255
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$5.5M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Pottawatomie County, Kansas: 255 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 86. That places the county #660 nationally and #34 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Pottawatomie County, Kansas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Pottawatomie County is the 2010s, when 79 of the county's 255 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 Pottawatomie County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 34.5% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #660 for this hazard and #34 within Kansas, putting it in the 79.0 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Pottawatomie County with 74 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.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 14, 1985 | 61 | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Mar 24, 1996 | MANHATTAN | 50 | 0 | 1 | $50K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 19, 2025 | BELVUE | 62 | $0 |
| Apr 28, 2025 | ST MARYS | 65 | $0 |
| Apr 28, 2025 | WAMEGO | 59 | $0 |
| Apr 28, 2025 | ST GEORGE | 52 | $0 |
| Sep 21, 2024 | WAMEGO | 54 | $0 |
| Aug 15, 2024 | EMMETT | 74 | $0 |
| Aug 15, 2024 | ONAGA ARPT | 70 | $0 |
| Aug 15, 2024 | BLAINE | 61 | $0 |
| Aug 15, 2024 | OLSBURG | 74 | $0 |
| Aug 1, 2024 | BELVUE | 50 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Pottawatomie County
- Hail 405
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Winds clocked to 99 mph at the Jeffrey Power Plant near Emmett, and estimated to between 65 and 100 mph elsewhere caused widespread and severe damage across the entire county. Numerous trees, roofs, windows and power lines were damaged or destroyed from the high wind. Power was out in many areas for more than 48 hours. At the Jeffrey Power Plant, 33 empty rail cars were blown from off the track with coal loading machinery and buildings damaged. The plant had to briefly shut down. Damage to the plant was estimated at $2 to $2.5 million. Heavy rain accompanied the storm and flooded some areas. Cleanup continued for days. Total dollar loss for the county, including the Jeffrey Plant, was $4 to $5 million.
Strong thunderstorms brought periods of strong winds and heavy rain to portions of Pottawatomie County on the afternoon of Aug 10, 2010. These storms produced strong winds which broke or damaged 6 power poles near a landfill along Wheaton Road near Louisville. The Kansas Department of Transportation reported a roof was torn off a barn-style metal shed located near Highway 24 and Onaga Road. Many spotters throughout the area reported 60 to 70 mph winds with this storm.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Pottawatomie County, Kansas?
255 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Pottawatomie County between 1957 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Pottawatomie County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Pottawatomie County measured 86.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Pottawatomie 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
“Thunderstorm Wind in Pottawatomie County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/pottawatomie-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.