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Barton County, Kansas severe weather history spans 1,099 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 47.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #105 nationally and #11 in Kansas.
1,099
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
61
Direct injuries
$109.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Barton County, Kansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Barton County, Kansas severe weather history averages 14.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 357 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 117 events fall before 1990 and 982 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Barton County, Kansas record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $50.3M 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 Barton County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 524 | 0 | $21.5M | 4.5 | 1955–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 392 | 0 | $7.1M | 100 | 1956–2025 |
| Tornado | 104 | 2 | $50.3M | F4 | 1950–2024 |
| Flood | 35 | 0 | $14K | 0 | 2006–2021 |
| Flash Flood | 27 | 0 | $30.7M | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 13 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2014–2023 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $21K | 0 | 2002–2014 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2006 |
Decade by decade
Barton County, Kansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
109 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 98 touched down inside it and 11 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-04-21 | EF4 | 1 | 28 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1950-05-04 | EF4 | 0 | 1 | 34.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2017-05-16 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 26.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1990-05-24 | EF3 | 0 | 6 | 26.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-05-27 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-04-22 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 59.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1956-04-02 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 5.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-04-02 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 20.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-10-29 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-05-24 | EF2 | 2 | 1 | 11.8 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Barton County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 22, 2001 | Tornado | HOISINGTON | 1 | 28 | $43.0M |
| Sep 22, 1955 | Tornado | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| Aug 19, 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | GREAT BEND | 0 | 12 | $5.0M |
| Jun 30, 2000 | Hail | GREAT BEND | 0 | 5 | $20.0M |
| May 24, 1990 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $250K | |
| Jul 8, 1982 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $25K | |
| May 17, 2017 | Tornado | PAWNEE ROCK | 0 | 2 | $658K |
| Jun 21, 2009 | Tornado | GREAT BEND | 0 | 2 | $75K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Initial touchdown occurred 1 mile southwest of Hoisington. The tornado rapidly achieved F3 intensity as it entered the west side of town. Moving northeast around 20 mph, the tornado intensified to F4 within 2-3 minutes. While crossing northwest Hoisington, the tornado inflicted a path about 2 miles long and about 2 blocks wide of almost complete destruction. Damage summary: 182 homes destroyed, 52 homes with major damage, 180 homes with minor to moderate damage, 12 businesses destroyed, tore the roof off the hospital, and severed power to most (if not all) areas on the northwest and north sides of town. As the tornado exited through the north side of town it weakened rapidly, inflicting F1-F2 damage as it approached Deception Creek which runs in a southeast to northwest manner 3 miles northeast of town. Once the tornado crossed the creek, it suddenly turned toward the northwest where it damaged two farmsteads shortly before dissipating.One man, 69 years of age, was killed when a minivan fell on him. There were 28 injuries of which 3 were critical.
Flash flooding was reported throughout the county. Highway 96 9 miles west of Great Bend was closed as water started flowing over the road. An observer in the area reported 3.22 inches of rain in just 3 hours. Highway 56 in Pawnee Rock was closed due to flood water. In Hoisington the intersection of 3rd Street and Main was closed due to high water. An observer reported approximately 3 inches of rain in 3 hours in that part of Barton County. 70 to 80 homes were flooded on the north side of Ellinwood. According to Barton County Emergency Management, the county documented roughly 30 million dollars in damage. This includes damages to private property including crop damage, damage to farm equipment, farmsteads and public roads. The Great Bend Tribune contributed to this narrative.
The baseball-sized hail caused widespread damage to approximately 8,000 residences, 400 businesses and 2,500 vehicles. Damage included smashed windows, roofs, siding and air conditioners. Among the vehicles damaged were those of the Barton County Sheriff's Department in which nearly all of the windows were smashed. Crop damage was major to alfalfa, sorghum, corn and soybeans with 18 to 20 percent of these crops destroyed. All reported injuries were minor. Area newspapers contributed to this report.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
25,097
Population (ACS)
$126K
Median home value
28
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 19, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| May 21, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, AND WILDFIRES | DR |
| Aug 20, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Oct 26, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| May 25, 2022 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Feb 17, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND STRAIGHT LINE WINDS | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Great Bend 322
- Hoisington 136
- Ellinwood 127
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Barton County, Kansas?
1,099 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $109.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Barton County?
Hail, with 524 recorded events — 47.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Barton County?
109 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 98 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Barton County?
28 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Barton County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Barton County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Barton County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 60 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Barton 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
- Barber County 742
- Bourbon County 446
- Atchison County 270
- Brown County 460
- Anderson County 407
- Butler County 1,844
Cite this page
“Barton County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/barton-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.