Ness County, Kansas severe weather history spans 708 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 61.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #391 nationally and #40 in Kansas.
708
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$7.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Ness County, Kansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Ness County, Kansas severe weather history averages 10.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 263 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 38 events fall before 1990 and 670 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $4.0M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Ness County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 435 | 0 | $1.3M | 4.5 | 1958–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 176 | 0 | $1.8M | 79 | 1965–2025 |
| Tornado | 46 | 0 | $4.0M | F4 | 1955–2016 |
| Heavy Rain | 36 | 0 | $0 | 4.1 | 1999–2021 |
| Flash Flood | 10 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2020 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2014–2016 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $1K | 0 | 1996–1996 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2015–2015 |
Decade by decade
Ness County, Kansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
52 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 44 touched down inside it and 8 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972-04-30 | EF4 | 0 | 1 | 26.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2016-05-24 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 7.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2016-05-24 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-05-23 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-03-28 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 29.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1990-04-25 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 37.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-04-30 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 6.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-04-30 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 2.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-04-30 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 13.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1962-06-16 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 34.6 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Ness County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 17, 1962 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Jun 10, 1971 | 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
This tornado originated in Hodgeman county and entered Ness county at 925 PM. This large tornado destroyed or heavily damaged 5 homes in Ness county. Hundreds of power poles were broken along with 7 pivot irrigation sprinklers and lots of damage to trees. There were also at least 20 head of cattle dead from this tornado in Ness county.
Two separate swaths of hail moved through the county. The first was in a 7 to 12 mile wide swath from 2 miles south of Utica…to Arnold…Ransom…Brownell…and McCracken. The second swath was from 2 miles south of Beeler…to 4 miles south of Ness City…to 3 miles south of Bazine. A dollar amount was not made available…but crops were nearly completely wiped out in the hail swaths and numerous windows were broken out in automobiles and homes.
This tornado caused EF3 damage to trees and an old stone home. A farm implement was carried 1/2 mile south of it's original starting point. EF3 damage was also done to trees. Another home sustained EF1 damage. There were numerous power poles taken down and at least 5 head of cattle perished in the tornado. The tornado moved into Trego county at 19:42 CDT.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
2,653
Population (ACS)
$90K
Median home value
19
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, AND WILDFIRES | DR |
| May 25, 2022 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Feb 17, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND STRAIGHT LINE WINDS | 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Ness City 185
- Bazine 110
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Ness County, Kansas?
708 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $7.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Ness County?
Hail, with 435 recorded events — 61.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Ness County?
52 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 44 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Ness County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Ness County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Ness County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Ness County as very low risk, placing it in the 11 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Ness 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
- Neosho County 538
- Norton County 627
- Nemaha County 513
- Osage County 864
- Morton County 555
- Osborne County 583
Cite this page
“Ness County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/ness-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.