Russell County, Kansas severe weather history spans 1,079 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 44.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #113 nationally and #12 in Kansas.
1,079
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
28
Direct injuries
$8.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Russell County, Kansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Russell County, Kansas severe weather history averages 14.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 327 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 157 events fall before 1990 and 922 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Russell County, Kansas record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $5.9M 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 Russell County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 485 | 0 | $468K | 4 | 1956–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 471 | 1 | $1.6M | 103 | 1956–2025 |
| Tornado | 79 | 1 | $5.9M | F4 | 1952–2024 |
| Flood | 16 | 0 | $126K | 0 | 2006–2022 |
| Flash Flood | 14 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2001–2021 |
| Heavy Rain | 10 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2019–2023 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $70K | 0 | 2006–2010 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2016–2016 |
Decade by decade
Russell County, Kansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
81 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 78 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993-05-07 | EF4 | 1 | 6 | 25.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-10-29 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 28.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1952-08-07 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 4.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-05-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 24.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-05-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-08-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-08-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-05-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1964-06-12 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 24.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-05-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.6 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Russell County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 7, 1993 | Tornado | Dorrance | 1 | 6 | $5.0M |
| Jul 4, 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | WILSON LAKE | 1 | 3 | $0 |
| May 27, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 12 | $0 | |
| Jul 8, 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | GORHAM | 0 | 2 | $25K |
| May 13, 1985 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Aug 2, 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | DORRANCE | 0 | 1 | $40K |
| Apr 14, 1986 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| Aug 31, 1964 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
At approximately 1705 CST a half mile wide tornado touched down 1.5 miles southwest of the MINOOKA PARK area on the south shore of Wilson Lake. The tornado ravaged Ken's Marina and the MINOOKA PARK area around 1710 CST by destroying the marina building, numerous boats, motors, and trailers plus campers, motor homes, vehicles, and buildings at MINOOKA PARK. As the tornado passed through, flying debris killed a 79 year old female and injured two other people. By 1720 CST the tornado crossed Highway 223, one mile east and 3 miles south of Lucas where four homes and a power sub- station were severely damaged. The other four injuries were sustained by the occupants of these homes. By 1725 CST the tornado passed 1.5 miles east of Lucas where three more homes received moderate damage. About 1745 CST the tornado crossed into southeast Osborne County destroying one farmstead before dissipating about 1755 CST. (F79O)
Winds of 85 to 95 an hour accompanied a line of thunderstorms that moved across the county. In the Russell area, four tractor-semitrailers were overturned on Interstate 70. A 50- by 100-foot boat and RV storage shed was destroyed near Dorrance with some of its debris scattered hundreds of yards. Damage to the shed was calculated at $30 thousand. Total county damage was about $40 thousand.
Estimated 70 to 80 mph winds produced widespread damage in and around the Luray area. A church limestone steeple was badly damaged, a fertilizer conveyer at the COOP was blown over, an awning was blown off a business, several trees and tree limbs of various sizes were downed, and some power lines were downed, one of which fell on a house.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
6,679
Population (ACS)
$119K
Median home value
21
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, AND WILDFIRES | DR |
| Aug 20, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Oct 26, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Russell 245
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Russell County, Kansas?
1,079 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $8.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Russell County?
Hail, with 485 recorded events — 44.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Russell County?
81 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 78 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Russell County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Russell County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Russell County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Russell County as very low risk, placing it in the 13 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Russell 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
- Rush County 707
- Saline County 812
- Rooks County 552
- Scott County 685
- Riley County 675
- Sedgwick County 2,893
Cite this page
“Russell County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/russell-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.