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Wabaunsee County, Kansas severe weather history spans 574 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 50.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #652 nationally and #73 in Kansas.
574
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
28
Direct injuries
$31.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Wabaunsee County, Kansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Wabaunsee County, Kansas severe weather history averages 7.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 238 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 61 events fall before 1990 and 513 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Wabaunsee County, Kansas record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $29.4M 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 Wabaunsee County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 290 | 0 | $402K | 4.5 | 1956–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 191 | 0 | $1.0M | 80 | 1958–2026 |
| Tornado | 47 | 1 | $29.4M | F4 | 1953–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 35 | 1 | $461K | 0 | 1996–2019 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $9K | 0 | 1998–2004 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2016 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2007 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2005 |
Decade by decade
Wabaunsee County, Kansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
50 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 38 touched down inside it and 12 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974-06-08 | EF4 | 6 | 177 | 37.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1960-05-19 | EF4 | 0 | 12 | 20.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-04-02 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 127.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1953-05-10 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 52.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2012-02-28 | EF2 | 1 | 12 | 5.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-03-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-04-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 44.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1990-03-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 55.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-03-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 108.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1968-04-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 38.7 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Wabaunsee County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 29, 2012 | Tornado | HARVEYVILLE | 1 | 12 | $0 |
| Jun 1, 1996 | Flash Flood | HESSDALE | 1 | 0 | $99K |
| May 19, 1960 | Tornado | 0 | 12 | $25.0M | |
| Jun 26, 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | MAPLE HILL | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 2, 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Paxico | 0 | 2 | $500K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
As the line of thunderstorms moved eastward across northeast Kansas on of the strongest storms spawned a brief, but very strong tornado, which impacted the town of Harveyville, Kansas. The tornado was short-lived, but was able to destroy a large portion of the town. Several houses were completely destroyed, as was a church in the center of town. A National Weather Service survey team determined that the tornado rated an EF-2 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. At least a dozen injuries occurred with this storm, one of which became fatal after a day in the hospital. The tornado continued into Osage County and weakened.
Winds estimated to at least 70 mph caused widespread damage across the county. A couple near Paxico was briefly trapped in their mobile home when it was detached from its cables and flipped over. The uninsured mobile home was destroyed. The couple was treated for minor injuries at a hospital. Other damage to trees, power lines and roofs was common. Many crops were severely damaged in the storm.
A tornado bounced up and down along a northeast track through the eastern part of the county, mainly in farmland. About half dozen buildings were damaged. At times the tornado had multiple vorticies. This tornado was one of 12 confirmed tornadoes that struck northeast Kansas on the evening of May 6th. Several had multiple vortices that were initially reported as more than one tornado.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
7,009
Population (ACS)
$177K
Median home value
26
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 30, 2026 | 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 |
| Aug 20, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 28, 2024 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Feb 17, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND STRAIGHT LINE WINDS | DR |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Wabaunsee County, Kansas?
574 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $31.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Wabaunsee County?
Hail, with 290 recorded events — 50.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Wabaunsee County?
50 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 38 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Wabaunsee County?
26 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Wabaunsee County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Wabaunsee County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wabaunsee County as very low risk, placing it in the 15 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Wabaunsee 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
- Trego County 643
- Wallace County 655
- Thomas County 927
- Washington County 615
- Sumner County 1,144
- Wichita County 484
Cite this page
“Wabaunsee County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/wabaunsee-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.