159
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$3.7M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Smith County, Kansas: 159 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 87. That places the county #1,437 nationally and #78 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Smith County, Kansas: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Smith County is the 2010s, when 42 of the county's 159 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 Smith County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 31.4% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #1,437 for this hazard and #78 within Kansas, putting it in the 54.2 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Smith County with 44 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.
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 10, 2025 | LEBANON | 52 | $0 |
| Aug 10, 2025 | SMITH CENTER ARPT | 52 | $0 |
| Aug 10, 2025 | CORA | 50 | $0 |
| Jul 31, 2024 | CEDAR | 61 | $75K |
| Jul 20, 2024 | SMITH CENTER | 54 | $25K |
| Jun 8, 2024 | CORA | 53 | $0 |
| May 2, 2024 | SMITH CENTER ARPT | 69 | $50K |
| May 2, 2024 | ATHOL | 61 | $100K |
| Jul 11, 2023 | LEBANON | 52 | $1K |
| Jul 11, 2023 | SMITH CENTER ARPT | 53 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Smith County
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Wind gusts estimated at 80 MPH resulted in 17 power poles being damaged or destroyed in the area of the intersection of Highways 9 and 281 just east of Gaylord. Further south near Harlan along Highway 281, a couple grain bins were destroyed and a church suffered minor roof damage.
A line of thunderstorms producing strong winds moved through Smith County, with gusts estimated near 80 MPH in Kensington. A wind gust of 68 MPH was measured at the Smith Center Airport AWOS at 11:05 p.m. CDT and a gust of 63 MPH was measured by a Kansas Department of Transportation mesonet site 2 miles south of Lebanon at 11:25 p.m. CDT.
Wind gusts estimated to be near 70 MPH resulted in downed tree limbs in Lebanon, some of which were up to eight inches in diameter. Minor roof damage occurred at a local business, and a livestock shed was damaged at a farm located four miles southeast of town.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Smith County, Kansas?
159 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Smith County between 1955 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Smith County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Smith County measured 87.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Smith 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 Smith County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/smith-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.