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Woodson County, Kansas severe weather history spans 271 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 48.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,957 nationally and #103 in Kansas.
271
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
12
Direct injuries
$6.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Woodson County, Kansas severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Woodson County, Kansas severe weather history averages 3.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 105 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 27 events fall before 1990 and 244 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $5.5M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Woodson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 130 | 0 | $97K | 2.75 | 1961–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 91 | 0 | $1.0M | 87 | 1956–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 23 | 0 | $72K | 0 | 2001–2025 |
| Tornado | 14 | 0 | $5.5M | F4 | 1956–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 8 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2007–2021 |
| Flood | 5 | 0 | $200 | 0 | 2007–2021 |
Decade by decade
Woodson County, Kansas severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
15 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 9 touched down inside it and 6 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956-04-02 | EF4 | 2 | 29 | 108.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2003-05-08 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 23.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-04-26 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 15.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-04-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1986-04-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 22.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-03-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 30.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-08-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 17.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-06-29 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-02-28 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-03-30 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Woodson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1956 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $25K | |
| May 8, 2003 | Tornado | TORONTO | 0 | 3 | $2.5M |
| Jun 14, 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | YATES CENTER | 0 | 2 | $100K |
| Apr 10, 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Yates Center | 0 | 2 | $500K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Severe thunderstorm winds overturned a mobile home and rolled it five times, resulting in the injury of its two occupants-a man and his teenage son. They sustained bruises and cuts. Another mobile home was destroyed. Twelve barns were destroyed, along with some outbuildings and sheds. Total damage exceeded $100,000.
Flat bed-trailer overturned, barn destroyed, livestock trailer picked up and thrown, barrel rolled 1 1/2 blocks and destroyed and 2-story house displaced from foundation with most of top floor removed. In addition, a couple, both around 50 years of age, were lifted by the wind with one knocked unconscious by blown debris. Both were taken to a hospital, treated, and released. Based on description of this damage, winds are being estimated at 70-78kts.
The following sustained damage: 16 farm dwellings & service buildings ($96,000), 3 pieces of equipment/ machinery ($1,200), and an estimated 4,800 acres of land ($21,600) due primarily to gullying and erosion. Acreage breakdown of 3rd category follows: Corn: 800, Wheat: 1,400; Soybeans: 1,200; Grain sorghum: 1,200; Hay: 200. (This portion of narrative courtesy of USDA Flash Situation Report, Woodson County.) Property damage extensive, involving the following: Broken windows in numerous buildings, business and residential, including the courthouse, a hardware store, and a restaurant, roofs and siding on numerous homes and, obviously, trees and other foliage. (Latter narrative courtesy of Iola Register.)
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
3,109
Population (ACS)
$81K
Median home value
25
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, AND WILDFIRES | DR |
| Mar 14, 2025 | Fire | YATES CENTER FIRE | FM |
| Jul 15, 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Yates Center 189
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Woodson County, Kansas?
271 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $6.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Woodson County?
Hail, with 130 recorded events — 48.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Woodson County?
15 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 9 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Woodson County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Woodson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Woodson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Woodson County as very low risk, placing it in the 8 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Woodson 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
- Wilson County 434
- Wyandotte County 442
- Wichita County 484
- Washington County 615
- Wallace County 655
- Wabaunsee County 574
Cite this page
“Woodson County, Kansas.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/kansas/woodson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.