52
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
62
Direct injuries
$54.0M
Property damage
Tornado in Harvey County, Kansas: 52 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The strongest on record measured F5. That places the county #352 nationally and #30 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Harvey County, Kansas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Harvey County is the 1960s, when 14 of the county's 52 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 Harvey County archive, tornado makes up 7.9% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #352 for this hazard and #30 within Kansas, putting it in the 88.1 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Harvey County with 20 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-03-13 | EF5 | 48.0 mi | 1,320 yd | Crossed in |
| 1990-03-13 | EF5 | 22.0 mi | 1,320 yd | Touched down here |
| 2015-05-06 | EF3 | 16.5 mi | 300 yd | Crossed in |
| 1990-03-13 | EF3 | 18.0 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 1965-05-13 | EF3 | 62.5 mi | 100 yd | Crossed in |
| 1962-05-24 | EF3 | 18.8 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1974-05-13 | EF2 | 49.8 mi | 100 yd | Crossed in |
| 1974-05-13 | EF2 | 51.7 mi | 100 yd | Crossed in |
| 1970-03-02 | EF2 | 25.5 mi | 360 yd | Touched down here |
| 1963-07-12 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 13, 1990 | F5 | 1 | 59 | $25.0M | |
| May 14, 1974 | F2 | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Jul 13, 1963 | F2 | 0 | 1 | $30 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 23, 2026 | NEWTON ARPT | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 23, 2026 | ANNELLY | EFU | $0 |
| Apr 30, 2024 | BURRTON | EFU | $0 |
| Apr 30, 2022 | HESSTON | EFU | $0 |
| Aug 28, 2015 | ANNELLY | EF0 | $0 |
| May 6, 2015 | BURRTON | EF2 | $30K |
| Mar 7, 2009 | HESSTON | EF0 | $0 |
| Jan 28, 2006 | NEWTON | F0 | $100K |
| Apr 11, 2002 | NEWTON | F0 | $0 |
| Jun 6, 2001 | SEDGWICK | F0 | $50K |
Other hazards here
More from Harvey County
- Hail 317
- Thunderstorm Wind 226
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Impressive tornado continued to moved across open country. A small hog barn had the roof blown off and significant tree damage was noted along the path. The worst of which was to a fence row of cedar trees in which they were completely snapped and partially debarked for a width of approximately 150 yards (DI28 DOD5). the maximum width along the path was 300 yards.
Landspout tornado relayed via video to the emergency manager and caused damage to a property with sheet metal taken off of an outbuilding and blown about 200 yards. One tree was uprooted, and items in a shed were pushed backwards. There was a tractor trailer which had an eight-inch branch hurled into its cab causing a dent in the side.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Harvey County, Kansas?
52 tornado events are recorded in Harvey County between 1955 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Harvey County?
The strongest tornado on record in Harvey County measured F5.
Where does the tornado data for Harvey 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 Harvey County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/harvey-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.