60
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$3.5M
Property damage
Tornado in Scott County, Kansas: 60 recorded events between 1950 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F3. That places the county #248 nationally and #21 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Scott County, Kansas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Scott County is the 2010s, when 22 of the county's 60 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 Scott County archive, tornado makes up 8.8% of all recorded severe weather across 6 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #248 for this hazard and #21 within Kansas, putting it in the 91.6 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Scott County with 26 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968-05-13 | EF3 | 140.4 mi | 320 yd | Crossed in |
| 1956-07-12 | EF2 | 20.0 mi | 10 yd | Crossed in |
| 2025-05-18 | EF2 | 10.8 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-18 | EF2 | 11.0 mi | 460 yd | Touched down here |
| 2017-10-02 | EF2 | 18.3 mi | 450 yd | Touched down here |
| 1979-08-28 | EF2 | 10.1 mi | 200 yd | Crossed in |
| 1964-05-05 | EF2 | 7.6 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1951-06-20 | EF2 | 48.6 mi | 10 yd | Crossed in |
| 1950-07-02 | EF2 | 1.0 mi | 90 yd | Touched down here |
| 2017-10-02 | EF1 | 2.5 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 13, 1956 | F2 | 1 | 0 | $25K | |
| Apr 15, 1976 | F1 | 0 | 1 | $250K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 18, 2025 | SCOTT STATE PARK | EFU | $0 |
| May 18, 2025 | MODOC | EF2 | $0 |
| May 18, 2025 | SCOTT STATE PARK | EF2 | $0 |
| Oct 3, 2017 | SCOTT STATE PARK | EF2 | $0 |
| Oct 3, 2017 | MODOC | EF1 | $150K |
| Oct 2, 2017 | MODOC | EF0 | $0 |
| May 24, 2016 | MANNING | EF0 | $0 |
| May 24, 2016 | MANNING | EF0 | $0 |
| May 24, 2016 | MODOC | EF0 | $0 |
| May 24, 2016 | MODOC | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Scott County
- Hail 426
- Thunderstorm Wind 169
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Tornado began just south of W Road 270 in northern Scott County. The tornado tracked northward toward the Scott Wildlife Area where damage was observed to trees, including snapped trunks and a total destruction of an outbuilding. The tornado continued north into Logan County.
Tornado began just south of State Highway 96, southwest of Modoc. The tornado traveled northeast and immediately snapped power poles along the highway. As it continued northeastward, some train cars were toppled just west of town. To the north end of Modoc, a mobile home had its roof ripped off. As the tornado continued tracking northeastward in open fields, it continued producing sporadic damage to power lines, a home, and pivot irrigation systems. The tornado dissipated just north of W Road 200.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Scott County, Kansas?
60 tornado events are recorded in Scott County between 1950 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Scott County?
The strongest tornado on record in Scott County measured F3.
Where does the tornado data for Scott 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 Scott County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/scott-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.