45
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$2.2M
Property damage
Tornado in Pawnee County, Kansas: 45 recorded events between 1950 and 2019. The strongest on record measured F4. That places the county #479 nationally and #50 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Pawnee County, Kansas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Pawnee County is the 2010s, when 11 of the county's 45 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 Pawnee County archive, tornado makes up 5.9% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #479 for this hazard and #50 within Kansas, putting it in the 83.2 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Pawnee County with 19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-05-18 | EF4 | 7.0 mi | 1,100 yd | Touched down here |
| 1955-06-04 | EF4 | 72.2 mi | 100 yd | Crossed in |
| 1950-05-04 | EF4 | 34.3 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 2017-05-16 | EF3 | 26.6 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 2004-03-27 | EF3 | 10.0 mi | 1,300 yd | Crossed in |
| 1973-09-25 | EF3 | 18.5 mi | 60 yd | Crossed in |
| 1972-04-30 | EF3 | 17.0 mi | 77 yd | Touched down here |
| 1956-10-29 | EF3 | 14.9 mi | 440 yd | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-18 | EF2 | 7.8 mi | 50 yd | Crossed in |
| 2019-05-17 | EF2 | 10.9 mi | 565 yd | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 1950 | F4 | 0 | 1 | $250K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 18, 2019 | RAY | EFU | $0 |
| May 18, 2019 | ZOOK | EF2 | $0 |
| May 17, 2017 | RAY | EF1 | $0 |
| Apr 16, 2017 | BURDETT | EF0 | $0 |
| May 11, 2014 | FRIZELL | EF1 | $0 |
| May 19, 2013 | ASH VALLEY | EF0 | $0 |
| May 19, 2013 | SANFORD | EF1 | $0 |
| May 19, 2013 | BURDETT RUCKER ARPT | EF4 | $140K |
| Apr 14, 2012 | BURDETT ROZEL ARPT | EF1 | $0 |
| Apr 14, 2012 | BURDETT | EF1 | $35K |
Other hazards here
More from Pawnee County
- Hail 457
- Thunderstorm Wind 209
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado was well documented by storm chasers, spotters and a research team with portable doppler radar. The tornado did turn north towards the end of it's life cycle. Low end EF4 damage was done to a home along US156. The roof and walls were blown away of this well constructed house. Several large tanks were carried a long distance. There were 2 people inside but they escaped injury by taking shelter. Video shows that sub-vortices within the tornado may have actually had a little stronger wind. The Doppler on wheels that was observing the tornado had near surface measured wind speeds of 165 to 185 MPH.
Several outbuildings were destroyed by this tornado. It was video taped by folks that were about 2 miles away and they could hardly believe what they were seeing. In fact, several times they doubted it was a tornado but it was clearly a tornado that traveled 5.1 miles north-northeast and heavily damaged two well built and new outbuildings.
This tornado developed east of the original Rozel tornado and moved north and then back west as outflow pushed the surface contact before it completely roped out. Damage was done to power poles and a few trees. A damage survey was completed.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Pawnee County, Kansas?
45 tornado events are recorded in Pawnee County between 1950 and 2019, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Pawnee County?
The strongest tornado on record in Pawnee County measured F4.
Where does the tornado data for Pawnee 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 Pawnee County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/pawnee-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.