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Jackson County, Kansas severe weather history spans 456 recorded events between 1950 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 54.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,041 nationally and #92 in Kansas.
456
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
19
Direct injuries
$9.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Jackson County, Kansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Jackson County, Kansas severe weather history averages 6.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 149 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 60 events fall before 1990 and 396 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Jackson County, Kansas record is tornado, responsible for 5 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $7.3M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Jackson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 248 | 0 | $124K | 3 | 1962–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 139 | 0 | $297K | 80 | 1956–2025 |
| Tornado | 35 | 5 | $7.3M | F4 | 1950–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 23 | 1 | $1.4M | 0 | 1996–2022 |
| Flood | 6 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 2001–2015 |
| Lightning | 5 | 0 | $89K | 0 | 1998–2006 |
Decade by decade
Jackson County, Kansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
43 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 31 touched down inside it and 12 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1962-08-06 | EF4 | 0 | 3 | 11.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-05-31 | EF3 | 3 | 1 | 37.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1967-06-11 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 43.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1956-04-02 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 127.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1950-05-05 | EF3 | 0 | 12 | 17.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-06-11 | EF2 | 2 | 0 | 17.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2019-05-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 17.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-04-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 44.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-04-26 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-06-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Jackson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1978 | Tornado | 3 | 1 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 12, 2008 | Tornado | SOLDIER | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Feb 24, 2001 | Flash Flood | MAYETTA | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 5, 1950 | Tornado | 0 | 12 | $250K | |
| Aug 6, 1962 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| Oct 2, 2005 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 1 | $700K |
| Sep 9, 1989 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K | |
| Apr 27, 1984 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $2.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This is the second segment of a tornado that initially touched down in Pottawatomie County and then continued northeast into Jackson County before continuing northeast and dissipating in Nemaha County. This is segment 2 of 3. Upon entering Jackson County the tornado did EF1 and EF0 damage primarily to outbuildings, power poles and large trees. As the tornado continued northeast, it moved south of Soldier causing extensive damage to two farmsteads. One residence was blown off of its foundation while another sustained extensive damage to its external walls and roof. All surrounding outbuildings were destroyed. The tornado continued northeast, striking a mobile home just south of the Nemaha County border. The mobile home was destroyed, and the occupant sustained fatal injuries. The tornado then continued northeast into Nemaha County.
A multiple vortex tornado bounced up and down along its path damaging about 15 to 20 buildings, barns and homes at six locations in northwest Jackson county. Most of the smaller sheds were totally destroyed. Numerous power poles and cable also damaged.
Water was reported to be running over roadways across portions of the county. M Road was littered with debris as a result of water flowing over the road. Several raods were deemed impassable. Portions of N Road sunk or developed large holes. The backwall of a bridge collapsed near the intersection of 246 and N Roads. Rainfall reports near the roadways most significantly affected by the heavy rainfall included eight inches of rain in the Whiting area, and four inches to the north of Holton.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
13,341
Population (ACS)
$207K
Median home value
19
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jul 20, 2015 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Aug 10, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Mar 9, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| Jul 9, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING AND TORNADOES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Jackson County, Kansas?
456 events are on record between 1950 and 2025, causing 6 direct deaths and $9.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Jackson County?
Hail, with 248 recorded events — 54.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Jackson County?
43 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 31 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Jackson County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Jackson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Jackson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Jackson County as very low risk, placing it in the 22 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Jackson 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
- Hodgeman County 708
- Jefferson County 853
- Haskell County 453
- Jewell County 565
- Harvey County 655
- Johnson County 1,380
Cite this page
“Jackson County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/jackson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.