Scott County, Kansas severe weather history spans 685 recorded events between 1950 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 62.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #421 nationally and #47 in Kansas.
685
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$6.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Scott County, Kansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Scott County, Kansas severe weather history averages 9.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 220 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 72 events fall before 1990 and 613 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Scott County, Kansas record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $3.5M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Scott County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 426 | 0 | $660K | 5 | 1957–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 169 | 1 | $2.0M | 98 | 1955–2025 |
| Tornado | 60 | 1 | $3.5M | F3 | 1950–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 22 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2024 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2010 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $150K | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Scott County, Kansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
65 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 57 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968-05-13 | EF3 | 0 | 5 | 140.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1956-07-12 | EF2 | 1 | 0 | 20.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-05-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-10-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 18.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-08-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1964-05-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1951-06-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 48.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1950-07-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-10-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Scott County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | SHALLOW WATER | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 13, 1956 | Tornado | 1 | 0 | $25K | |
| Apr 15, 1976 | 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
Swath of large hail and high wind across the county produced $1.55 million in damage to property. Extensive damage was also done to crops. In Scott City, a roof was blown off; a camper was blown 30 feet and a shed was blown down.
Four house with severe roof damage; many windows blown out; many vehicles with windows blown out due to flying debris; 10- by 32-foot building demolished; other smaller ones heavily damaged; mobile home overturned; and two campers damaged.
Tornado began just south of State Highway 96, southwest of Modoc. The tornado traveled northeast and immediately snapped power poles along the highway. As it continued northeastward, some train cars were toppled just west of town. To the north end of Modoc, a mobile home had its roof ripped off. As the tornado continued tracking northeastward in open fields, it continued producing sporadic damage to power lines, a home, and pivot irrigation systems. The tornado dissipated just north of W Road 200.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
5,027
Population (ACS)
$160K
Median home value
9
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 22, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 24, 2024 | 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 16, 2017 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM, SNOWSTORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Scott City 271
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Scott County, Kansas?
685 events are on record between 1950 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $6.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Scott County?
Hail, with 426 recorded events — 62.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Scott County?
65 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 57 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Scott County?
9 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Scott County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Scott County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Scott County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 46 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Scott 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
- Saline County 812
- Sedgwick County 2,893
- Russell County 1,079
- Seward County 711
- Rush County 707
- Shawnee County 1,457
Cite this page
“Scott County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/scott-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.