Stafford County, Kansas severe weather history spans 703 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 62.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #398 nationally and #43 in Kansas.
703
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$2.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Stafford County, Kansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Stafford County, Kansas severe weather history averages 9.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 296 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 49 events fall before 1990 and 654 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Stafford County, Kansas record is tornado, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $1.7M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Stafford County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 437 | 0 | $0 | 4.5 | 1958–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 159 | 0 | $772K | 87 | 1955–2026 |
| Tornado | 72 | 3 | $1.7M | F3 | 1952–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 22 | 0 | $0 | 4.5 | 1998–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Flood | 6 | 0 | $15K | 0 | 2007–2010 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2017–2017 |
Decade by decade
Stafford County, Kansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
75 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 62 touched down inside it and 13 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-05-04 | EF3 | 1 | 0 | 17.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-05-04 | EF3 | 1 | 2 | 18.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-05-18 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 32.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2012-04-14 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 39.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-04-14 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 48.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1991-03-26 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 26.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1965-05-25 | EF3 | 0 | 8 | 25.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1964-04-22 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 59.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-05-05 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 20.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1955-06-04 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 6.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Stafford County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 24, 2011 | Tornado | HUDSON | 2 | 1 | $0 |
| May 5, 2007 | Tornado | MACKSVILLE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 6, 1985 | Hail | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Apr 22, 1964 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| May 5, 2007 | Tornado | MACKSVILLE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 30, 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | ST JOHN | 0 | 1 | $300K |
| May 26, 1965 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado moved north/northwest and unfortunately claimed two lives. The tornado hit a house (among trees, outbuildings, fences) and the persons involved were parked under a tree in the drive way of the home. Tragically, the very large tree was uprooted and landed on the vehicle. A female (age 21) that was in the back seat was severely injured. A female (age 56) and her son (age 17) in the front seat were crushed and apparently killed instantly. The tornado moved on into Barton county at 606 PM. The house received EF2 damage and the occupant of the home was in the basement, but arrived there less than 30 seconds before the tornado hit.
This killer tornado formed just east of another large but dissipating tornado that was approaching Macksville. Unfortunately a law officer watching the dissipating tornado was unaware that this one was rapidly forming and could not get out of harms way. His car was thrown at least 1/4 of a mile and was found in a field. He died several days later from catastrophic injuries received in the crushed vehicle. EF3 damage was done to over a dozen farms, trees, machinery, vehicles, pivot irrigation sprinklers and power poles.
The tornado moved into Stafford County from Pratt County. The tornado was 1/4 of a mile wide as it moved into Stafford County. The tornado destroyed or damaged six buildings at a farmstead 13 miles southwest of St. John. Buildings at an abandoned farmstead 9.5 miles southwest of St. KANSAS Cont'd John were also destroyed or damaged. Large cottonwood trees were snapped or uprooted along the path of the tornado. Two center pivot irrigation systems were also destroyed. Telephone poles were knocked down on the east side of St. John.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
3,978
Population (ACS)
$98K
Median home value
25
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 22, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| 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 |
| Apr 28, 2024 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Oct 26, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| May 25, 2022 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS AND STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- St John 137
- Stafford 100
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Stafford County, Kansas?
703 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $2.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Stafford County?
Hail, with 437 recorded events — 62.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Stafford County?
75 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 62 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Stafford County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Stafford County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Stafford County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Stafford County as very low risk, placing it in the 23 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Stafford 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
- Smith County 507
- Stanton County 601
- Sherman County 1,450
- Stevens County 472
- Sheridan County 593
- Sumner County 1,144
Cite this page
“Stafford County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/stafford-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.