75
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
10
Direct injuries
$21.4M
Property damage
Tornado in Pratt County, Kansas: 75 recorded events between 1951 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #135 nationally and #11 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Pratt County, Kansas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Pratt County is the 2000s, when 25 of the county's 75 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 Pratt County archive, tornado makes up 7.5% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #135 for this hazard and #11 within Kansas, putting it in the 95.4 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Pratt County with 40 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-05-23 | EF3 | 21.9 mi | 1,430 yd | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-18 | EF3 | 32.7 mi | 1,760 yd | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-18 | EF3 | 11.5 mi | 500 yd | Touched down here |
| 1991-03-26 | EF3 | 26.0 mi | 220 yd | Touched down here |
| 1973-09-25 | EF3 | 58.0 mi | 80 yd | Crossed in |
| 1965-05-25 | EF3 | 25.3 mi | 250 yd | Touched down here |
| 1951-04-30 | EF3 | 12.8 mi | 440 yd | Touched down here |
| 2006-04-01 | EF2 | 4.9 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 2002-05-07 | EF2 | 22.0 mi | 1,800 yd | Touched down here |
| 2002-05-07 | EF2 | 19.6 mi | 900 yd | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 24, 2008 | SAWYER | EF3 | 2 | 2 | $0 |
| May 5, 2007 | HOPEWELL | EF3 | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| May 26, 1965 | F3 | 0 | 7 | $250K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 19, 2025 | NATRONA | EF3 | $0 |
| May 19, 2025 | IUKA | EFU | $0 |
| May 19, 2025 | CULLISON | EF3 | $0 |
| May 27, 2019 | BYERS | EF1 | $0 |
| May 19, 2017 | SAWYER | EF0 | $0 |
| May 19, 2017 | SAWYER | EF0 | $0 |
| May 25, 2016 | SAWYER | EF0 | $0 |
| May 12, 2014 | SPRINGVALE | EF0 | $0 |
| Jul 29, 2013 | PRESTON | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 14, 2012 | CAIRO | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Pratt County
- Hail 576
- Thunderstorm Wind 288
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado moved across out of southeast Edwards county at 2148 CST and grew into a large tornado of a little more than a mile wide. A male was killed near Hopewell as a basement wall collapsed on him when his home was demolished. Very little of the home was left visible.
This very large tornado moved southeast across much of Pratt. Damage was rated a STRONG F2. There were 14 homes destroyed, 15 with major damage and 230 with minor damage. Over 50 Pivot sprinklers were damaged or destroyed. Despite the very heavy damage, there were no injuries thanks in part to adequate warnings.
This tornado crossed into the county from Barber county. There was tree damage, damage to sheds and fences. The Emergency Manager for Pratt county reported high wind and what was actually debris from the tornado passing nearby. It's estimated he was within 1/2 mile of the vortex but it was dark and he could not see the tornado. He was fortunate not to be a fatality.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Pratt County, Kansas?
75 tornado events are recorded in Pratt County between 1951 and 2025, causing 3 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Pratt County?
The strongest tornado on record in Pratt County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Pratt 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 Pratt County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/pratt-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.