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Wilson County, Kansas severe weather history spans 434 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 47.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,119 nationally and #97 in Kansas.
434
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$23.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Wilson County, Kansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Wilson County, Kansas severe weather history averages 6.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 178 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 43 events fall before 1990 and 391 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Wilson County, Kansas record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $22.0M 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 Wilson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 206 | 0 | $10K | 4 | 1956–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 124 | 1 | $1.1M | 87 | 1960–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 33 | 0 | $22.0M | 0 | 2000–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 25 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2014–2024 |
| Tornado | 23 | 0 | $546K | F2 | 1954–2026 |
| Flood | 19 | 0 | $400 | 0 | 2007–2024 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $162K | 0 | 2005–2011 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2006 |
Decade by decade
Wilson County, Kansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
24 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 21 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-04-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-04-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-06-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-05-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 39.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-04-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-03-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-05-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-09-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 20.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-08-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 17.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-03-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Wilson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | NEW ALBANY | 1 | 0 | $510K |
| Feb 29, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | NEODESHA | 0 | 1 | $50K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A mobile home was blown 40 feet and ended up wrapped around a large tree and was totally demolished. A 54 year old woman of the home was found in the wreckage and died. A church in town was totally destroyed and also the town post office was a total loss after it collapsed. Numerous trees were also down across town.
Extremely heavy rainfall from the end of June into early July caused flash flooding throughout Wilson County. The flash flooding and the ensuing river flooding led to approximately 500 homes sustaining major damage which resulted in an estimated 15 million dollars in damage. Additionally, 6.6 million dollars of damage was done to public infrastructure. The Fall River at Fredonia had a record crest of 41.12 feet on the morning of June 30th. This is 24.12 feet above flood stage. The river fell below flood stage early in the morning of July 2nd.
Winds speeds of 80 to 90 mph produced widespread wind damage across Fredonia and Altoona. Numerous businesses in Fredonia had some serious roof damage. Sheds and outbuildings in rural areas were destroyed and 42 power poles were downed.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
8,505
Population (ACS)
$94K
Median home value
17
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 15, 2024 | 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 20, 2019 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, FLOODING,LANDSLIDES,AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| May 28, 2019 | Severe Storm | TORNADOES AND FLOODING | EM |
| Oct 22, 2013 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Fredonia 155
- Neodesha 102
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Wilson County, Kansas?
434 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $23.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Wilson County?
Hail, with 206 recorded events — 47.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Wilson County?
24 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 21 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Wilson County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Wilson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Wilson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wilson County as very low risk, placing it in the 18 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Wilson 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
- Wichita County 484
- Woodson County 271
- Washington County 615
- Wyandotte County 442
- Wallace County 655
- Wabaunsee County 574
Cite this page
“Wilson County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/wilson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.