Tornadoes · United States · Kansas

Tornadoes in Phillips County, Kansas

39 tornadoes have crossed Phillips County since 1950, 75th 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 2. 2 were 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
39
Deaths
0
Injuries
2
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
F4, May 10, 1985

The strongest

  1. F4, Phillips, Smith, Franklin and Webster counties, Kansas and NebraskaMay 10, 1985F4, 56.0 mi (90 km)
  2. F4, Rooks and Phillips counties, KansasMay 10, 1985F4, 33.0 mi (53 km)
  3. EF3, Norton and Phillips counties, KansasJune 20, 2011EF3, 8.4 mi (14 km)
  4. F2, Phillips County, KansasJune 26, 1952F2, 12.0 mi (19 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 25 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Phillips County. Each year links to every tornado in Kansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20131EF1
20121EF0
20112EF3
20072EF1
20041F0
20031F0
20012F0
20001F0
19991F0
19981F0
19911F1
19897F1
19871F0
198532F4
19841F0
19831F1
19801F0
19792F1
19781F0
19672F1
19652F1
19571F0
19551F0
19521F2
19501F0

Every tornado that crossed Phillips County

39 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 29, 20138:10 PM CDTEF1Phillips0.840$80,000
April 27, 20124:43 PM CDTEF0Phillips4.440
June 20, 20112:41 PM CDTEF3Norton8.4100$10 million
June 1, 20119:40 PM CDTEF0Phillips0.520
May 31, 20073:10 PM CDTEF0Phillips0.325
May 4, 200711:20 PM CDTEF1Phillips0.575$75,000
May 16, 20045:15 PM CDTF0Phillips2.050$50,000
June 23, 20031:07 AM CDTF0Phillips0.230
May 20, 20014:20 PM CDTF0Phillips0.110
April 20, 20017:10 PM CDTF0Phillips1.0100$120,000
May 26, 20007:30 PM CDTF0Phillips0.620
June 3, 19998:18 PM CDTF0Phillips0.530
June 8, 19985:30 PM CDTF0Phillips0.530
April 11, 19918:52 PM CDTF1Phillips8.0100$50,000 to $500,000
April 23, 19897:26 PM CDTF1Phillips0.150
April 23, 19897:16 PM CDTF1Phillips0.150
April 23, 19896:44 PM CDTF0Phillips0.123
April 23, 19896:38 PM CDTF0Phillips0.123
April 23, 19896:35 PM CDTF1Phillips0.150
April 23, 19896:18 PM CDTF0Phillips0.123
April 23, 19896:12 PM CDTF0Phillips0.123
July 7, 198712:03 AM CDTF0Phillips1.050$500 to $5,000
May 10, 19857:00 PM CDTF4Phillips to NE56.01,0002$500,000 to $5 million
May 10, 19855:40 PM CDTF4Rooks33.01,000$500,000 to $5 million
March 26, 19857:00 PM CSTF0Phillips0.110$5,000 to $50,000
June 12, 19847:20 PM CDTF0Phillips0.110
March 14, 19836:30 PM CSTF1Phillips0.5100$50,000 to $500,000
July 4, 19807:20 PM CDTF0Phillips0.5100
April 19, 19796:00 PM CSTF1Phillips4.3200$5,000 to $50,000
April 19, 19795:15 PM CSTF1Phillips0.133under $50
July 5, 19784:50 PM CDTF0Phillips0.110
June 7, 19673:15 PM GMT-5F0Phillips0.110
May 26, 19677:00 PM GMT-5F1Phillips0.9100$5,000 to $50,000
May 25, 19655:00 PM GMT-5F1Phillips0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 25, 19653:00 PM GMT-5F1Norton19.9200$5,000 to $50,000
May 20, 195712:55 PM GMT-5F0Phillips1.0300
May 27, 19553:30 PM GMT-5F0Phillips8.010
June 26, 19526:15 PM GMT-5F2Phillips12.010$5,000 to $50,000
May 23, 19507:00 PM GMT-5F0Phillips0.2250$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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