44
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
31
Direct injuries
$53.6M
Property damage
Tornado in Clay County, Kansas: 44 recorded events between 1951 and 2023. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #513 nationally and #55 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Clay County, Kansas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Clay County is the 2010s, when 9 of the county's 44 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 Clay County archive, tornado makes up 8.4% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #513 for this hazard and #55 within Kansas, putting it in the 82.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Clay County with 19 recorded events, while Feb 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1973-09-25 | EF3 | 169.7 mi | 100 yd | Crossed in |
| 1951-05-25 | EF3 | 4.1 mi | 440 yd | Touched down here |
| 1973-09-25 | EF3 | 69.9 mi | 67 yd | Crossed in |
| 1979-10-18 | EF2 | 71.4 mi | 400 yd | Crossed in |
| 1973-09-26 | EF2 | 2.5 mi | 33 yd | Touched down here |
| 1973-09-25 | EF2 | 5.9 mi | 67 yd | Touched down here |
| 1966-06-08 | EF2 | 8.9 mi | 100 yd | Crossed in |
| 1964-04-20 | EF2 | 12.4 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
| 1960-05-16 | EF2 | 0.3 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1959-05-04 | EF2 | 3.8 mi | 100 yd | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 25, 1951 | F3 | 1 | 0 | $250K | |
| Sep 25, 1973 | F3 | 0 | 20 | $25.0M | |
| Oct 18, 1979 | F2 | 0 | 11 | $2.5M |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 9, 2023 | OAK HILL | EFU | $0 |
| May 2, 2018 | OAK HILL | EF1 | $0 |
| May 2, 2018 | CLIFTON | EF1 | $0 |
| May 20, 2017 | BALA | EF0 | $0 |
| Oct 6, 2016 | CLAY CENTER | EF1 | $0 |
| Oct 6, 2016 | CLIFTON | EF1 | $0 |
| Oct 4, 2016 | GREEN | EF1 | $0 |
| May 9, 2016 | FACT | EF0 | $0 |
| May 19, 2013 | MORGANVILLE | EF1 | $0 |
| Apr 14, 2011 | BROUGHTON | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Clay County
- Hail 280
- Thunderstorm Wind 164
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado formed from a supercell thunderstorm 2 miles west of Clay Center at 3:40pm cst and travelled 9 miles before lifting 2 miles south-southwest of Garfield Center at 3:52pm cst. The tornado was up to 1/2 mile wide at times and damaged numerous outbuildings, trees, roofs, and irrigation pivots along its path. It was rated as a strong F1 tornado.
This tornado formed 5 miles northeast of Longford at 3:14pm cst and travelled 4 miles before lifting 9 miles northeast of Longford at 3:19pm cst. It was an F0 tornado with a path width of 100 yards that caused damage to 3 outbuildings and downed a large tree. It formed from a supercell thunderstorm. The tornado was reported as being on the ground briefly at the same time as the tornado 4 miles east-northeast of Longford by a storm chaser.
The tornado formed from a low-topped mini-supercell a half mile east southeast of Fact in Clay County, and travelled northeast for 0.8 miles with a path width of 75 yards before dissipating. The tornado caused minor damage to trees and several cattle feeders, as well as a small windmill. It was rated as an F0, and damage was estimated at $5K.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Clay County, Kansas?
44 tornado events are recorded in Clay County between 1951 and 2023, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Clay County?
The strongest tornado on record in Clay County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Clay 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 Clay County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/clay-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.