Comanche County, Kansas severe weather history spans 623 recorded events between 1950 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 67.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #527 nationally and #61 in Kansas.
623
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$2.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Comanche County, Kansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Comanche County, Kansas severe weather history averages 8.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 237 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 45 events fall before 1990 and 578 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is hail, with $1.5M 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 Comanche County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 421 | 0 | $1.5M | 4 | 1957–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 111 | 0 | $146K | 88 | 1955–2025 |
| Tornado | 46 | 0 | $370K | F3 | 1950–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 24 | 0 | $0 | 400 | 1998–2019 |
| Flash Flood | 10 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Flood | 9 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2025 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
| Strong Wind | 1 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Comanche County, Kansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
45 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 40 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-05-18 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 8.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-05-23 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-09-25 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 58.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-04-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-05-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 13.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-03-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1950-05-24 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 3.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-11-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 16.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2015-11-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-11-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Comanche County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 8, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | BUTTERMILK | 0 | 1 | $50K |
| Mar 8, 2000 | Tornado | BUTTERMILK | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| May 24, 1950 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $3K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Unknown wind event occurred in the absence of any thunderstorms. The event occurred in an isolated location. Lots of roof damage, numerous windows blown out of houses, bricks blown off buildings, large tree branches blown down. A trampoline was blown onto a garage. A gas meter was blown off a building.
First tornado of this prolific cyclic supercell with the vortex starting in far northern Comanche County KS and then traveling north-northeast for over 8 miles before ending around 7 miles southeast of Mullinville KS in Kiowa County KS. Maximum width of almost a half mile with peak winds of at least 155 mph (EF3). ||A farm grain cart was tossed/tumbled at least 100 yards, Total destruction of a metal building system. Trees debarked with only stubs of largest branches remaining. Electrical transmission lines were damaged.
This tornado was observed and photographed as it traveled across mainly open range area. However, it did reach the edge of a farm and did considerable damage to trees, implements, power poles and fence. Some machinery was carried 1/2 of a mile.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
1,729
Population (ACS)
$70K
Median home value
22
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 19, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 24, 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 |
| May 25, 2022 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Coldwater 201
- Protection 177
- Buttermilk 113
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Comanche County, Kansas?
623 events are on record between 1950 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $2.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Comanche County?
Hail, with 421 recorded events — 67.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Comanche County?
45 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 40 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Comanche County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Comanche County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Comanche County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Comanche County as very low risk, placing it in the 20 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Comanche 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
- Coffey County 504
- Cowley County 1,414
- Cloud County 754
- Crawford County 657
- Clay County 525
- Decatur County 614
Cite this page
“Comanche County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/comanche-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.