Tornadoes · United States · Kansas

Tornadoes in Osage County, Kansas

53 tornadoes have crossed Osage County since 1950, 2 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 34th of the 105 counties in Kansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.4 years. They have killed 25 people and injured 212. 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
53
Deaths
25
Injuries
212
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, June 8, 1974

The deadliest in Osage County

  1. F1, Osage County, KansasJune 17, 197816 killed, 3 injured
  2. F4, Lyon, Osage and Shawnee counties, KansasJune 8, 19746 killed, 177 injured
  3. EF2, Osage and Wabaunsee counties, KansasFebruary 28, 20121 killed, 12 injured
  4. EF3, Lyon and Osage counties, KansasMay 21, 20111 killed, 5 injured
  5. F1, Osage County, KansasOctober 31, 19841 killed

The strongest

  1. F4, Lyon, Osage and Shawnee counties, KansasJune 8, 1974F4, 37.5 mi (60 km)
  2. F3, Osage County, KansasMay 8, 2003F3, 25.0 mi (40 km)
  3. EF3, Lyon and Osage counties, KansasMay 21, 2011EF3, 10.1 mi (16 km)
  4. F2, Osage, Douglas and Leavenworth counties, KansasMay 26, 1955F2, 66.2 mi (107 km)
  5. EF2, Osage and Douglas counties, KansasMay 28, 2019EF2, 10.7 mi (17 km)
  6. EF2, Osage and Wabaunsee counties, KansasFebruary 28, 2012EF2, 5.4 mi (9 km)
  7. F2, Osage County, KansasMay 23, 1978F2, 4.1 mi (7 km)
  8. F2, Osage and Shawnee counties, KansasMay 28, 1962F2, 0.9 mi (1 km)
  9. F2, Osage County, KansasNovember 17, 1958F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)
  10. F2, Osage County, KansasMarch 18, 1954F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 28 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Osage County. Each year links to every tornado in Kansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20262EF1
202452EF1
2019312EF2
20181EF0
20121112EF2
2011315EF3
20102EF0
20081EF0
20042F0
20035F3
19984F0
19931F0
19904F1
19893F0
19851F0
198411F1
19822F0
19811F0
19782164F2
197416177F4
19721F1
19651F1
19641F1
19621F2
19581F2
19551F2
19541F2
19511F0

Every tornado that crossed Osage County

53 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, 20267:02 PM CDTEF0Osage0.00
April 17, 20264:07 PM CDTEF1Osage1.175
June 28, 20248:59 PM CDTEF0Osage0.330
June 28, 20248:39 PM CDTEF0Osage1.230
May 19, 20249:44 PM CDTEF0Osage0.740
April 16, 20246:06 AM CDTEF1Osage12.8752
April 16, 20245:51 AM CDTEF1Osage3.5100
September 27, 20197:56 PM CDTEF0Osage0.250
May 28, 20195:49 PM CDTEF2Osage10.720012
May 28, 20195:10 PM CDTUnratedOsage0.525
May 2, 20188:04 PM CDTEF0Osage0.025
February 28, 20129:02 PM CSTEF2Osage5.4150112
May 21, 201110:43 PM CDTEF1Osage2.9100
May 21, 20119:20 PM CDTEF0Osage1.450
May 21, 20119:10 PM CDTEF3Lyon10.170015$2.3 million
July 7, 20106:55 PM CDTEF0Osage0.010
June 8, 20104:55 PM CDTEF0Osage0.430
May 1, 200812:43 AM CDTEF0Osage1.530$100,000
August 25, 20046:34 PM CDTF0Osage0.220
May 24, 20047:48 PM CDTF0Osage0.150
May 8, 20037:10 PM CDTF0Osage0.160
May 8, 20037:07 PM CDTF0Osage0.160
May 8, 20036:40 PM CDTF3Osage25.0800$1.5 million
May 8, 20036:31 PM CDTF1Osage6.0120$250,000
April 24, 20035:00 PM CDTF0Osage0.180$10,000
November 9, 19989:30 PM CSTF0Osage1.080$70,000
June 29, 19989:27 PM CDTF0Osage0.230
June 29, 19988:46 PM CDTF0Osage0.230
June 29, 19988:24 PM CDTF0Osage0.230
May 6, 19936:56 PM CDTF0Osage1.5100
June 7, 19907:40 PM CDTF0Osage6.010$50,000 to $500,000
June 7, 19906:48 PM CDTF1Osage4.010$50,000 to $500,000
June 7, 19906:15 PM CDTF0Osage1.010
May 5, 19902:30 PM CDTF0Osage3.020
June 2, 19896:25 PM CDTF0Osage0.130$5,000 to $50,000
June 2, 19896:14 PM CDTF0Osage0.150
June 2, 19896:06 PM CDTF0Osage0.130
April 13, 19851:05 PM CSTF0Osage0.130$500 to $5,000
October 31, 19846:23 PM CSTF1Osage1.01001$50,000 to $500,000
May 28, 19829:30 PM CDTF0Osage8.050$5,000 to $50,000
May 28, 19829:08 PM CDTF0Lyon18.017
June 29, 19815:12 PM CDTF0Osage0.517
June 17, 19787:15 PM CDTF1Osage7.3150163$50,000 to $500,000
May 23, 19787:30 PM CDTF2Osage4.1301$50,000 to $500,000
June 8, 19747:00 PM CDTF4Lyon37.51,7606177$5 million to $50 million
July 2, 19726:10 PM CDTF1Osage0.533
June 4, 19658:30 PM GMT-5F1Osage26.8200$5,000 to $50,000
April 22, 19646:45 PM GMT-6F1Osage0.110$500 to $5,000
May 28, 19625:40 PM GMT-5F2Osage0.9200$50,000 to $500,000
November 17, 195810:55 AM GMT-6F2Osage0.110
May 26, 19551:27 AM GMT-5F2Osage66.210$50,000 to $500,000
March 18, 19541:15 PM GMT-6F2Osage0.110$500 to $5,000
May 9, 195110:00 PM GMT-5F0Osage0.110

Nearby

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