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Chautauqua County, Kansas severe weather history spans 475 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 43.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #964 nationally and #89 in Kansas.
475
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$899K
Property damage
The record
What the Chautauqua County, Kansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Chautauqua County, Kansas severe weather history averages 6.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 173 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 45 events fall before 1990 and 430 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $407K in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Chautauqua County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 205 | 0 | $7K | 3 | 1957–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 186 | 0 | $407K | 78 | 1968–2026 |
| Tornado | 25 | 0 | $313K | F4 | 1951–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 25 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 19 | 0 | $173K | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Flood | 15 | 0 | $400 | 0 | 2007–2020 |
Decade by decade
Chautauqua County, Kansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
23 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 22 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-05-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 39.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-09-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-09-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-06 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-04-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-04-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-04-30 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-09-21 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-05-14 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Crossed in |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Estimated winds up to 85 mph caused a swath of damage from Cedar Vale to 9 miles northwest of Sedan. Numerous trees, power lines, and limbs were reported down. The swath was estimated to be 2 to 3 miles wide. An estimated 9 power poles were laying across highway 99.
The CO-OP observer in Cedar Vale measured 7.2 inches of rain which lead to flooding of his residence. 6 inches of rain was also measured in the town of Chautauqua. Flash flooding was also reported in Sedan where numerous city streets were inundated.
Winds estimated around 80 mph produced some damage across Cedar Vale. Power lines were downed, tree limbs 10 inches in diameter were downed, and the announcer's box roof at the ball field blew off. Additionally, ping pong ball size hail accompanied these severe winds.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
3,370
Population (ACS)
$66K
Median home value
16
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, AND WILDFIRES | DR |
| Jul 15, 2024 | 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
- Cedar Vale 149
- Sedan 130
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Chautauqua County, Kansas?
475 events are on record between 1951 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $899K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Chautauqua County?
Hail, with 205 recorded events — 43.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Chautauqua County?
23 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 22 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Chautauqua County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Chautauqua County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Chautauqua County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Chautauqua County as very low risk, placing it in the 12 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Chautauqua 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
- Chase County 380
- Cherokee County 743
- Butler County 1,844
- Cheyenne County 873
- Brown County 460
- Clark County 691
Cite this page
“Chautauqua County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/chautauqua-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.