Kansas has a long and well-documented history of severe storms, with 4,890 confirmed tornadoes, 39,134 hailstorm events and 24,664 damaging-wind events recorded by the National Weather Service since 1950. The state ranks 2nd nationally for tornado frequency, and averages 65.2 tornadoes per year over the 75-year record. Kansas lies within Tornado Alley, the historic core of the country’s most active severe-weather climate. The interactive map below plots every significant severe-weather event in Kansas from the official NOAA Storm Events Database (1950 through September 2025).

Use the map to find your county, click any marker for the date, magnitude, and casualty details of that event, and switch between tornadoes, hail and wind using the chips. For the national view across all 50 states, see our NOAA Storm Reports interactive map. For tornado tracks specifically, see the US Tornado Tracks map; for hail size and frequency, the US Hailstorms map.

Kansas Severe Weather by the Numbers (1950–2025)

• 4,890 tornadoes recorded between 1950 and 2025
• 864 violent tornadoes rated F2/EF2 or stronger
• 17 confirmed F5/EF5 tornadoes on record — the maximum rating on the Fujita and Enhanced Fujita scales
• 237 direct tornado deaths and 2,846 direct injuries
• 39,134 hailstorm events recorded by the NWS
• 24,664 damaging-wind events on record
• 65.2 tornadoes per year on average across the 75-year record
• May is the peak severe-weather month, accounting for roughly 39.1% of Kansas tornadoes
• 375 total direct deaths from all severe-weather event types tracked by the NWS

When Kansas Severe Weather Happens

Kansas tornado activity is heavily concentrated in spring. March, April, May and June account for 80% of all Kansas tornadoes, with May alone responsible for roughly 39.1%.

• May: 1,910 tornadoes (39.1%) — peak month
• June: 998 tornadoes (20.4%)
• April: 731 tornadoes (14.9%)
• July: 320 tornadoes (6.5%)
• March: 265 tornadoes (5.4%)
• August: 187 tornadoes (3.8%)

Top 10 Kansas Counties by Tornado Frequency

Tornado activity in Kansas is geographically broad, but a handful of counties have logged many times the state average. The combination of population density (more spotters and damage reports), county land area and local climatology drives the rankings below.

The Deadliest Tornadoes in Kansas History

Kansas has lost 237 lives to tornadoes since the National Weather Service began systematic tornado record-keeping in 1950. The single deadliest event killed 75 people in Cowley County in 1955, rated F5 on the Fujita scale.

Kansas Tornado Strength Distribution

Most Kansas tornadoes are weak: roughly 81% are rated F0/EF0 or F1/EF1. Violent tornadoes (F2+/EF2+) account for around 19.3% of rated tornadoes in the state. Kansas is one of the few states with a confirmed F5 or EF5 tornado on record.

• F0/EF0 (weak): 2,497 tornadoes — 55.6% of rated events
• F1/EF1: 1,127 tornadoes — 25.1% of rated events
• F2/EF2 (strong): 540 tornadoes — 12% of rated events
• F3/EF3: 242 tornadoes — 5.4% of rated events
• F4/EF4 (violent): 65 tornadoes — 1.4% of rated events
• F5/EF5 (incredible): 17 tornadoes — 0.4% of rated events

Record-Setting Severe Weather in Kansas

Largest hailstone: 8.00 inches in diameter, observed in Montgomery County on September 3, 1970. The three largest hailstones on record in Kansas measured 8.00″, 7.75″, 6.00″.

Highest measured wind gust: 102 knots (117 mph) recorded in Meade County near Meade Muni Arpt on July 15, 2016. Most damaging-wind events in Kansas are estimated rather than measured because anemometers are sparse across the rural areas where supercells most often produce destructive thunderstorm winds.

How Kansas Compares Nationally

Kansas is one of the top severe-weather states in the country, ranking 2nd nationally for tornado frequency since 1950.

• Tornadoes (top 5): Texas (9,908), Kansas (4,890), Oklahoma (4,856), Florida (3,779), Iowa (3,417).
• Kansas tornado total: 4,890 — ranked 2nd nationally.
• Kansas hail total: 39,134 hail events on record since 1950.
• Kansas wind total: 24,664 damaging-wind events on record since 1950.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many tornadoes does Kansas have on average per year?

Kansas averages 65.2 tornadoes per year over the 1950–2025 period. Counts vary widely year to year, but the long-term mean over 75 years of NWS records is a reliable benchmark for typical activity.

What was the deadliest tornado in Kansas history?

The May 25, 1955 tornado, rated F5 on the Fujita scale, killed 75 people and injured 270 in Cowley County. It remains the single deadliest tornado in the Kansas modern record.

Where in Kansas are tornadoes most common?

The single county with the most tornadoes on record is Ford County with 115 events. The three most active counties overall are Ford, Sherman, Barton.

How does Kansas compare to its neighbors?

Kansas shares a severe-weather climate with Nebraska, Missouri, Oklahoma, Colorado. Severe storms regularly cross state lines, so the same supercells, hail cores and wind events often appear in Kansas’s neighbors’ records on the same date.

How recent is the data on this map?

The map and statistics on this page are pulled from NOAA’s official Storm Events Database, which currently runs from January 1950 through September 2025. New records typically appear in the database within 30–90 days of the event date, once damage surveys and ratings are complete.

Compare Kansas to Neighboring States

Severe weather doesn’t stop at state lines. The same supercell systems that produce Kansas tornadoes regularly cross into neighboring states. Compare Kansas’s storm history to its land neighbors:

• Nebraska severe storm history — ranked 7th nationally, core Tornado Alley state
• Missouri severe storm history — ranked 10th nationally, Dixie Alley state with frequent overnight tornadoes
• Oklahoma severe storm history — ranked 3rd nationally, core Tornado Alley state
• Colorado severe storm history — ranked 13th nationally, core Tornado Alley state

Explore the national NOAA Storm Reports map · US Tornado Tracks map · US Hailstorms map