1,112
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
34
Direct injuries
$60.0M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Sedgwick County, Kansas: 1,112 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 100. That places the county #5 nationally and #1 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Sedgwick County, Kansas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Sedgwick County is the 2010s, when 322 of the county's 1,112 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 Sedgwick County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 38.4% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #5 for this hazard and #1 within Kansas, putting it in the 99.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Sedgwick County with 361 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 20, 1990 | 100 | 0 | 26 | $0 | |
| Jun 28, 2013 | (ICT)WICHITA ARPT | 70 | 0 | 2 | $10K |
| Jul 3, 2011 | GODDARD | 48 | 0 | 2 | $2K |
| Jul 22, 2008 | VALLEY CENTER | 65 | 0 | 2 | $250K |
| Apr 3, 2015 | HAYSVILLE | 56 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Nov 10, 1998 | WICHITA | 61 | 0 | 1 | $50K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 2026 | VALLEY CENTER | 54 | $0 |
| Apr 11, 2026 | VALLEY CENTER | 52 | $0 |
| Apr 11, 2026 | BENTLEY | 52 | $0 |
| Apr 11, 2026 | MT HOPE | 61 | $0 |
| Apr 11, 2026 | MT HOPE | 69 | $0 |
| Apr 11, 2026 | MT HOPE | 70 | $0 |
| Mar 10, 2026 | EASTBOROUGH | 54 | $0 |
| Mar 10, 2026 | (IAB) MCCONNELL ARPT | 50 | $0 |
| Mar 10, 2026 | MAIZE | 52 | $0 |
| Mar 10, 2026 | MAIZE | 52 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Sedgwick County
- Hail 1,386
- Flash Flood 127
- Flood 93
- Tornado 90
- Heavy Rain 61
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Hurricane-force winds blew across the county as thunderstorms rumbled through. Eighty-two mph winds were recorded in Valley Center where a metal shed was blown over and fences were damaged. The winds were not as strong when they went across Wichita and were about 65 mph. Damage in Wichita was mainly broken tree limbs and downed fences. Winds were clocked at 101 mph in Goddard where three trailers blew over and 70 feet of sheet metal was peeled off the side of the Rubbermaid plant. Clearwater was the hardest hit where the fire department lost its roof and ceiling and half of the lumber company building was blown away. Damage just to power lines and poles was $10 million. One hundred fifty thousand Kansas Gas and Electric customers were without power–some for four days. One Andale farmer lost ten percent of his corn crop, otherwise there was no major crop loss.
Severe thunderstorm winds, ranging from 52-80KT, ripped across the Wichita Metropolitan area, inflicting widespread damage to trees, roofs, power lines and power poles. Approximately 60,000 people lost power, about 15,000 of which remained without power for 3 days. While most of the reports were from off-duty NWS staff, reports were also received from law enforcement, trained spotters and amateur radio operators.
A channeled microburst began near the Kansas Heart Hospital with portions of the roof blown off. A tenth of mile of power poles were snapped off at the base along Webb Road, all leaning to the east. At Jabara Airport a large aircraft hanger was completely destroyed with debris from the hanger spread to the east. Aircraft that were located inside the hanger were also damaged.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Sedgwick County, Kansas?
1,112 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Sedgwick County between 1955 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Sedgwick County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Sedgwick County measured 100.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Sedgwick 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 Sedgwick County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/sedgwick-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.