376
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
9
Direct injuries
$10.7M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Douglas County, Kansas: 376 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 100. That places the county #257 nationally and #14 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Douglas County, Kansas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Douglas County is the 2010s, when 106 of the county's 376 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 Douglas County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 42.1% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #257 for this hazard and #14 within Kansas, putting it in the 91.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Douglas County with 83 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 12, 2006 | LAWRENCE | 78 | 0 | 3 | $8.0M |
| May 31, 1999 | CLINTON | 52 | 0 | 2 | $5K |
| May 17, 1997 | LAWRENCE | 60 | 0 | 2 | $10K |
| Jul 14, 2023 | LAWRENCE | 67 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jul 2, 1994 | Clinton State Park | 70 | 0 | 1 | $50K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 2026 | LAWRENCE | 56 | $0 |
| Apr 27, 2026 | LAWRENCE | 56 | $0 |
| Apr 27, 2026 | CLINTON | 61 | $0 |
| Apr 27, 2026 | CLINTON | 51 | $0 |
| Oct 31, 2024 | EUDORA | 52 | $0 |
| Aug 1, 2024 | EUDORA | 68 | $0 |
| Aug 1, 2024 | EUDORA | 61 | $0 |
| Aug 1, 2024 | EUDORA | 65 | $0 |
| Aug 1, 2024 | LAWRENCE ARPT | 62 | $0 |
| Aug 1, 2024 | LAWRENCE | 56 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Douglas County
- Hail 373
- Flash Flood 62
- Tornado 40
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A 1.5 mile wide swath of very strong straight line or downburst winds moved west to east across the southern section of the county, just south of US Highway 56. Numerous homes, buildings, farms and barns reported varying degrees of damage. Crops in the area were also damaged or destroyed. This supercell storm also produced a brief tornado near Baldwin City (see other entries for details).
Very high winds, initially estimated at 110 mph, caused significant damage in the state park to campers, tenets, RV's, some buildings and the marina/dock area. One young boy was hit by flying debris and required several stitches to close the cut on his head.
A cement block silo was blown down. Several grain bins and tin sheds were damaged. Tin debris was blown nearly a quarter of a mile downstream. The house on the farm property had several windows broken out on its southern side. Several tree branches around 6 inches in diameter were blown down as well. The survey team estimated 75 to 80 mph winds at the residence.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Douglas County, Kansas?
376 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Douglas County between 1955 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Douglas County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Douglas County measured 100.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Douglas 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 Douglas County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/douglas-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.