Tornadoes · United States · Kansas

Tornadoes in Rush County, Kansas

55 tornadoes have crossed Rush County since 1950, 27th 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 8. 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
55
Deaths
0
Injuries
8
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, April 30, 1972

The strongest

  1. F3, Pawnee and Rush counties, KansasApril 30, 1972F3, 17.0 mi (27 km)
  2. F3, Rush County, KansasJune 18, 1968F3, 0.5 mi (1 km)
  3. EF2, Rush County, KansasMay 25, 2012EF2, 9.2 mi (15 km)
  4. EF2, Rush County, KansasMay 25, 2012EF2, 5.8 mi (9 km)
  5. F2, Rush County, KansasApril 21, 2001F2, 1.5 mi (2 km)
  6. EF2, Rush County, KansasMay 25, 2012EF2, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  7. F2, Rush County, KansasApril 30, 1973F2, 0.2 mi (0 km)
  8. F2, Rush County, KansasJune 10, 1964F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)
  9. F2, Rush County, KansasJune 21, 1951F2, 0.1 mi (0 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 26 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Rush County. Each year links to every tornado in Kansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20231EF0
20191EF0
20171EF0
20162EF0
20131EF0
201212EF2
20113EF0
20085EF0
20071EF0
20052F1
20042F0
20015F2
19961F1
19901F0
19781F0
19741F1
19731F2
19721F3
19701F1
196818F3
19643F2
19632F0
19611F0
19581F1
19513F2
19501F1

Every tornado that crossed Rush County

55 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
September 19, 20236:52 PM CDTEF0Rush1.725
July 5, 20197:24 PM CDTEF0Rush0.450
April 15, 20176:38 PM CDTEF0Rush0.650
December 25, 201610:54 AM CSTEF0Rush1.130
May 24, 20168:38 PM CDTEF0Rush0.250
May 28, 20136:40 PM CDTEF0Rush0.675
May 25, 201210:35 PM CDTEF1Rush2.8200
May 25, 201210:11 PM CDTEF1Rush1.3100
May 25, 20129:58 PM CDTEF2Rush5.8650
May 25, 20129:45 PM CDTEF2Rush1.0150
May 25, 20129:40 PM CDTEF1Rush1.9350
May 25, 20129:30 PM CDTEF2Rush9.2950
May 25, 20129:22 PM CDTEF1Rush1.9150
May 25, 20129:15 PM CDTEF0Rush2.7100
May 25, 20129:08 PM CDTEF0Rush0.650
April 14, 20124:04 PM CDTEF0Rush0.975
April 14, 20123:24 PM CDTEF1Pawnee4.7100
April 14, 201212:14 PM CDTEF1Rush17.2200$125,000
May 24, 20116:27 PM CDTEF0Rush1.3150
May 24, 20115:35 PM CDTEF0Rush6.21,200
May 24, 20115:20 PM CDTEF0Rush0.675
May 25, 20084:50 PM CDTEF0Rush0.525
May 25, 20084:49 PM CDTEF0Rush1.1100
May 25, 20084:47 PM CDTEF0Rush0.550
May 25, 20084:15 PM CDTEF0Rush0.525
May 25, 20083:37 PM CDTEF0Rush1.9150
May 31, 20078:25 PM CDTEF0Rush0.530
July 3, 20051:30 PM CDTF0Rush0.120
April 10, 20056:05 PM CDTF1Rush1.450
June 14, 20049:32 PM CDTF0Rush0.450
June 14, 20047:27 PM CDTF0Rush0.650
June 13, 20019:45 PM CDTF0Rush9.0150
April 21, 20019:00 PM CDTF0Rush0.350
April 21, 20018:07 PM CDTF0Rush2.275
April 21, 20017:40 PM CDTF2Rush1.5100$200,000
April 21, 20017:30 PM CDTF0Rush1.575
May 31, 19966:09 PM CDTF1Ness18.0300$60,000
May 24, 19905:00 PM CDTF0Rush18.010$5,000 to $50,000
May 19, 19788:40 PM CDTF0Rush0.110
August 17, 19745:30 PM CDTF1Rush13.650$5,000 to $50,000
April 30, 19739:45 PM CDTF2Rush0.2100$500 to $5,000
April 30, 19726:30 PM CDTF3Pawnee17.077$50,000 to $500,000
September 3, 19706:25 PM CDTF1Rush10.1300$5,000 to $50,000
June 18, 19688:55 PM GMT-5F3Rush0.52208$50,000 to $500,000
June 10, 19647:20 PM GMT-5F0Rush0.110
June 10, 19647:15 PM GMT-5F2Rush0.110$5,000 to $50,000
April 19, 19647:00 PM GMT-6F0Rush0.110
September 1, 19637:52 PM GMT-5F0Rush0.110
July 17, 19631:01 AM GMT-5F0Barton0.110$5,000 to $50,000
July 15, 19617:13 PM GMT-5F0Rush1.010
July 13, 195812:00 AM GMT-5F1Rush2.527$500 to $5,000
September 23, 195110:30 PM GMT-5F0Rush0.8100$50 to $500
August 23, 195110:30 PM GMT-5F0Rush0.110$50 to $500
June 21, 195112:00 AM GMT-5F2Rush0.110
May 4, 19509:00 PM GMT-5F1Rush0.110$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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