51
Recorded events
18
Direct deaths
607
Direct injuries
$283.0M
Property damage
Tornado in Shawnee County, Kansas: 51 recorded events between 1951 and 2024. The strongest on record measured F5. That places the county #364 nationally and #33 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Tornado in Shawnee County, Kansas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for tornado in Shawnee County is the 2010s, when 10 of the county's 51 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 Shawnee County archive, tornado makes up 3.5% of all recorded severe weather across 9 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #364 for this hazard and #33 within Kansas, putting it in the 87.8 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for tornado in Shawnee County with 18 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966-06-08 | EF5 | 21.1 mi | 880 yd | Touched down here |
| 1974-06-08 | EF4 | 37.5 mi | 1,760 yd | Crossed in |
| 1960-05-19 | EF4 | 27.5 mi | 880 yd | Touched down here |
| 1960-05-19 | EF4 | 20.6 mi | 10 yd | Crossed in |
| 1983-05-06 | EF3 | 19.0 mi | 150 yd | Touched down here |
| 1967-06-11 | EF3 | 43.9 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1966-05-11 | EF3 | 9.9 mi | 660 yd | Touched down here |
| 1962-05-26 | EF3 | 2.0 mi | 10 yd | Touched down here |
| 1956-04-02 | EF3 | 127.0 mi | 790 yd | Crossed in |
| 2024-03-13 | EF2 | 4.9 mi | 100 yd | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 9, 1966 | F5 | 16 | 450 | $250.0M | |
| May 19, 1960 | F4 | 1 | 91 | $2.5M | |
| May 6, 1983 | F3 | 1 | 25 | $25.0M | |
| Nov 15, 1988 | F2 | 0 | 22 | $2.5M | |
| Jul 19, 1981 | F2 | 0 | 9 | $250K | |
| Apr 27, 1984 | F2 | 0 | 4 | $250K | |
| May 27, 1962 | F3 | 0 | 4 | $250K | |
| Mar 13, 1990 | F1 | 0 | 1 | $250K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 20, 2024 | DOVER | EF0 | $0 |
| Mar 14, 2024 | ROSSVILLE | EF2 | $0 |
| May 21, 2019 | ROSSVILLE | EF0 | $0 |
| Mar 7, 2017 | ROSSVILLE | EF0 | $0 |
| May 26, 2016 | SILVER LAKE | EF0 | $0 |
| May 26, 2016 | ROSSVILLE | EF0 | $0 |
| Apr 26, 2016 | SILVER LAKE | EF0 | $0 |
| Jun 30, 2014 | TOPEKA | EF0 | $0 |
| Sep 17, 2012 | DOVER | EF0 | $0 |
| May 21, 2011 | TOPEKA | EF0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Shawnee County
- Hail 629
- Thunderstorm Wind 625
- Flash Flood 92
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A brief tornado touched down in extreme southern Shawnee County on the evening of July 4th. The tornado lasted less than 1 minute and caused only minor damage. The tops of some trees were damaged, as was a tin outbuilding near Richland.
NWS damage survey revealed that a tornado formed just WSW of Rossville and tracked to the northeast along a path that was around 4.5 miles long. The tornado did sporadic damage along the path with the worst damage to a well built home where portions of the roof were removed. This home had above average construction quality with hurricane clips used when it was built. The damage at this location was estimated at 115 to 120 mph winds which is a low end EF2. The tornado path was narrow in spots and wider at others based on drone footage and at most 100 yards. No injuries were reported.
This segment of the tornado track moved through rural northern Shawnee County beginning just ENE of Rossville and tracking NNE doing damage to tree limbs and power poles along a narrow path as it moved into southern Jackson County.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many tornado events are on record in Shawnee County, Kansas?
51 tornado events are recorded in Shawnee County between 1951 and 2024, causing 18 direct deaths.
What is the strongest tornado recorded in Shawnee County?
The strongest tornado on record in Shawnee County measured F5.
Where does the tornado data for Shawnee 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 Shawnee County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/shawnee-county/tornado/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.