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Rice County, Kansas severe weather history spans 645 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 49.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #482 nationally and #55 in Kansas.
645
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$36.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Rice County, Kansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Rice County, Kansas severe weather history averages 8.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 241 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 72 events fall before 1990 and 573 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $26.1M 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 Rice County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 319 | 0 | $1.3M | 4.5 | 1959–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 222 | 0 | $1.4M | 96 | 1955–2025 |
| Tornado | 46 | 0 | $26.1M | F4 | 1950–2021 |
| Flood | 25 | 0 | $6.9M | 0 | 2007–2021 |
| Flash Flood | 16 | 0 | $302K | 0 | 1996–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 12 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2007 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $250K | 0 | 1998–2004 |
Decade by decade
Rice 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: 42 touched down inside it and 10 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950-06-08 | EF4 | 1 | 5 | 17.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-04-14 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 50.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-09-25 | EF3 | 3 | 42 | 169.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-07-13 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 5.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-04-14 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 39.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1990-05-24 | EF3 | 0 | 6 | 26.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1990-05-24 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 60.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-04-22 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 59.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1956-04-02 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 20.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1955-06-04 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 5.9 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Rice County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 20, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $25K | |
| May 24, 1990 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Jun 10, 1971 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Numerous, slow-moving thunderstorms produced widespread 2 to 5 inch rainfall amounts across Rice County from the late afternoon hours on May 23rd, to the early morning hours on May 24th. Excessive runoff caused area streams and creeks to overflow their banks, resulting in widespread flooding. Several rural and city roads were closed due to high water, agricultural land was inundated, and several roads countywide were damaged. Numerous homes and businesses received various magnitudes of flood damage. Some evacuations were needed along the Cow Creek. The community of Saxman was essentially surrounded by the flooded Cow Creek. Thankfully there were no injuries reported countywide. Combined public and private damages suffered across Rice County were likely around $4 million.
US Highway 56 was closed between Chase and Lyons with about 2 feet of water flowing over it. K-14 was closed north of Lyons. Numerous other county roads were flooded throughout the entire county. Stretches of K-14 as well as numerous county roads were washed out during the flood. Damage to just public infrastructure was estimated to be at least 2.568 million dollars.
Monetary breakdown on farm losses: Dwellings and service buildings= $150,000; Structures (i.e. silos) =$50,000; Machinery=$25,000. Total acreage affected: 500,000. USDA Flash Situation Report contributed greatly to this narrative. In addition, power lines downed in many locations.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
9,350
Population (ACS)
$105K
Median home value
25
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, AND WILDFIRES | DR |
| Oct 26, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | 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
- Lyons 206
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Rice County, Kansas?
645 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $36.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Rice County?
Hail, with 319 recorded events — 49.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Rice County?
52 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 42 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Rice County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Rice County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Rice County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Rice County as very low risk, placing it in the 29 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Rice 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
- Republic County 646
- Riley County 675
- Reno County 1,397
- Rooks County 552
- Rawlins County 844
- Rush County 707
Cite this page
“Rice County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/rice-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.