Tornadoes · United States · Kansas

Tornadoes in Sumner County, Kansas

90 tornadoes have crossed Sumner County since 1950, 2 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 7th of the 105 counties in Kansas with a tornado on record, an average of 1.2 a year. They have killed 106 people and injured 727. 4 were rated F4 or EF4 and above, 2 at the top of the scale.

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
90
Deaths
106
Injuries
727
F4 and above
4
Worst on record
F5, May 25, 1955

The deadliest in Sumner County

  1. F5, Kay, Cowley and Sumner counties, Oklahoma and KansasMay 25, 195580 killed, 273 injured
  2. F5, Kay and Sumner counties, Oklahoma and KansasMay 25, 195520 killed, 280 injured
  3. F4, Sumner and Sedgwick counties, KansasMay 3, 19996 killed, 150 injured

The strongest

  1. F5, Kay, Cowley and Sumner counties, Oklahoma and KansasMay 25, 1955F5, 56.4 mi (91 km)
  2. F5, Kay and Sumner counties, Oklahoma and KansasMay 25, 1955F5, 28.4 mi (46 km)
  3. F4, Grant, Kay, Sumner and Cowley counties, Oklahoma and KansasMarch 16, 1965F4, 82.7 mi (133 km)
  4. F4, Sumner and Sedgwick counties, KansasMay 3, 1999F4, 24.0 mi (39 km)
  5. F3, Grant, Sumner, Kay and Cowley counties, Oklahoma and KansasMarch 26, 1991F3, 67.0 mi (108 km)
  6. F3, Sumner, Sedgwick and Harvey counties, KansasMay 13, 1965F3, 62.5 mi (101 km)
  7. EF3, Grant, Sumner and Kay counties, Oklahoma and KansasMay 10, 2010EF3, 40.7 mi (65 km)
  8. F3, Grant and Sumner counties, Oklahoma and KansasMarch 13, 1990F3, 22.0 mi (35 km)
  9. EF3, Sumner County, KansasApril 14, 2012EF3, 18.1 mi (29 km)
  10. F3, Sumner County, KansasJune 12, 2004F3, 4.0 mi (6 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 39 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Sumner County. Each year links to every tornado in Kansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20262EF2
20211EF0
20192EF0
20181EF0
20161EF0
20134EF0
20122EF3
201012EF3
20094EF0
20081EF0
20071EF0
2004113F3
20024F0
20015F0
199936150F4
19983F0
19973F2
19941F0
19931F0
19914F3
19906F3
19841F0
19791F0
19751F1
19741F0
19731F1
19701F0
19691F1
19681F0
19663F0
1965317F4
19611F0
196012F2
19572F1
19561F0
19554100553F5
19541F1
19534F2
19521F2

Every tornado that crossed Sumner County

90 tornadoes, newest first. 7 of them touched down in a neighboring state and ran in, so the record files them under that state rather than Kansas. 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
March 5, 202611:34 PM CSTEF2Sumner1.0120
March 5, 202611:48 PM CSTEF1Sumner1.860
July 17, 20217:27 PM CDTEF0Sumner0.025
May 5, 20198:39 PM CDTEF0Sumner0.875
April 17, 20196:38 PM CDTUnratedSumner1.130
July 30, 20181:41 PM CDTEF0Sumner3.7100
April 26, 20163:58 PM CDTEF0Sumner1.150
May 19, 20134:40 PM CDTEF0Sumner0.450
May 19, 20134:39 PM CDTEF0Sumner0.550
May 19, 20134:12 PM CDTEF0Sumner0.450
May 19, 20133:10 PM CDTEF0Sumner0.650
April 14, 20129:32 PM CDTEF1Sumner7.4100
April 14, 20129:10 PM CDTEF3Sumner18.1400
May 10, 20103:38 PM CDTEF3Grant to KS40.71,5002$125,000
June 16, 20099:25 PM CDTEF0Sumner0.855
May 15, 20096:25 PM CDTEF0Sumner0.350
April 25, 20096:49 PM CDTEF0Sumner0.570
March 23, 20095:00 PM CDTEF0Sumner0.575
March 2, 20085:05 PM CSTEF0Sumner0.875
May 10, 20074:30 PM CDTEF0Sumner0.530
August 27, 20047:55 PM CDTF2Sumner3.0110$250,000
August 27, 20047:37 PM CDTF0Sumner0.555
August 27, 20047:30 PM CDTF0Sumner0.055
June 12, 20047:25 PM CDTF3Sumner4.0752$500,000
June 12, 20047:10 PM CDTF0Sumner1.575
May 29, 20048:55 PM CDTF1Sumner3.5150$450,000
May 29, 20048:52 PM CDTF3Sumner2.5500$1.0 million
May 29, 20048:42 PM CDTF3Sumner2.56001$18 million
May 29, 20048:32 PM CDTF0Sumner1.060$30,000
May 29, 20048:28 PM CDTF1Sumner6.0500$250,000
May 12, 200410:05 PM CDTF1Sumner2.5150$100,000
June 12, 20027:07 PM CDTF0Sumner0.555
June 12, 20026:35 PM CDTF0Harper3.0110
May 8, 20026:48 PM CDTF0Cowley5.0220
May 8, 20025:00 PM CDTF0Sumner1.0110
June 5, 20019:24 PM CDTF0Sumner1.0110
June 5, 20019:02 PM CDTF0Sumner1.0110
June 5, 20017:30 PM CDTF0Sumner1.0110
June 5, 20017:28 PM CDTF0Sumner1.0110
May 5, 20017:29 PM CDTF0Sumner0.555
September 7, 19995:31 PM CDTF0Sumner0.5110
May 3, 19998:13 PM CDTF4Sumner24.08806150$141 million
May 3, 19997:35 PM CDTF1Sumner12.0440$250,000
June 13, 19985:35 PM CDTF0Sumner0.560$50,000
June 8, 19984:42 PM CDTF0Sumner1.0110
May 24, 19987:30 PM CDTF0Sumner1.050
June 29, 19976:16 PM CDTF0Sumner0.550$70,000
May 25, 19979:00 PM CDTF0Sumner9.0100
May 25, 19978:35 PM CDTF2Sumner8.01,700$1.9 million
April 9, 19947:50 PM CDTF0Sumner0.310
June 7, 19933:45 PM CDTF0Sumner0.1100
May 16, 19915:09 PM CDTF1Sumner9.0100$5,000 to $50,000
May 16, 19914:55 PM CDTF0Sumner0.550
April 26, 19915:30 PM CDTF0Harper16.050$500 to $5,000
March 26, 19918:05 PM CSTF3Grant to KS67.0500$500,000 to $5 million
May 14, 19909:33 PM CDTF0Sumner0.527
May 14, 19909:21 PM CDTF0Sumner1.027
May 14, 19909:20 PM CDTF0Sumner1.027
March 13, 19906:12 PM CSTF0Sumner0.150
March 13, 19906:04 PM CSTF0Sumner0.150
March 13, 19905:54 PM CSTF3Grant to KS22.0200$500,000 to $5 million
April 2, 19843:00 PM CSTF0Sumner3.010$500 to $5,000
May 2, 19795:30 PM CDTF0Sumner0.113$5,000 to $50,000
June 16, 19755:55 PM CDTF1Harper13.733under $50
May 30, 19748:00 PM CDTF0Sumner0.110
April 30, 197311:05 PM CDTF1Sumner8.2200$5,000 to $50,000
June 12, 19709:48 PM CDTF0Sumner2.510
May 31, 19699:30 PM GMT-5F1Sumner2.0250$50,000 to $500,000
May 22, 19689:28 PM GMT-5F0Sumner0.220$5,000 to $50,000
June 15, 19664:00 PM GMT-5F0Sumner0.110
June 15, 19664:00 PM GMT-5F0Sumner0.110
May 16, 196610:00 PM GMT-5F0Sumner0.110
September 20, 19656:45 PM GMT-5F0Sumner9.610
May 13, 19659:50 PM GMT-5F3Sumner62.510010$50,000 to $500,000
March 16, 19654:40 PM GMT-6F4Grant to KS82.73007$50,000 to $500,000
July 20, 19618:30 PM GMT-5F0Sumner0.110
November 27, 19608:00 PM GMT-6F2Sumner23.2772$50,000 to $500,000
May 24, 195711:00 PM GMT-5F0Sumner0.110
May 24, 19576:05 PM GMT-5F1Sumner0.110
July 5, 19564:00 PM GMT-5F0Sumner0.110
May 27, 195510:15 PM GMT-5F0Sumner0.110
May 27, 195510:15 PM GMT-5F0Sumner0.110
May 25, 195511:00 PM GMT-5F5Kay to KS56.41,32080273$50,000 to $500,000
May 25, 195510:26 PM GMT-5F5Kay to KS28.450020280$5 million to $50 million
March 18, 195410:30 AM GMT-6F1Sumner0.110$500 to $5,000
August 2, 19535:30 PM GMT-5F1Sumner0.2250$5,000 to $50,000
May 10, 19534:00 AM GMT-5F2Grant to KS38.810$5,000 to $50,000
May 10, 19533:00 AM GMT-5F1Sumner42.510$5,000 to $50,000
March 30, 19532:30 PM GMT-6F0Harper16.110
June 19, 19528:10 PM GMT-5F2Sumner3.360$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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