46
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$370K
Property damage
Tornado in Comanche County, Kansas: 46 recorded events between 1950 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #455 nationally and #44 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Comanche County, Kansas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Comanche County is the 2000s, when 19 of the county's 46 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 Comanche County archive, tornado makes up 7.4% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #455 for this hazard and #44 within Kansas, putting it in the 84.3 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Comanche County with 18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-05-18 | EF3 | 8.2 mi | 800 yd | Touched down here |
| 2008-05-23 | EF3 | 11.0 mi | 980 yd | Crossed in |
| 1973-09-25 | EF3 | 58.0 mi | 80 yd | Touched down here |
| 2012-04-30 | EF2 | 2.6 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 2008-05-23 | EF2 | 13.5 mi | 1,600 yd | Touched down here |
| 1973-03-13 | EF2 | 2.3 mi | 40 yd | Touched down here |
| 1950-05-24 | EF2 | 3.6 mi | 77 yd | Touched down here |
| 2015-11-16 | EF1 | 3.3 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 2015-11-16 | EF1 | 16.1 mi | 810 yd | Crossed in |
| 2015-11-16 | EF1 | 5.3 mi | 460 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 8, 2000 | BUTTERMILK | F1 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| May 24, 1950 | F2 | 0 | 1 | $3K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 19, 2025 | COLDWATER | EF3 | $0 |
| May 2, 2022 | BUTTERMILK | EF0 | $0 |
| May 2, 2022 | PROTECTION | EF0 | $0 |
| Dec 25, 2016 | WILMORE | EF0 | $85K |
| Nov 17, 2015 | WILMORE | EF1 | $0 |
| Nov 17, 2015 | BUTTERMILK | EF1 | $0 |
| Apr 8, 2015 | BUTTERMILK | EF0 | $0 |
| May 1, 2012 | BUTTERMILK | EF2 | $0 |
| Apr 14, 2012 | WILMORE | EF1 | $0 |
| Sep 25, 2010 | BUTTERMILK | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Comanche County
- Hail 421
- Thunderstorm Wind 111
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This was the beginning of the Greensburg tornado that eventually grew into a monster killer in Kiowa county (moving into Kiowa county at 2003 CST). In Comanche county it struck some oil tanks and trees causing EF1 damage to those objects. Oil was strewn across pastures and a county road.
First tornado of this prolific cyclic supercell with the vortex starting in far northern Comanche County KS and then traveling north-northeast for over 8 miles before ending around 7 miles southeast of Mullinville KS in Kiowa County KS. Maximum width of almost a half mile with peak winds of at least 155 mph (EF3). ||A farm grain cart was tossed/tumbled at least 100 yards, Total destruction of a metal building system. Trees debarked with only stubs of largest branches remaining. Electrical transmission lines were damaged.
This tornado was just south of the Comanche/Kiowa county line as it first moved east and then southeast. Towards the end it caused damage to a farm. A roof was blown off a lean-to, tin was stripped of a barn and a central air unit was removed from a house and destroyed.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Comanche County, Kansas?
46 tornado events are recorded in Comanche County between 1950 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Comanche County?
The strongest tornado on record in Comanche County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Comanche 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 Comanche County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/comanche-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.