504
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
10
Direct injuries
$17.4M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Cowley County, Kansas: 504 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 99. That places the county #108 nationally and #9 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Cowley County, Kansas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Cowley County is the 2000s, when 162 of the county's 504 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 Cowley County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 35.6% of all recorded severe weather across 7 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #108 for this hazard and #9 within Kansas, putting it in the 96.6 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Cowley County with 147 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 1993 | Arkansasa City | 70 | 0 | 3 | $5.0M |
| Jul 2, 2011 | ARKANSAS CITY | 43 | 0 | 2 | $3K |
| Apr 3, 1999 | WINFIELD | 52 | 0 | 2 | $250K |
| Jun 1, 1996 | WINFIELD | 61 | 0 | 2 | $5K |
| Jul 2, 1994 | Rock | 99 | 0 | 1 | $5.0M |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 17, 2026 | ATLANTA | 52 | $0 |
| Jul 11, 2025 | ARKANSAS CITY | 61 | $0 |
| Jun 30, 2025 | ARKANSAS CITY | 52 | $0 |
| Jun 30, 2025 | WINFIELD ARPT | 60 | $0 |
| Jun 30, 2025 | WINFIELD | 52 | $0 |
| Jun 18, 2025 | WINFIELD ARPT | 62 | $0 |
| Jun 18, 2025 | WINFIELD | 52 | $0 |
| Jun 17, 2025 | ARKANSAS CITY | 52 | $0 |
| Jun 17, 2025 | WINFIELD | 65 | $0 |
| Jun 17, 2025 | WINFIELD ARPT | 65 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Cowley County
- Hail 718
- Tornado 89
- Flash Flood 44
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Ninety to 115 mph winds hit the Burden area. Big trees were uprooted, a horse barn collapsed and grain bins were destroyed. In Atlanta, a mobile home was blown over and demolished. A man inside at the time sustained a punctured lung and concussion and was hospitalized in fair condition. The winds, estimated at 85 mph, collapsed two brick walls and caused considerable tree damage. Sixty mph winds occurred in Cambridge and were estimated up to 80 mph in Rock where golf ball-size hail fell. The Winfield cooling tower sustained $103 thousand damage from 70 mph winds and there was heavy damage to the roof of Dexter High School.
Arkansas City was hit with winds greater than 80 miles an hour. Four mobile homes were destroyed, four had major damage and another six received minor damage. A mobile home was also destroyed five miles east of town. Three people suffered minor injuries. One site-built home was also destroyed and 30 others had damage. Major damage was centered in the 700 and 800 blocks of 6th, 7th and 8th Streets. Estimated damage in Arkansas City totalled nearly $1 million.
Straight line winds produced widespread damage across the Arkansas City area. The strong winds downed numerous trees and power lines/poles, inflicted roof damage to several homes and businesses, and blew over a few semi trailers. Several grave stones at the local cemetary were damaged, and 69 power poles and 24 transformers were damaged or destroyed across the Arkansas City area.|
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Cowley County, Kansas?
504 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Cowley County between 1955 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Cowley County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Cowley County measured 99.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Cowley 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 Cowley County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/cowley-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.