Tornadoes · United States · Kansas

Tornadoes in Riley County, Kansas

36 tornadoes have crossed Riley County since 1950, 1 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 80th of the 105 counties in Kansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.1 years. They have killed 0 people and injured 62. 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
36
Deaths
0
Injuries
62
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
EF4, June 11, 2008

The strongest

  1. EF4 Manhattan tornado, KansasJune 11, 2008EF4, 8.6 mi (14 km)
  2. F3, Riley County, KansasJune 8, 1966F3, 13.8 mi (22 km)
  3. F2, Ottawa, Clay, Riley and Pottawatomie counties, KansasOctober 18, 1979F2, 71.4 mi (115 km)
  4. F2, Riley and Geary counties, KansasApril 5, 1954F2, 10.4 mi (17 km)
  5. EF2, Riley County, KansasJune 4, 2026EF2, 4.5 mi (7 km)
  6. EF2, Riley County, KansasJune 11, 2022EF2, 0.3 mi (1 km)

Every year with a tornado

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

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20261EF2
20241EF0
20231EF0
20222EF2
20191Unrated
20162EF0
20081EF4
20071EF0
20054F1
20011F0
19971F0
19961F0
19934F1
19811F0
1979111F2
19691F0
19681F0
1966150F3
19651F1
19621F1
19561F1
19542F2
19521F0
19511F0
195031F1

Every tornado that crossed Riley County

36 tornadoes, newest first. The 1 at the top is this year's, from the surveying office rather than SPC's published database, and its rating is marked as preliminary.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 4, 20265:13 PM CDTEF2Riley4.560
May 6, 20247:39 PM CDTEF0Riley1.275
April 20, 20232:45 AM CDTEF0Riley0.230
June 11, 20227:32 PM CDTUnratedRiley0.010
June 11, 20227:20 PM CDTEF2Riley0.350$10 million
August 15, 20197:34 PM CDTUnratedRiley1.425
November 22, 20163:51 PM CSTEF0Riley0.325
May 26, 20162:03 PM CDTEF0Riley0.025
June 11, 200810:48 PM CDTEF4Manhattan tornado8.6440$66 million
May 5, 200710:34 PM CDTEF0Riley0.350
November 27, 20053:49 PM CSTF0Riley0.3100
November 27, 20053:32 PM CSTF0Riley0.3100$10,000
November 27, 20053:28 PM CSTF0Riley0.3100
November 27, 20053:09 PM CSTF1Geary2.0300$900,000
September 7, 20016:00 PM CDTF0Riley0.150
October 8, 19975:15 PM CDTF0Riley2.550$80,000
June 22, 19965:44 PM CDTF0Riley0.315
June 30, 19937:50 PM CDTF0Riley0.380$5,000 to $50,000
June 30, 19937:30 PM CDTF1Riley0.373$50,000 to $500,000
June 30, 19937:05 PM CDTF1Riley0.8100$50,000 to $500,000
June 30, 19935:38 PM CDTF0Riley2.050
June 21, 19814:00 AM CDTF0Riley0.517
October 18, 19794:17 PM CDTF2Ottawa71.440011$500,000 to $5 million
July 9, 19694:30 PM GMT-5F0Riley0.110
May 2, 19688:50 PM GMT-5F0Riley0.110
June 8, 19667:00 PM GMT-5F3Riley13.866050$500,000 to $5 million
May 25, 19658:00 PM GMT-5F1Clay0.110$5,000 to $50,000
May 18, 196210:10 PM GMT-5F1Riley0.110$50 to $500
June 19, 19566:15 PM GMT-5F1Riley0.110
April 5, 19546:45 PM GMT-6F2Riley10.410
March 18, 195412:00 PM GMT-6F1Riley0.333$500 to $5,000
April 22, 19525:30 PM GMT-6F0Riley0.110
May 30, 195111:50 PM GMT-5F0Riley0.110$500 to $5,000
July 1, 19501:00 PM GMT-5F1Riley0.1101$5,000 to $50,000
May 24, 19506:30 PM GMT-5F1Riley10.740$5,000 to $50,000
May 9, 19501:01 AM GMT-5F1Riley0.110$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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