Jewell County, Kansas severe weather history spans 565 recorded events between 1950 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 58.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #676 nationally and #74 in Kansas.
565
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$21.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Jewell County, Kansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Jewell County, Kansas severe weather history averages 7.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 193 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 118 events fall before 1990 and 447 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $12.4M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Jewell County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 331 | 0 | $4.7M | 5.25 | 1955–2023 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 162 | 0 | $2.6M | 90 | 1968–2025 |
| Tornado | 43 | 0 | $12.4M | F3 | 1950–2015 |
| Heavy Rain | 14 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2005–2020 |
| Flash Flood | 9 | 0 | $2.0M | 0 | 2003–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2007 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $130K | 0 | 2011–2011 |
Decade by decade
Jewell County, Kansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
49 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 43 touched down inside it and 6 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1955-06-04 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 61.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2013-05-27 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 5.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-05-29 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 18.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-05-29 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 55.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-09-18 | EF3 | 0 | 7 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1951-03-02 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 38.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2015-05-06 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 12.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-05-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 20.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-06-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-04-14 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 38.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Jewell County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 6, 2015 | Tornado | ESBON | 0 | 1 | $1.5M |
| May 28, 2013 | Tornado | SALEM | 0 | 1 | $400K |
| Jul 4, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Burr Oak | 0 | 1 | $50K |
| May 9, 1950 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado moved out of Mitchell County and into Jewell County about 4 miles west of Highway 14. As the tornado moved northeast and was southwest of the town of Jewell, it hit three farmsteads and severely damaged the homes and outbuildings at these locations. One of the homes was completely destroyed and other had a machine shed also destroyed. Trees and power poles and lines were also damaged along its path. The tornado entered the southwest side of community of Jewell and moved across the west side of town. Several homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed. The Jewell Caf�� and the Bourbon Trucking Company were destroyed. The town���s water tower was also blown down by the tornado. The tornado lifted about two miles northeast of town. Luckily no injuries were reported.
This tornado started west of Mankato, traveling north and passing approximately 1 mile to the west of Burr Oak before turning more to the northeast and lifting. One woman was injured at her home approximately 4 miles south-southwest of Burr Oak. This tornado was rated an EF2, with an estimated peak wind speed of 130 MPH.||Along the path of this tornado, at least 4 homes sustained damage, including roof, window and siding damage. One home lost a large section of its roof. A garage was destroyed, with the vehicles inside moved 30-50 feet from their original location. Other outbuildings, grain bins, power poles and trees were damaged or destroyed.
This tornado touched down west-northwest of Webber in Jewell County, KS, traveling northeast through the very northwest corner of Republic County, KS, before entering Nebraska near the town of Hardy in Nuckolls County. It continued traveling northeast into Thayer County, lifting northwest of Deshler. This tornado was rated an EF2, with an estimated peak wind speed of 122 MPH. EF2 damage was noted in both Jewell County, KS and Nuckolls County, NE.||Damage along this tornado path included numerous pivots overturned and snapped power poles. There was a large amount of tree damage noted. In addition, in Jewell County, grain bins and outbuildings were destroyed, and a home lost a portion of its roof.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
2,916
Population (ACS)
$65K
Median home value
17
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, AND WILDFIRES | DR |
| Feb 17, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND STRAIGHT LINE WINDS | DR |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Feb 24, 2017 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Jul 20, 2015 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Jewell County, Kansas?
565 events are on record between 1950 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $21.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Jewell County?
Hail, with 331 recorded events — 58.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Jewell County?
49 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 43 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Jewell County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Jewell County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Jewell County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Jewell County as very low risk, placing it in the 25 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Jewell 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
- Jefferson County 853
- Johnson County 1,380
- Jackson County 456
- Kearny County 703
- Hodgeman County 708
- Kingman County 766
Cite this page
“Jewell County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/jewell-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.