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Neosho County, Kansas severe weather history spans 538 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 45.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #757 nationally and #79 in Kansas.
538
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$22.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Neosho County, Kansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Neosho County, Kansas severe weather history averages 7.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 167 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 109 events fall before 1990 and 429 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flash flood, with $12.2M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Neosho County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 242 | 0 | $5.1M | 100 | 1958–2026 |
| Hail | 188 | 0 | $1.1M | 4.5 | 1960–2026 |
| Tornado | 29 | 0 | $3.6M | F3 | 1954–2009 |
| Heavy Rain | 29 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2014–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 24 | 0 | $12.2M | 0 | 2002–2019 |
| Flood | 23 | 0 | $210K | 0 | 2007–2024 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $52K | 0 | 2004–2009 |
Decade by decade
Neosho County, Kansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
35 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 33 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-05-04 | EF4 | 4 | 30 | 33.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-04-21 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-04-19 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 25.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-11-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-03-08 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 23.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-04-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-05-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 39.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1954-05-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 48.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-03-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 22.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Neosho County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 20, 2000 | Tornado | ERIE | 0 | 3 | $1.8M |
| Mar 9, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Extremely heavy rainfall from the end of June into early July caused flash flooding throughout Neosho County. The flash flooding and the ensuing river flooding resulted in roughly 100 homes being destroyed and another 50 sustaining major damage. This resulted in at least 10.5 million dollars in damages. An additional 1.5 million dollars in damage was reported public infrastructure. The Neosho River reached a record crest of 40.6 feet on the morning of July 2nd. This was 11.6 feet above flood stage. Major flooding was seen on the Neosho at Chanute when a crest of 36.82 feet was recorded on the morning of July 1st. The Neosho inundated the city of Chanute with some areas under as much as 7 to 8 feet of water. The river remained above flood stage at Chanute until July 4th and at Erie until July 5th.
Forming at 1920 CST 6 miles southwest of Erie, the tornado moved northeast around 35 mph passing just south of Erie at 1931 CST. F2 intensity for much of it's track, the tornado injured 3 people on the southern periphery of Erie as it destroyed or heavily damaged 12 homes, several mobile homes, as well as a few trees. This tornado then crossed into Crawford county.
Extensive damage! Numerous large trees uprooted, with some falling onto homes. One home reportedly destroyed 0.5 mile north of Erie. Many homes unroofed with numerous barns and sheds destroyed. All of town without power.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
15,656
Population (ACS)
$111K
Median home value
21
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 15, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 20, 2019 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, FLOODING,LANDSLIDES,AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| May 28, 2019 | Severe Storm | TORNADOES AND FLOODING | EM |
| Feb 25, 2019 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Chanute 141
- Erie 102
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Neosho County, Kansas?
538 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $22.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Neosho County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 242 recorded events — 45.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Neosho County?
35 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 33 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Neosho County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Neosho County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Neosho County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Neosho County as very low risk, placing it in the 33 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Neosho County, Kansas severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Nemaha County 513
- Ness County 708
- Morton County 555
- Norton County 627
- Morris County 483
- Osage County 864
Cite this page
“Neosho County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/neosho-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.