Tornadoes · United States · Kansas

Tornadoes in Wichita County, Kansas

37 tornadoes have crossed Wichita County since 1950, 75th of the 105 counties in Kansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.1 years. They have killed 1 person and injured 5. 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
37
Deaths
1
Injuries
5
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
F3, June 22, 1999

The deadliest in Wichita County

The strongest

Every year with a tornado

The 20 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Wichita County. Each year links to every tornado in Kansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20241Unrated
20166EF1
20153EF0
20102EF1
20082EF0
20012F0
19992F3
19962F1
19951F0
19931F0
19914F0
19892F0
19881F0
19691F0
196815F3
19591F0
195611F2
19551F0
19512F2
19501F1

Every tornado that crossed Wichita County

37 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
June 13, 20243:05 PM CDTUnratedWichita0.025
May 27, 20164:13 PM CDTEF0Wichita0.925
May 22, 20168:10 PM CDTEF1Wichita6.8900
May 21, 20168:15 PM CDTEF0Wichita0.125
May 21, 20167:21 PM CDTEF0Wichita0.125
May 21, 20167:13 PM CDTEF0Wichita0.425
May 21, 20167:05 PM CDTEF0Wichita0.225
May 28, 20154:07 PM CDTEF0Wichita0.325
May 28, 20153:53 PM CDTEF0Wichita1.950
April 24, 20155:09 PM CDTEF0Wichita5.375
May 10, 20101:31 PM CDTEF0Wichita1.325
May 10, 20101:27 PM CDTEF1Wichita0.925$5,000
May 23, 20087:05 PM CDTEF0Wichita0.525
May 8, 20081:49 PM CDTEF0Wichita2.025
May 27, 20014:28 PM CDTF0Wichita0.250
May 27, 20014:28 PM CDTF0Wichita4.075
June 30, 19993:48 PM CDTF0Wichita0.2200
June 22, 19997:53 PM CDTF3Wichita4.0880$250,000
May 31, 19966:50 PM CDTF0Wichita0.120
May 26, 19965:18 PM CDTF1Wichita1.050$50,000
March 25, 19953:03 PM CSTF0Wichita2.023
August 12, 19939:00 PM CDTF0Wichita0.113
May 15, 19916:27 PM CDTF0Wichita1.010
May 15, 19916:27 PM CDTF0Wichita1.010
May 15, 19916:27 PM CDTF0Wichita1.010
May 15, 19916:27 PM CDTF0Wichita1.010
June 10, 19898:15 PM CDTF0Wichita0.210
June 10, 19898:15 PM CDTF0Wichita0.210
May 27, 19886:30 PM CDTF0Wichita0.120
May 28, 19696:34 PM GMT-5F0Wichita0.110
May 13, 19682:40 PM GMT-5F3Wichita140.43205$5,000 to $50,000
July 16, 19592:30 PM GMT-5F0Wichita2.0440
July 12, 19568:20 PM GMT-5F2Wichita20.0101$5,000 to $50,000
June 12, 19558:00 PM GMT-5F0Wichita0.110
June 20, 195111:00 PM GMT-5F2Wichita48.610$5,000 to $50,000
May 8, 19517:00 PM GMT-5F1Wichita0.110$50 to $500
June 16, 19504:30 PM GMT-5F1Wichita29.910$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

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