392
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
12
Direct injuries
$7.1M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Barton County, Kansas: 392 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 100. That places the county #227 nationally and #13 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Barton County, Kansas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Barton County is the 2000s, when 120 of the county's 392 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 Barton County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 35.7% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #227 for this hazard and #13 within Kansas, putting it in the 92.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Barton County with 99 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.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 19, 2005 | GREAT BEND | 65 | 0 | 12 | $5.0M |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 22, 2025 | ELLINWOOD | 52 | $0 |
| Jul 22, 2025 | HOISINGTON | 52 | $0 |
| Jul 22, 2025 | GREAT BEND | 61 | $0 |
| Jul 22, 2025 | GREAT BEND | 61 | $0 |
| Jun 17, 2025 | PAWNEE ROCK | 50 | $0 |
| May 25, 2025 | GREAT BEND | 56 | $0 |
| May 25, 2025 | PAWNEE ROCK | 58 | $0 |
| Sep 20, 2024 | GREAT BEND ARPT | 54 | $0 |
| Aug 26, 2024 | GREAT BEND | 56 | $0 |
| Aug 1, 2024 | ELLINWOOD | 52 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Barton County
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Strong thunderstorm winds blew across the county. The strongest winds and most damage was across the northern half of the county. In Susank, buildings were damaged and large tree limbs were knocked down. A barn was completely destroyed while other sheds received damage on a farm near Hoisington. Two miles east of Elinwood, the roof was blown off an aluminum shed and 300 gallon tank was blown over.
Damaging winds knocked down 23 power poles along Kansas Highway 4 just to the north of Olmitz and Bison. This knocked out power to six small towns in the area. Kansas Highway 4 was closed for a short time because of the damage and power remained out for almost 12 hours.
Amateur radio tower toppled. Fence leveled. Two miles east of Great Bend: Metal shed blown across U.S.56/HIghway 156 intersection. Traffic blocked. Trailer at construction site overturned and destroyed. Great Bend Tribune contributed greatly to this narrative.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Barton County, Kansas?
392 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Barton County between 1956 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Barton County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Barton County measured 100.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Barton 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
“Thunderstorm Wind in Barton County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/barton-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.