87
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
17
Direct injuries
$60.7M
Property damage
Tornado in Reno County, Kansas: 87 recorded events between 1954 and 2025. The strongest on record measured F5. That places the county #91 nationally and #9 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Reno County, Kansas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Reno County is the 2000s, when 26 of the county's 87 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 Reno County archive, tornado makes up 6.2% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #91 for this hazard and #9 within Kansas, putting it in the 96.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Reno County with 36 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-03-13 | EF5 | 48.0 mi | 1,320 yd | Touched down here |
| 1991-03-26 | EF4 | 13.0 mi | 300 yd | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-18 | EF3 | 32.7 mi | 1,760 yd | Crossed in |
| 2015-07-13 | EF3 | 5.3 mi | 350 yd | Crossed in |
| 1991-03-26 | EF3 | 26.0 mi | 220 yd | Crossed in |
| 1990-03-13 | EF3 | 18.0 mi | 200 yd | Touched down here |
| 1965-05-25 | EF3 | 25.3 mi | 250 yd | Crossed in |
| 1965-06-04 | EF3 | 6.9 mi | 880 yd | Touched down here |
| 1964-05-05 | EF3 | 20.4 mi | 880 yd | Crossed in |
| 1962-05-24 | EF3 | 0.1 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 27, 1991 | F4 | 0 | 5 | $25.0M | |
| May 13, 1974 | F2 | 0 | 2 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 4, 1965 | F3 | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| May 24, 1962 | F1 | 0 | 2 | $250 | |
| May 24, 1962 | F3 | 0 | 2 | $250 | |
| May 24, 1962 | F2 | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Mar 26, 1991 | F3 | 0 | 1 | $250K | |
| Mar 13, 1990 | F5 | 0 | 1 | $25.0M |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 19, 2025 | TURON | EF3 | $0 |
| Oct 27, 2021 | TURON | EF0 | $0 |
| May 6, 2019 | SOUTH HUTCHINSON | EFU | $0 |
| May 6, 2019 | SOUTH HUTCHINSON | EFU | $0 |
| May 6, 2019 | NICKERSON | EF1 | $100K |
| May 6, 2019 | NICKERSON | EF1 | $0 |
| May 6, 2019 | PLEVNA | EF0 | $0 |
| May 19, 2017 | CHENEY RES | EF0 | $0 |
| May 19, 2017 | PRETTY PRAIRIE | EF0 | $0 |
| Jul 13, 2015 | NICKERSON | EF3 | $250K |
Other hazards here
More from Reno County
- Hail 710
- Thunderstorm Wind 526
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
At Buhler, a subdivision consisting of 37 homes was hit. Of the 37 homes damaged, 3 were destroyed, 4 sustained major damage and 30 minor damage. This tornado would continue a northeast track into Southwest McPherson County where it skipped along Highway 61.
A strong tornado moved southwest towards the town of Nickerson. One home was completely destroyed as it was blown off of its foundation. There were no anchor bolts present in the foundation (DI2 DOD9). The second more significant damage sight was where many trees were completely uprooted. Those that were not uprooted only had the main trunk left and it was completely debarked. The home took a glancing blow and only had minor damage. The family took shelter in an above ground shelter in their garage. The damage path for this portion of the tornado that moved out of Rice County was 350 yards wide.
This tornado had a peculiar movement from the northeast to the southwest. It initially touched down, and destroyed a 100 foot long pole barn, lofting some of the 1000 pound girders into a nearby field to the west. The tornado then curled back to the southeast hitting another farmstead further south, collapsing a pole barn and knocking down trees all around a farmhouse. Occupants of the house were home, but were uninjured.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Reno County, Kansas?
87 tornado events are recorded in Reno County between 1954 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Reno County?
The strongest tornado on record in Reno County measured F5.
Where does the tornado data for Reno 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 Reno County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/reno-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.