Tornadoes · United States · Kansas

Tornadoes in Wabaunsee County, Kansas

49 tornadoes have crossed Wabaunsee County since 1950, 2 of them surveyed so far this year and still preliminary, 49th of the 105 counties in Kansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.6 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 28. 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
49
Deaths
1
Injuries
28
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, May 19, 1960

The deadliest in Wabaunsee County

The strongest

Every year with a tornado

The 32 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Wabaunsee County. Each year links to every tornado in Kansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20262EF0
20251EF0
20241EF2
20221EF1
20201Unrated
20194EF1
20174EF0
20161EF1
20151EF1
20121112EF2
20073EF0
20042F0
19991F0
19972F0
19951F0
19932F1
19913F2
19901F2
19851F3
19821F0
19812F1
19751F0
19741F2
19681F2
19671F1
19641F1
1960212F4
19591F1
19581F2
195614F3
19541F2
19532F3

Every tornado that crossed Wabaunsee County

49 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 23, 20266:03 PM CDTEF0Wabaunsee3.330
April 23, 20266:04 PM CDTEF0Wabaunsee0.50
May 19, 20256:42 PM CDTEF0Wabaunsee0.440
March 13, 20247:45 PM CDTEF2Wabaunsee8.1300
April 29, 20228:03 PM CDTEF1Pottawatomie11.1100
May 14, 20208:20 PM CDTUnratedWabaunsee1.075
August 15, 20199:25 PM CDTUnratedWabaunsee2.525
August 15, 20198:41 PM CDTUnratedWabaunsee1.625
August 15, 20198:34 PM CDTEF1Wabaunsee6.7150
August 15, 20198:05 PM CDTUnratedGeary3.850
May 18, 20175:52 PM CDTEF0Wabaunsee0.025
March 6, 20175:59 PM CSTEF0Wabaunsee1.950
March 6, 20175:37 PM CSTEF0Wabaunsee0.150
March 6, 20175:36 PM CSTEF0Wabaunsee16.150
May 25, 201610:25 PM CDTEF1Wabaunsee3.550
September 10, 20158:16 PM CDTEF1Wabaunsee3.450
February 28, 20129:02 PM CSTEF2Osage5.4150112
May 1, 20073:17 PM CDTEF0Wabaunsee0.150
May 1, 20073:07 PM CDTEF0Wabaunsee0.150
May 1, 20071:50 PM CDTEF0Wabaunsee0.150
May 24, 20047:39 PM CDTF0Wabaunsee0.150
May 24, 20047:29 PM CDTF0Wabaunsee0.150
May 4, 19996:30 PM CDTF0Wabaunsee1.50
October 8, 19976:20 PM CDTF0Wabaunsee1.030
May 25, 19978:50 PM CDTF0Wabaunsee0.123
May 16, 19958:15 PM CDTF0Wabaunsee0.550$5,000 to $50,000
June 30, 19938:29 PM CDTF0Wabaunsee0.123
May 6, 19935:44 PM CDTF1Wabaunsee13.0100$50,000 to $500,000
April 26, 19916:35 PM CDTF0Wabaunsee9.020
April 26, 19914:35 PM CDTF2Wabaunsee44.0200$50,000 to $500,000
April 26, 19914:10 PM CDTF0Morris13.050$500,000 to $5 million
March 13, 19906:15 PM CSTF2Marion55.0220$500,000 to $5 million
August 17, 19856:18 PM CDTF3Wabaunsee2.050$50,000 to $500,000
May 18, 19821:00 PM CDTF0Wabaunsee0.110under $50
May 25, 19814:50 PM CDTF0Wabaunsee0.217
April 3, 19815:05 PM CSTF1Wabaunsee0.110$500 to $5,000
September 10, 19755:50 PM CDTF0Wabaunsee0.110under $50
March 7, 197411:30 PM CDTF2Morris108.4220$50,000 to $500,000
April 16, 19687:00 PM GMT-6F2Wabaunsee38.710$5,000 to $50,000
June 11, 19676:25 PM GMT-5F1Wabaunsee24.710$50,000 to $500,000
April 13, 19644:20 PM GMT-6F1Wabaunsee0.110$500 to $5,000
May 24, 19603:30 PM GMT-5F1Wabaunsee8.217$500 to $5,000
May 19, 19606:30 PM GMT-5F4Wabaunsee20.61012$5 million to $50 million
May 4, 19599:00 PM GMT-5F1Wabaunsee11.3880$5,000 to $50,000
June 12, 19585:30 PM GMT-5F2Wabaunsee4.3200$5,000 to $50,000
April 2, 19569:30 PM GMT-6F3Marion127.07904$500,000 to $5 million
March 18, 195412:25 PM GMT-6F2Wabaunsee0.110$500 to $5,000
June 22, 19538:00 PM GMT-5F0Wabaunsee0.110
May 10, 19535:00 AM GMT-5F3Chase52.210$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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