeman and Ness counties, KansasMarch 28, 2007
- F3, Lane and Ness counties, KansasApril 30, 1972
- EF3, Hodgeman and Ness counties, KansasMay 24, 2016
- EF3, Ness and Trego counties, KansasMay 23, 2008
- EF3, Hodgeman and Ness counties, KansasMay 24, 2016
- F3, Ness County, KansasApril 30, 1972
- F3, Ness County, KansasApril 30, 1972
Every year with a tornado
The 26 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Ness County. Each year links to every tornado in Kansas that year.
Every tornado that crossed Ness County
53 tornadoes, newest first. 1 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files it under that state rather than Kansas.
| Date | Time | Rating | Where | Path (mi) | Width (yd) | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 27, 2016 | 6:21 PM CDT | EF0 | Ness | 0.8 | 50 | |||
| May 24, 2016 | 7:17 PM CDT | EF0 | Ness | 1.3 | 50 | |||
| May 24, 2016 | 7:11 PM CDT | EF3 | Hodgeman | 7.7 | 700 | |||
| May 24, 2016 | 6:56 PM CDT | EF0 | Ness | 6.2 | 150 | |||
| May 24, 2016 | 6:43 PM CDT | EF1 | Ness | 2.9 | 50 | |||
| May 24, 2016 | 6:12 PM CDT | EF3 | Hodgeman | 11.0 | 300 | |||
| November 16, 2015 | 6:27 PM CST | EF1 | Ness | 3.9 | 200 | |||
| November 16, 2015 | 5:56 PM CST | EF2 | Lane | 16.5 | 1,500 | |||
| May 18, 2013 | 6:03 PM CDT | EF0 | Ness | 0.3 | 100 | |||
| June 14, 2012 | 7:18 PM CDT | EF0 | Ness | 0.5 | 75 | |||
| June 16, 2011 | 5:52 PM CDT | EF1 | Ness | 1.0 | 75 | $22,000 | ||
| May 10, 2010 | 3:08 PM CDT | EF0 | Ness | 0.3 | 25 | |||
| July 31, 2009 | 9:32 PM CDT | EF0 | Ness | 0.4 | 100 | |||
| May 23, 2008 | 7:29 PM CDT | EF3 | Ness | 9.0 | 715 | |||
| May 23, 2008 | 7:25 PM CDT | EF2 | Ness | 1.1 | 75 | |||
| May 23, 2008 | 7:07 PM CDT | EF2 | Ness | 11.8 | 1,410 | |||
| May 23, 2008 | 6:58 PM CDT | EF0 | Ness | 3.6 | 100 | |||
| May 23, 2008 | 6:52 PM CDT | EF0 | Ness | 1.6 | 60 | |||
| May 23, 2008 | 6:25 PM CDT | EF0 | Hodgeman | 5.7 | 75 | |||
| May 22, 2008 | 8:00 PM CDT | EF1 | Ness | 3.5 | 150 | |||
| March 28, 2007 | 9:01 PM CDT | EF3 | Hodgeman | 29.1 | 1,320 | $535,000 | ||
| June 16, 2006 | 6:22 PM CDT | F0 | Ness | 0.3 | 20 | |||
| June 3, 2005 | 1:05 PM CDT | F0 | Ness | 0.3 | 20 | |||
| June 3, 2005 | 12:58 PM CDT | F0 | Ness | 1.8 | 30 | |||
| July 3, 2000 | 5:50 PM CDT | F0 | Ness | 0.1 | 50 | |||
| May 31, 1996 | 6:09 PM CDT | F1 | Ness | 18.0 | 300 | $60,000 | ||
| May 31, 1996 | 6:06 PM CDT | F0 | Ness | 0.5 | 50 | |||
| August 3, 1994 | 5:20 PM CDT | F0 | Ness | 0.2 | 20 | |||
| August 3, 1994 | 5:16 PM CDT | F0 | Ness | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| August 3, 1994 | 5:05 PM CDT | F0 | Ness | 0.2 | 10 | |||
| April 30, 1993 | 6:50 PM CDT | F2 | Ness | 4.0 | 50 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| April 30, 1993 | 6:09 PM CDT | F0 | Ness | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| April 25, 1990 | 6:00 PM CDT | F3 | Ness | 37.0 | 500 | $500,000 to $5 million | ||
| April 25, 1990 | 5:07 PM CDT | F0 | Ness | 1.0 | 50 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| July 5, 1978 | 6:28 PM CDT | F0 | Ness | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| May 22, 1972 | 7:10 PM CDT | F1 | Ness | 0.5 | 33 | |||
| May 22, 1972 | 7:00 PM CDT | F2 | Hodgeman | 9.4 | 10 | |||
| April 30, 1972 | 7:38 PM CDT | F3 | Ness | 2.7 | 200 | $50,000 to $500,000 | ||
| April 30, 1972 | 7:25 PM CDT | F4 | Hodgeman | 26.6 | 77 | 1 | $50,000 to $500,000 | |
| April 30, 1972 | 6:30 PM CDT | F3 | Ness | 6.8 | 440 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| April 30, 1972 | 5:00 PM CDT | F3 | Lane | 13.1 | 300 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| June 9, 1971 | 10:30 PM CDT | F2 | Ness | 7.7 | 117 | 1 | $50,000 to $500,000 | |
| June 13, 1970 | 6:00 PM CDT | F0 | Ness | 1.0 | 10 | |||
| June 11, 1970 | 8:00 PM CDT | F0 | Ness | 14.7 | 200 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| June 16, 1962 | 8:05 PM GMT-5 | F3 | Finney | 34.6 | 50 | 3 | $50,000 to $500,000 | |
| May 4, 1960 | 6:45 PM GMT-5 | F2 | Ness | 0.1 | 10 | under $50 | ||
| May 4, 1960 | 6:43 PM GMT-5 | F2 | Ness | 6.1 | 1,000 | $500 to $5,000 | ||
| May 28, 1959 | 8:50 PM GMT-5 | F2 | Ness | 2.3 | 100 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| October 29, 1956 | 7:00 PM GMT-6 | F1 | Ness | 2.5 | 333 | |||
| October 29, 1956 | 7:00 PM GMT-6 | F1 | Ness | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| June 4, 1955 | 6:30 PM GMT-5 | F0 | Ness | 0.1 | 10 | |||
| May 10, 1953 | 4:00 AM GMT-5 | F2 | Grant to KS | 38.8 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 | ||
| May 10, 1953 | 3:00 AM GMT-5 | F1 | Sumner | 42.5 | 10 | $5,000 to $50,000 |
Nearby
Warnings in force in Ness CountyThe forecast for Ness CountyThe live radar over Ness 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.