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Allen County, Kansas severe weather history spans 438 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 44.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,106 nationally and #96 in Kansas.
438
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$15.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Allen County, Kansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Allen County, Kansas severe weather history averages 5.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 161 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 32 events fall before 1990 and 406 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flash flood, with $6.8M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Allen County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 195 | 0 | $888K | 4.25 | 1964–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 139 | 0 | $2.5M | 95 | 1956–2026 |
| Flood | 31 | 0 | $13K | 0 | 2007–2023 |
| Tornado | 26 | 0 | $5.6M | F2 | 1950–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 24 | 0 | $6.8M | 0 | 2000–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 20 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2014–2024 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $160K | 0 | 1998–2008 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2006 |
Decade by decade
Allen County, Kansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
29 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 24 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-05-08 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 23.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1956-07-20 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 69.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2003-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 15.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-03-26 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-03-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 30.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-06-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-04-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1954-03-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 22.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2003-05-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-05-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Allen County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 1, 1971 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $25K | |
| Jun 11, 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | IOLA | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| May 8, 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | PETROLIA | 0 | 1 | $10K |
| Mar 27, 1991 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $2.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Extremely heavy rainfall from the end of June into early July caused flash flooding throughout Allen County. The flash flooding and the ensuing river flooding caused an estimated 3 million dollars in damages to private property and 3 million dollars in damage to public infrastructure. Additionally, the flood water damaged and estimated 8,000 acres of crops. Moderate flooding occurred on the Neosho River with a crest of 26.9 feet recorded at Iola. This was 11.9 feet above flood stage. The river remained above flood stage until the afternoon of July 3rd.
A large area of damaging downburst winds moved across the town of Humboldt. The downburst winds were produced by the rear flank downtraft from a supercell thunderstorm as it moved just to the northeast of town. Numerous large trees were blow down. Some of the trees were almost 3 to 4 feet in diameter. The northwest side of town was the hardest hit, with most of the tree damage laying over to the west and northwest. A large row of power poles were snapped on the north side of town. Some minor superficial damage occurred to a few buildings in downtown.
Winds estimated over 100 mph caused extensive damage including recreational vehicles turned over, picture windows and car windows blown out, a garage was moved six inches off its foundation, uprooted trees, and destroyed three barns.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
12,483
Population (ACS)
$108K
Median home value
14
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 15, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Oct 26, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 20, 2019 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, FLOODING,LANDSLIDES,AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| May 28, 2019 | Severe Storm | TORNADOES AND FLOODING | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Iola 239
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Allen County, Kansas?
438 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $15.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Allen County?
Hail, with 195 recorded events — 44.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Allen County?
29 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 24 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Allen County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Allen County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Allen County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Allen County as very low risk, placing it in the 15 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Allen County, Kansas severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Anderson County 407
- Atchison County 270
- Barber County 742
- Barton County 1,099
- Bourbon County 446
- Brown County 460
Cite this page
“Allen County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/allen-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.