Rooks County, Kansas severe weather history spans 552 recorded events between 1951 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 57.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #719 nationally and #76 in Kansas.
552
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
10
Direct injuries
$27.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Rooks County, Kansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Rooks County, Kansas severe weather history averages 7.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 162 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 55 events fall before 1990 and 497 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $15.5M 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 Rooks County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 317 | 0 | $7.2M | 6 | 1959–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 141 | 0 | $2.8M | 87 | 1958–2025 |
| Tornado | 53 | 0 | $15.5M | F4 | 1951–2019 |
| Flash Flood | 20 | 0 | $1.4M | 0 | 1997–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 14 | 0 | $15K | 0 | 2005–2022 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2011 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $17K | 0 | 2011–2021 |
Decade by decade
Rooks County, Kansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
55 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 48 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985-05-10 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 33.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-04-11 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-05-10 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 30.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-06-24 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 47.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1968-05-13 | EF3 | 0 | 5 | 140.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2016-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2001-04-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 40.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-03-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-07-27 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-08-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 21.6 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Rooks County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 5, 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | WEBSTER RES | 0 | 3 | $75K |
| Jun 15, 1992 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 11, 2001 | Tornado | PLAINVILLE | 0 | 1 | $100K |
| Jul 2, 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Stockton | 0 | 1 | $50K |
| Apr 12, 1991 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 28, 1972 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K | |
| May 13, 1968 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Radar estimated that rainfall amounts of 2-4 inches fell over much of the warned area, with a small area exceeding 4 inches centered near Stockton. Emergency management reported that water rapidly flowed over numerous roads in Stockton, including Highway 183. The local newspaper reported that several Stockton city streets were impassable for up to a few hours (including Highway 183), many nearby rural county roads were damaged, and several area basements were flooded.
A 71 MPH wind gust was measured by a mesonet site located near Plainville. Emergency management and media confirmed considerable tree damage in Plainville, along with a roof blown off of a former lumberyard and all but the bottom section of a county communications tower toppled to the ground. Three transformers were struck by lightning and power lines were downed. An NWS cooperative observer located 4 miles west-northwest of Plainville reported multiple tree limbs downed and chimney damage to their home. A semi-truck was blown over approximately 5 miles south of Plainville.
This tornado touched down southwest of Palco and tracked east for 2 miles. Along its path, the tornado damaged four farms. The damage was primarily confined to outbuildings, garages, and trees. The most significant damage was a wood framed metal building, which was completely destroyed and rated as EF 1 with wind speeds to 105 mph.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
4,813
Population (ACS)
$89K
Median home value
19
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, AND WILDFIRES | DR |
| May 25, 2022 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
| Feb 17, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND STRAIGHT LINE WINDS | DR |
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Mar 6, 2017 | Fire | ROOKS COUNTY FIRE | FM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Stockton 130
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Rooks County, Kansas?
552 events are on record between 1951 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $27.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Rooks County?
Hail, with 317 recorded events — 57.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Rooks County?
55 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 48 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Rooks County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Rooks County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Rooks County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Rooks County as very low risk, placing it in the 14 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Rooks 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
- Riley County 675
- Rush County 707
- Rice County 645
- Russell County 1,079
- Republic County 646
- Saline County 812
Cite this page
“Rooks County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/rooks-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.