41
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$8.9M
Property damage
Tornado in Graham County, Kansas: 41 recorded events between 1950 and 2022. The strongest on record measured F2. That places the county #598 nationally and #63 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Graham County, Kansas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Graham County is the 2000s, when 12 of the county's 41 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 Graham County archive, tornado makes up 5.9% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #598 for this hazard and #63 within Kansas, putting it in the 79.7 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for tornado in Graham County with 22 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-06-20 | EF3 | 11.9 mi | 600 yd | Touched down here |
| 1969-06-24 | EF3 | 47.0 mi | 700 yd | Crossed in |
| 2005-06-09 | EF2 | 9.5 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 1979-04-19 | EF2 | 5.2 mi | 400 yd | Touched down here |
| 1961-08-12 | EF2 | 21.6 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 1959-05-29 | EF2 | 5.6 mi | 77 yd | Touched down here |
| 1953-06-07 | EF2 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 2011-06-20 | EF1 | 0.9 mi | 25 yd | Touched down here |
| 2011-06-20 | EF1 | 0.6 mi | 25 yd | Touched down here |
| 1995-05-12 | EF1 | 0.2 mi | 50 yd | Touched down here |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 10, 2022 | HILL CITY | EFU | $0 |
| May 28, 2018 | HILL CITY | EF0 | $0 |
| Oct 1, 2017 | (HLC)HILL CITY MUNI | EF0 | $0 |
| Oct 1, 2017 | MORLAND | EF0 | $0 |
| May 10, 2015 | ST PETER | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 20, 2011 | (HLC)HILL CITY MUNI | EF1 | $500K |
| Jun 20, 2011 | (HLC)HILL CITY MUNI | EF1 | $500K |
| Jun 20, 2011 | (HLC)HILL CITY MUNI | EF3 | $5.0M |
| Jun 20, 2011 | ST PETER | EF0 | $0 |
| May 23, 2008 | STUDLEY | EF1 | $15K |
Other hazards here
More from Graham County
- Hail 358
- Thunderstorm Wind 267
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A strong tornado developed just west of U.S. Highway 283 north of Hill City and moved northeast into southern Norton County. The tornado produced extensive damage, including irrigation pivots overturned, utility poles destroyed, and farm implements rolled/tossed nearly 3/4 of a mile. The worst damage occurred in northern Graham County just east of Highway 283. Storm chasers reported at least one satellite tornado rotating around this main tornadic circulation.
Spotter reported a brief tornado roughly 3 miles east of Highway 283 and 9 miles north of Wakeeney in extreme southern Graham County. Tornado had a half condensed bowl with dirt and debris spinning below. Time and location estimated by radar.
A significant tornado (rated F2 based on damage survey) touched down 8 miles SW of Hill City near Road 220 and Road J at approximately 4:20 pm CDT. As the tornado continued northeast toward Road 260 and Road M it damaged two homes and destroyed a detached garage. One home suffered roof damage while another had part of the roof from the upper story removed. Significant and continuous tree and power pole damage was noted for one mile south of this location. Some of this damage was likely produced by an intense rear-flank downdraft accompanying the southern periphery of the tornado. As the tornado crossed Highway 283 approximately 3.5 miles south of Hill City, it caused structural damage to a hangar used as storage. A boat, a small four-wheeler and a camper were either heavily damaged or destroyed, with debris rolled or bounced between one-half and three-fourths of a mile. The tornado crossed the intersection of Road 290 and Road O producing tree damage. The tornado ultimately lifted about a half mile northeast of this location at approximately 4:48 pm CDT.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Graham County, Kansas?
41 tornado events are recorded in Graham County between 1950 and 2022, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Graham County?
The strongest tornado on record in Graham County measured F2.
Where does the tornado data for Graham 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 Graham County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/graham-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.