Thomas County, Kansas severe weather history spans 927 recorded events between 1951 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 52.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #186 nationally and #16 in Kansas.
927
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$4.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Thomas County, Kansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Thomas County, Kansas severe weather history averages 12.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 271 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 92 events fall before 1990 and 835 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $1.8M 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 Thomas County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 485 | 0 | $1.1M | 4.25 | 1956–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 335 | 0 | $1.0M | 87 | 1957–2025 |
| Tornado | 61 | 0 | $1.8M | F2 | 1951–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 25 | 0 | $27K | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 9 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2010 |
| Flood | 9 | 0 | $152K | 0 | 2009–2025 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $70K | 0 | 2002–2009 |
Decade by decade
Thomas County, Kansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
61 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 59 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971-10-17 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-05-12 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 18.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-10-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-10-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1951-05-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-10-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-04-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 13.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-08-07 | EF1 | 0 | 4 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-06-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1996-07-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Thomas County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 7, 2006 | Tornado | COLBY | 0 | 4 | $125K |
| Aug 8, 2002 | Lightning | COLBY | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 30, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | LEVANT | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| May 12, 1995 | Tornado | Colby | 0 | 1 | $700K |
| Jul 29, 1986 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A long-track supercell produced 25 known reports of large hail over a 30 mile path from 12 N of Colby to near Oakley over a period of about 90 minutes. Hail sizes ranged from golf ball to grapefruit size. Windows were broken, roofs heavily damaged, skylights broken and equipment destroyed. Approximately 35,000 acres of cropland were affected by the storm. Sources included public, Thomas County Farm Service Agency, amateur radio, spotters and the NSSL Shave project.
Intermittent tornado damage included farm residence and storage buildings roofs torn off, high voltage electricty towers destroyed,irrigation rigs over-turned, trees snapped. Extensive crop damage from tornado, highs winds, and large hail. Tornado moved nearly due east at 25 mph and entered Sheridan County. One woman was slightly injured while in her home during the tornado. A mobile home was completely destroyed.
The tornado developed about 4 miles SSE of Brewster near Roads 3 and M. The tornado traveled north-northeast at speeds of 50 mph, passing east of Brewster and dissipating about 4 miles northeast of Brewster near roads 4 and T. One farmstead south of Interstate 70 received damage to outbuildings, trees, a large grain bin and utility poles on the property. Fortunately only minor roof damage occurred as the large tree branches fell on the house. Further northeast several utility poles were snapped and at least one irrigation pivot was overturned. Numerous outbuildings were also damaged at a farm near Roads 4 and R as the tornado moved northeast.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
7,885
Population (ACS)
$173K
Median home value
12
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 24, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Oct 26, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| 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 |
| Jul 9, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING AND TORNADOES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Colby 339
- Brewster 114
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Thomas County, Kansas?
927 events are on record between 1951 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $4.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Thomas County?
Hail, with 485 recorded events — 52.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Thomas County?
61 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 59 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Thomas County?
12 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Thomas County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Thomas County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Thomas County as very low risk, placing it in the 9 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Thomas 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
- Sumner County 1,144
- Trego County 643
- Stevens County 472
- Wabaunsee County 574
- Stanton County 601
- Wallace County 655
Cite this page
“Thomas County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/thomas-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.