115
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$3.4M
Property damage
Tornado in Ford County, Kansas: 115 recorded events between 1951 and 2024. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #25 nationally and #1 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Ford County, Kansas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Ford County is the 2000s, when 37 of the county's 115 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 Ford County archive, tornado makes up 6.5% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #25 for this hazard and #1 within Kansas, putting it in the 99.2 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Ford County with 50 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.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
| Date | Scale | Path length | Max width | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955-06-04 | EF4 | 72.2 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
| 2019-05-17 | EF3 | 29.6 mi | 600 yd | Crossed in |
| 2016-05-24 | EF3 | 14.7 mi | 675 yd | Touched down here |
| 2016-05-24 | EF3 | 1.9 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 2008-05-23 | EF3 | 20.9 mi | 3,170 yd | Crossed in |
| 2002-05-07 | EF3 | 4.0 mi | 900 yd | Touched down here |
| 1973-09-25 | EF3 | 8.8 mi | 73 yd | Touched down here |
| 2019-05-17 | EF2 | 14.9 mi | 875 yd | Touched down here |
| 2016-05-24 | EF2 | 16.7 mi | 1,800 yd | Touched down here |
| 2016-05-24 | EF2 | 5.0 mi | 550 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 24, 2016 | DODGE CITY | EF2 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| May 24, 2016 | BLOOM | EF3 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 19, 2024 | HOWELL | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 18, 2024 | HOWELL | EF0 | $0 |
| Aug 29, 2022 | SPEARVILLE | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2022 | BLOOM | EF0 | $0 |
| Oct 13, 2021 | BUCKLIN | EF1 | $0 |
| Oct 13, 2021 | FORD | EF1 | $0 |
| Oct 13, 2021 | SPEARVILLE | EF0 | $110K |
| Oct 13, 2021 | HOWELL | EF1 | $0 |
| May 27, 2019 | WINDTHORST | EF1 | $0 |
| May 27, 2019 | HOWELL | EF1 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Ford County
- Hail 980
- Thunderstorm Wind 529
- Heavy Rain 82
- Flash Flood 41
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado moved out of Clark County at 1952 LST. One farm that received EF3 damage was unoccupied at the time as the residents left their safe spot (basement) and drove 1 1/2 miles east. They left the basement, that did not have any debris in it, on the advice of a storm chaser that was following the tornado. They (Grandparents and three grand children) were very fortunate that they were not injured, if not worse.
The second tornado to form started 6.3 miles northwest of Fowler at 1011 PM and traveled a total of 17 miles dissipating at 1040 PM 7 miles southwest of the Dodge City Post Office. It did EF1 damage to five pivot irrigation sprinklers, trees and some outbuildings…in addition to moving a 3000 gallon tank about 1/2 of a mile.
A mobile home was completely demolished. Ironically, the occupants were not at home, only because the school activity bus was late. Another trailer nearby received moderate damage. Two pivot sprinklers were destroyed and there was other scattered minor damage along the path of the tornado.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Ford County, Kansas?
115 tornado events are recorded in Ford County between 1951 and 2024, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Ford County?
The strongest tornado on record in Ford County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Ford 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
“Tornado in Ford County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/ford-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.