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Leavenworth County, Kansas severe weather history spans 762 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 42.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #326 nationally and #30 in Kansas.
762
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
28
Direct injuries
$48.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Leavenworth County, Kansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Leavenworth County, Kansas severe weather history averages 10.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 250 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 112 events fall before 1990 and 650 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Leavenworth County, Kansas record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $39.6M 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 Leavenworth County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 323 | 0 | $1.1M | 4.5 | 1962–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 315 | 0 | $2.3M | 87 | 1955–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 71 | 0 | $4.5M | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Tornado | 32 | 2 | $39.6M | F4 | 1952–2024 |
| Flood | 18 | 0 | $825K | 0 | 1998–2019 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $30K | 0 | 2005–2008 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2010 |
Decade by decade
Leavenworth County, Kansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
35 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 28 touched down inside it and 7 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966-06-08 | EF4 | 1 | 2 | 19.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-05-28 | EF4 | 0 | 4 | 29.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1961-05-07 | EF4 | 0 | 12 | 26.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1952-05-22 | EF4 | 0 | 3 | 26.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1964-04-12 | EF3 | 1 | 22 | 14.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1960-05-19 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 13.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2003-05-04 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-05-31 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 6.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-05-18 | EF2 | 0 | 6 | 55.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-06-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Leavenworth County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 12, 1964 | Tornado | 1 | 22 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 9, 1966 | Tornado | 1 | 2 | $250K | |
| May 4, 2003 | Tornado | LINWOOD | 0 | 2 | $4.0M |
| Jun 2, 2008 | Lightning | BASEHOR | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Nov 1, 1984 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado is a continuation of the tornado that formed in Douglas County and crossed the Kansas River into Leavenworth County. As the tornado crossed the Kansas River it became very strong and wide. It produced EF-3 damage to residences along the Kansas River. When the tornado impacted Linwood, Kansas it produced isolated EF-3 and EF-4 damage. Preliminary estimates for damage exceeded 26 million dollars, per the Leavenworth Times ( https://www.leavenworthtimes.com/news/20190531/tornado-damage-exceeds-26-million ). Despite the EF-4 rating and widespread devastation to rural areas near Lawrence and Linwood no serious injuries occurred. This was the strongest tornado to impact the Kansas City metro area since 2003.
Tornado on the ground 2 miles northwest of Linwood at County Road 25 and Interstate 70. Reported by emergency management and ham radio operator. Video shows the tornado crossed the Kansas Turnpike east of the Eastern Toll Booth, and then proceeded northeast to where it lifted 2 miles south of Basehor. Total track length was 6 miles, with a width approaching 250 yards at times. Maxium intensity rating was F2, with most damage noted to homes near and just northeast of the intersection of 166th and Kansas Road.
The tornado, which had formed in Jefferson County, entered southwestern Leavenworth County at around 9:40 pm CDT, 6 miles west-southwest of Tonganoxie. The tornado moved east-northeast and lifted 2 miles north of Basehor at 10:12 pm. The 16 mile long path was as wide as 1/4 mile at times, though the average was around 100 yards wide. In Leavenworth County, 200 homes were affected and six were destroyed. One apartment building suffered roof damage. Thirteen businesses were damaged, and two were destroyed. The Leavenworth County Fairgrounds in Tonganoxie suffered extensive damage, approaching a half-million dollars. Total damage was estimated by County Emergency Management officials at $2.6 million.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
83,123
Population (ACS)
$283K
Median home value
23
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 20, 2019 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, FLOODING,LANDSLIDES,AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| May 28, 2019 | Severe Storm | TORNADOES AND FLOODING | EM |
| Sep 23, 2011 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Jun 25, 2011 | Flood | FLOODING | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Leavenworth 140
- Lansing 120
- Tonganoxie 100
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Leavenworth County, Kansas?
762 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $48.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Leavenworth County?
Hail, with 323 recorded events — 42.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Leavenworth County?
35 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 28 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Leavenworth County?
23 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Leavenworth County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Leavenworth County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Leavenworth County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 66 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Leavenworth 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
- Lane County 482
- Lincoln County 627
- Labette County 604
- Linn County 283
- Kiowa County 627
- Logan County 837
Cite this page
“Leavenworth County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/leavenworth-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.