45
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
12
Direct injuries
$7.5M
Property damage
Tornado in Johnson County, Kansas: 45 recorded events between 1952 and 2024. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #479 nationally and #50 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Johnson County, Kansas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Johnson County is the 2010s, when 9 of the county's 45 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 Johnson County archive, tornado makes up 3.3% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #479 for this hazard and #50 within Kansas, putting it in the 83.2 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Johnson 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-05-20 | EF5 | 69.4 mi | 440 yd | Crossed in |
| 1952-05-22 | EF4 | 26.9 mi | 440 yd | Crossed in |
| 1977-05-04 | EF3 | 31.6 mi | 300 yd | Crossed in |
| 1966-04-19 | EF3 | 7.7 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 1980-05-31 | EF2 | 6.6 mi | 10 yd | Crossed in |
| 1977-05-04 | EF2 | 7.8 mi | 70 yd | Touched down here |
| 1972-04-30 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 233 yd | Touched down here |
| 1969-07-09 | EF2 | 7.0 mi | 10 yd | Crossed in |
| 1954-05-31 | EF2 | 2.0 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-19 | EF1 | 2.6 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 19, 1966 | F3 | 0 | 4 | $2.5M | |
| May 17, 1995 | Edgerton to | F1 | 0 | 2 | $10K |
| Jul 9, 1969 | F2 | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Jun 22, 1957 | F1 | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| May 31, 1980 | F2 | 0 | 1 | $250K | |
| May 22, 1952 | F4 | 0 | 1 | $250K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 20, 2024 | OVERLAND PARK | EF1 | $0 |
| May 20, 2024 | ZARAH | EF1 | $0 |
| May 20, 2024 | GARDNER ARPT | EF1 | $0 |
| Jun 8, 2022 | CRAIG | EF1 | $0 |
| Mar 15, 2021 | AUBRY | EF0 | $100K |
| May 3, 2018 | MORSE | EF1 | $0 |
| Mar 7, 2017 | KENNETH | EF0 | $0 |
| Jul 6, 2015 | OLATHE CEDAR PARK | EF0 | $0 |
| Jul 6, 2015 | CLEARVIEW VLG | EF1 | $0 |
| May 6, 2012 | PROVENCE VLG | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Johnson County
- Hail 657
- Thunderstorm Wind 567
- Flash Flood 84
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The storm moved through a neighborhood and caused some damage to the residences. Several outbuildings were also heavily damaged or destroyed, but the tornado was deemed an EF-0. The most dramatic damage noted was a roof blown off the top of a garage where wind compromised the large entry doors and removed the roof from inside the building. The tornado crossed HWY 69 and dissipated near the Kansas and Missouri state line.
A small tornado was associated with strong thunderstorms which produced downburst winds. It crossed into the far southwest portion of the county, west of Interstate 35, from Douglas county. In this area, 20 to 25 utility poles were snapped off and there was some minor structural damage to outbuildings. Several trees were also broken off and downed. The damage path ended after being into Johnson county about 1 mile.
At 1010CST an EF0 tornado touched 1.2 miles south southeast of Stanley. The tornado moved north northeast and lifted at 1012CST, around 0.9 miles southeast of Stanley. Roof damage was observed at the Blue Valley Middle School, and several trees were damaged, north of 159th Street, between Roe and Nall.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Johnson County, Kansas?
45 tornado events are recorded in Johnson County between 1952 and 2024, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Johnson County?
The strongest tornado on record in Johnson County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Johnson 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 Johnson County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/johnson-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.