Tornadoes · United States · Texas

Tornadoes in Wichita County, Texas

64 tornadoes have crossed Wichita County since 1950, 39th of the 254 counties in Texas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 1.2 years. They have killed 52 people and injured 1,889. 2 were rated F4 or EF4 and above, 1 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
64
Deaths
52
Injuries
1,889
F4 and above
2
Worst on record
F5, April 3, 1964

The deadliest in Wichita County

  1. F4 Wichita Falls tornado, Texas and OklahomaApril 10, 197942 killed, 1,740 injured
  2. F5 Wichita Falls tornado, TexasApril 3, 19647 killed, 111 injured
  3. F3, Wichita and Clay counties, TexasApril 2, 19581 killed, 14 injured
  4. F3, Wichita County, TexasJune 1, 19541 killed, 4 injured
  5. F2, Wilbarger, Wichita, Tillman, Cotton, Comanche and Stephens counties, Texas and OklahomaApril 10, 19791 killed, 3 injured

The strongest

  1. F5 Wichita Falls tornado, TexasApril 3, 1964F5, 4.7 mi (8 km)
  2. F4 Wichita Falls tornado, Texas and OklahomaApril 10, 1979F4, 46.9 mi (75 km)
  3. F3, Wichita and Clay counties, TexasApril 2, 1958F3, 16.4 mi (26 km)
  4. F3, Wichita County, TexasJune 1, 1954F3, 5.9 mi (9 km)
  5. F3, Wichita County, TexasApril 26, 1962F3, 3.3 mi (5 km)
  6. F2, Wilbarger, Wichita, Tillman, Cotton, Comanche and Stephens counties, Texas and OklahomaApril 10, 1979F2, 74.1 mi (119 km)
  7. F2, Wichita County, TexasNovember 17, 1958F2, 4.9 mi (8 km)
  8. F2, Wichita County, TexasMay 9, 1951F2, 4.9 mi (8 km)
  9. F2, Wichita County, TexasApril 8, 1961F2, 3.0 mi (5 km)
  10. EF2, Wichita County, TexasMay 18, 2017EF2, 2.0 mi (3 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 31 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Wichita County. Each year links to every tornado in Texas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20242EF1
20203EF1
20172EF2
20154EF0
20141EF0
200821EF1
20041F0
20012F1
20001F0
19971F1
199512F0
19941F0
19931F0
19901F1
19831F1
19794431743F4
19776F1
19751F0
19741F1
19731F0
19672F2
196417111F5
19631F0
1962113F3
196122F2
19582114F3
19551F2
1954114F3
195321F2
19521F1
19512F2

Every tornado that crossed Wichita County

64 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
April 27, 20246:43 PM CDTEF1Wichita to OK6.5100$32,000
April 27, 20246:23 PM CDTEF0Wichita1.530
May 22, 20206:26 PM CDTEF1Wichita0.250$10,000
May 22, 20206:11 PM CDTEF1Wichita1.7150$5,000
May 22, 20206:07 PM CDTEF0Wichita0.130
May 18, 20174:54 PM CDTEF2Wichita2.0100$100,000
May 18, 20174:48 PM CDTUnratedWichita1.250
May 19, 20156:20 PM CDTEF0Wichita1.050
May 19, 20153:33 PM CDTEF0Wichita0.230
May 9, 20155:57 PM CDTEF0Wichita3.350
May 8, 20155:21 PM CDTEF0Wichita0.350
May 7, 20147:03 PM CDTEF0Wichita0.275
April 7, 20085:06 PM CDTEF1Wichita2.02001$35,000
April 7, 20084:56 PM CDTEF0Wichita0.150
October 6, 20042:30 PM CDTF0Wichita0.150
May 30, 20017:30 PM CDTF0Wichita0.215
April 10, 200112:46 AM CDTF1Wichita4.5100$150,000
June 22, 20005:35 PM CDTF0Wichita0.210
June 16, 19979:35 PM CDTF1Wichita0.760$20,000
June 9, 199510:15 PM CDTF0Wichita0.123
June 9, 199510:00 PM CDTF0Wichita0.123
June 9, 19958:32 PM CDTF0Wichita0.123
June 9, 19958:20 PM CDTF0Wichita0.123$500 to $5,000
June 9, 19958:04 PM CDTF0Wichita0.123
June 9, 19958:00 PM CDTF0Wichita0.123
June 9, 19958:00 PM CDTF0Wichita0.123
May 26, 19957:44 PM CDTF0Wichita2.030
May 26, 19957:38 PM CDTF0Wichita4.030
April 19, 19957:15 PM CDTF0Wichita0.120
April 19, 19957:07 PM CDTF0Wichita0.120
April 17, 19955:15 PM CDTF0Wichita0.130
February 21, 19943:01 PM CSTF0Wichita0.513
May 1, 19938:26 PM CDTF0Wichita0.120
April 9, 19909:00 PM CDTF1Wichita0.210
May 13, 19833:30 PM CDTF1Tillman to OK6.850under $50
April 10, 19796:00 PM CSTF1Wichita2.050$5,000 to $50,000
April 10, 19795:50 PM CSTF4Wichita Falls tornado46.91,320421740$50 million to $500 million
April 10, 19795:08 PM CSTF1Wichita0.110
April 10, 19793:55 PM CSTF2Wilbarger to OK74.11,05613$500,000 to $5 million
September 12, 19777:29 PM CDTF0Wichita5.130$500 to $5,000
May 20, 197710:00 PM CDTF1Wichita0.110
May 5, 19777:30 PM CDTF1Wichita6.210
May 5, 19777:15 PM CDTF1Wichita7.810
April 19, 197710:42 PM CSTF0Wichita0.110
April 16, 19775:06 PM CSTF1Wichita2.077$5,000 to $50,000
May 22, 19756:40 PM CDTF0Wichita0.110
April 20, 19745:30 PM CDTF1Wichita0.5100$50 to $500
March 3, 19736:00 PM CSTF0Wichita0.110$50 to $500
May 30, 19678:00 PM GMT-5F2Wichita1.933$5,000 to $50,000
May 30, 19677:50 PM GMT-5F1Wichita10.433$500 to $5,000
April 3, 19642:35 PM GMT-6F5Wichita Falls tornado4.75007111$5 million to $50 million
May 30, 19632:44 AM GMT-5F0Wichita0.5100
April 26, 196210:45 PM GMT-6F3Wichita3.310013$500,000 to $5 million
July 21, 19616:59 PM GMT-5F1Wichita0.2517
April 8, 19614:00 PM GMT-6F2Wichita3.0332$5,000 to $50,000
November 17, 19587:15 AM GMT-6F2Wichita4.9200$5,000 to $50,000
April 2, 19585:55 PM GMT-6F3Wichita16.4333114$50,000 to $500,000
May 26, 19552:38 AM GMT-5F2Wichita1.333$5,000 to $50,000
June 1, 19549:55 PM GMT-5F3Wichita5.95014$50,000 to $500,000
August 11, 19538:00 PM GMT-5F2Wichita0.1880$50,000 to $500,000
June 19, 19536:30 PM GMT-5F1Wichita0.1101$50 to $500
March 17, 19527:30 PM GMT-6F1Wichita0.133$5,000 to $50,000
May 9, 19516:00 PM GMT-5F2Wichita4.933$5,000 to $50,000
April 20, 19513:10 PM GMT-6F2Wichita1.517$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Wichita CountyThe forecast for Wichita CountyThe live radar over Wichita CountyEvery county in Texas

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.