104
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
44
Direct injuries
$50.3M
Property damage
Tornado in Barton County, Kansas: 104 recorded events between 1950 and 2024. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #42 nationally and #3 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Barton County, Kansas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Barton County is the 2000s, when 40 of the county's 104 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Barton County archive, tornado makes up 9.5% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #42 for this hazard and #3 within Kansas, putting it in the 98.6 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Barton County with 54 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-04-21 | EF4 | 5.0 mi | 660 yd | Touched down here |
| 1950-05-04 | EF4 | 34.3 mi | 150 yd | Crossed in |
| 2017-05-16 | EF3 | 26.6 mi | 300 yd | Crossed in |
| 1990-05-24 | EF3 | 26.0 mi | 1,320 yd | Touched down here |
| 1975-05-27 | EF3 | 0.5 mi | 20 yd | Touched down here |
| 1964-04-22 | EF3 | 59.7 mi | 880 yd | Crossed in |
| 1956-10-29 | EF3 | 0.6 mi | 147 yd | Touched down here |
| 1956-04-02 | EF3 | 5.4 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1956-04-02 | EF3 | 20.1 mi | 350 yd | Touched down here |
| 2011-05-24 | EF2 | 11.8 mi | 500 yd | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 22, 2001 | HOISINGTON | F4 | 1 | 28 | $43.0M |
| Sep 22, 1955 | F0 | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| May 24, 1990 | F3 | 0 | 4 | $250K | |
| Jul 8, 1982 | F1 | 0 | 3 | $25K | |
| May 17, 2017 | PAWNEE ROCK | EF3 | 0 | 2 | $658K |
| Jun 21, 2009 | GREAT BEND | EF0 | 0 | 2 | $75K |
| May 24, 2011 | ELLINWOOD | EF1 | 0 | 1 | $250K |
| Aug 7, 1966 | F2 | 0 | 1 | $25K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 19, 2024 | ELLINWOOD | EFU | $0 |
| May 26, 2021 | HITSCHMANN | EFU | $0 |
| May 26, 2021 | HITSCHMANN | EFU | $0 |
| Aug 25, 2019 | HITSCHMANN | EFU | $0 |
| May 18, 2019 | DUNDEE | EFU | $0 |
| May 5, 2019 | ELLINWOOD | EF1 | $40K |
| Aug 17, 2018 | ALBERT | EF0 | $0 |
| May 18, 2017 | GREAT BEND ARPT | EF0 | $0 |
| May 18, 2017 | HEIZER | EF0 | $0 |
| May 18, 2017 | GREAT BEND ARPT | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Barton County
- Hail 524
- Thunderstorm Wind 392
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Initial touchdown occurred 1 mile southwest of Hoisington. The tornado rapidly achieved F3 intensity as it entered the west side of town. Moving northeast around 20 mph, the tornado intensified to F4 within 2-3 minutes. While crossing northwest Hoisington, the tornado inflicted a path about 2 miles long and about 2 blocks wide of almost complete destruction. Damage summary: 182 homes destroyed, 52 homes with major damage, 180 homes with minor to moderate damage, 12 businesses destroyed, tore the roof off the hospital, and severed power to most (if not all) areas on the northwest and north sides of town. As the tornado exited through the north side of town it weakened rapidly, inflicting F1-F2 damage as it approached Deception Creek which runs in a southeast to northwest manner 3 miles northeast of town. Once the tornado crossed the creek, it suddenly turned toward the northwest where it damaged two farmsteads shortly before dissipating.One man, 69 years of age, was killed when a minivan fell on him. There were 28 injuries of which 3 were critical.
The tornado damaged large trees at several locations along its path. Two barns were destroyed and several outbuildings were also severely damaged. Five 100,000 bushel grain bins were also destroyed with two of them flung onto the local Dillon's grocery store causing damage to that structure. Damage to a church steeple and out building also occurred at the beginning of the tornado path. Tornado was probably descending down directly onto the church.
Significant damage at Great Bend Airport. Hangars were unroofed and an unspecified number of aircraft were overturned. This proved to be an anxious moment for Great Bend! After causing extensive damage to the airport, the tornado was moving toward the city when it lifted. The funnel passed directly over the city at tree-top level. The funnel subsequently touched down east of Great Bend, striking two farmsteads five miles east of Barton County Community College. (See 1544 CST entry for details.) (Narrative courtesy Great Bend Tribune.)
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Barton County, Kansas?
104 tornado events are recorded in Barton County between 1950 and 2024, causing 2 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Barton County?
The strongest tornado on record in Barton County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Barton County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Tornado in Barton County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/barton-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.