Live
Active alerts for this county
Heat Advisory
Saline; McPherson; Marion; Chase; Reno; Harvey; Butler; Greenwood; Woodson; Allen; Kingman; Sedgwick; Harper; Sumner; Cowley; Elk; Wilson; Neosho; Chautauqua; Montgomery; Labette
Reno County, Kansas severe weather history spans 1,397 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 50.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #49 nationally and #7 in Kansas.
1,397
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
43
Direct injuries
$91.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Reno County, Kansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Reno County, Kansas severe weather history averages 19.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 505 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 171 events fall before 1990 and 1,226 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Reno County, Kansas record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $60.7M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Reno County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 710 | 0 | $456K | 5 | 1957–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 526 | 1 | $18.4M | 90 | 1956–2026 |
| Tornado | 87 | 0 | $60.7M | F5 | 1954–2025 |
| Flood | 28 | 0 | $7.0M | 0 | 2007–2019 |
| Flash Flood | 24 | 0 | $4.7M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 12 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2010–2023 |
| Lightning | 7 | 0 | $96K | 0 | 1998–2013 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2019 |
Decade by decade
Reno County, Kansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
90 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 82 touched down inside it and 8 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-03-13 | EF5 | 1 | 60 | 48.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-03-26 | EF4 | 0 | 5 | 13.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-18 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 32.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2015-07-13 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 5.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1991-03-26 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 26.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1990-03-13 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 18.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-06-04 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 6.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-05-25 | EF3 | 0 | 8 | 25.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1964-05-05 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 20.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1962-05-24 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Reno County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 3, 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | PRETTY PRAIRIE | 1 | 6 | $12.5M |
| Jun 19, 1992 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 8 | $0 | |
| Mar 27, 1991 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $25.0M | |
| Jun 15, 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | (HUT)HUTCHINSON MUNI | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Jun 19, 1992 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| May 13, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 4, 1965 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| May 24, 1962 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Law enforcement reported major flooding on the Cow Creek in Hutchinson. Numerous water rescues were also performed along the creek. Roads throughout the county have been flooded. Damage to public roads, bridges and structures was estimated at 2.5 million dollars.
Extreme street flooding and flash flooding occurred across the area, as 6 to 7 inches of rainfall fell over Hutchinson and Nickerson during the early morning hours. Numerous cars stalled out and were abandoned on city streets, with widespread basement flooding reported. During a 90 minute period, between 130am and 3am, some locations in Hutchinson picked up 3 to 5 inches of rainfall. At least 325 homes in the city of Hutchinson reported some property damage due to flooding, with 10 to 24 of the homes receiving major damage. 150 residents from a nursing home in Northwest Hutchinson were evacuated to a local hospital, because water was coming into the building. The water on city streets was so deep, at times, that large military type vehicles could not venture down the roads.
Occurred at intersection of Highway 50/K-96. Nearby, 26 empty Union Pacific freight cars, of which 24 were covered hoppers and two were auto-carriers, were blown off a siding. Two mobile homes were destroyed. Three single-family homes (of which one was unroofed) and three mobile homes sustained major damage. Downed power lines and power poles severed power to 7,315 residents, of which 1,215 were without power the following morning. Approximately 25 structures received minor damage. A state of disaster emergency was declared by Governor Graves. Area newspapers contributed greatly to this report.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
61,553
Population (ACS)
$133K
Median home value
24
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 22, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Aug 20, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 5, 2022 | Fire | COTTONWOOD FIRE COMPLEX | FM |
| 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Hutchinson 268
- Nickerson 110
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Reno County, Kansas?
1,397 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $91.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Reno County?
Hail, with 710 recorded events — 50.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Reno County?
90 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 82 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Reno County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Reno County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Reno County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Reno County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 80 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Reno 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
- Rawlins County 844
- Republic County 646
- Pratt County 1,000
- Rice County 645
- Pottawatomie County 740
- Riley County 675
Cite this page
“Reno County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/reno-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.