Seward County, Kansas severe weather history spans 711 recorded events between 1951 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 57.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #383 nationally and #37 in Kansas.
711
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
19
Direct injuries
$28.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Seward County, Kansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Seward County, Kansas severe weather history averages 9.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 265 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 90 events fall before 1990 and 621 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $16.1M 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 Seward County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 406 | 0 | $2.2M | 6 | 1958–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 222 | 0 | $8.7M | 88 | 1956–2025 |
| Tornado | 39 | 0 | $16.1M | F3 | 1951–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 27 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 10 | 0 | $1.0M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2015–2018 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2017 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 2003–2003 |
Decade by decade
Seward County, Kansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
40 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 34 touched down inside it and 6 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-11-16 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 51.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-05-26 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 13.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1989-06-06 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-06-21 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 2.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1951-06-06 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 44.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2003-05-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-05-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-05-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-05-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 20.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-05-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Seward County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 9, 1994 | Tornado | Kismet | 0 | 8 | $50K |
| Jul 1, 1988 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 7 | $0 | |
| Mar 7, 2000 | Tornado | LIBERAL | 0 | 2 | $250K |
| Jun 21, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tremendous storm rolled in from the east (HP supercell). The combination of the 80 to 100 mph wind and hail bigger than golf balls produced at least eight million dollars in damage. This occurred six weeks after another devastating storm that produced around $20 million in damage.
A tremendous hail storm pounded Kismet, lasting for more than 30 minutes. Every structure in the town received significant damage. Trees were stripped bare of leaves, even cedar trees! Nearly all windows were broken in vehicles and homes.
Heavy rain fell across the liberal area for 24 hours with the heaviest rain falling between 8 AM and 5 PM CDT. Five to eight inches were reported with one unofficial report indicating 10 inches! Streets were flooded that had never flooded before. A local disaster was declared.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
21,486
Population (ACS)
$137K
Median home value
12
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 29, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jun 16, 2017 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM, SNOWSTORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Feb 24, 2017 | Severe Ice Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Jun 24, 2009 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND RECORD AND NEAR RECORD SNOW | DR |
| Jul 9, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING AND TORNADOES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Liberal 288
- Kismet 181
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Seward County, Kansas?
711 events are on record between 1951 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $28.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Seward County?
Hail, with 406 recorded events — 57.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Seward County?
40 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 34 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Seward County?
12 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Seward County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Seward County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Seward County as very low risk, placing it in the 42 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Seward 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
- Sedgwick County 2,893
- Shawnee County 1,457
- Scott County 685
- Sheridan County 593
- Saline County 812
- Sherman County 1,450
Cite this page
“Seward County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/seward-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.