341
Recorded events
79
Counties affected
10
Direct deaths
$12.4M
Property damage
Kansas lightning history: 341 recorded events across 79 counties between 1996 and 2025.
Decade by decade
Kansas lightning history by decade
The 2000s are the busiest decade on record with 187 reported lightning events across Kansas. Earlier decades are thinner because systematic reporting for this hazard expanded over time, not because the weather was calmer.
County ranking
Counties with the most lightning events in Kansas
| Rank | County | Events | Deaths | Damage | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Douglas County | 27 | 0 | $264K | 1996–2004 |
| #2 | Shawnee County | 27 | 1 | $1.4M | 1996–2008 |
| #3 | Sedgwick County | 23 | 2 | $2.7M | 1996–2024 |
| #4 | Riley County | 21 | 1 | $862K | 1997–2008 |
| #5 | Cowley County | 12 | 0 | $306K | 1999–2017 |
| #6 | Dickinson County | 11 | 0 | $168K | 1997–2007 |
| #7 | Pottawatomie County | 9 | 0 | $273K | 1998–2008 |
| #8 | Harvey County | 9 | 0 | $273K | 1997–2005 |
| #9 | Geary County | 9 | 0 | $96K | 1996–2005 |
| #10 | Lyon County | 7 | 0 | $28K | 1996–2006 |
| #11 | Reno County | 7 | 0 | $96K | 1998–2013 |
| #12 | Coffey County | 7 | 2 | $163K | 1996–2012 |
| #13 | Brown County | 7 | 0 | $30K | 1996–2007 |
| #14 | Rawlins County | 7 | 0 | $104K | 2008–2019 |
| #15 | Ellis County | 7 | 1 | $5K | 1997–2010 |
| #16 | Montgomery County | 6 | 1 | $161K | 2002–2019 |
| #17 | Franklin County | 6 | 0 | $127K | 1996–2007 |
| #18 | Saline County | 6 | 0 | $100K | 2002–2012 |
| #19 | Labette County | 6 | 0 | $188K | 1999–2010 |
| #20 | Miami County | 5 | 0 | $358K | 1996–2011 |
| #21 | Bourbon County | 5 | 0 | $27K | 2010–2011 |
| #22 | Johnson County | 5 | 0 | $650K | 2000–2025 |
| #23 | Jackson County | 5 | 0 | $89K | 1998–2006 |
| #24 | Washington County | 4 | 0 | $36K | 1996–2002 |
| #25 | Marion County | 4 | 0 | $1.6M | 2001–2018 |
Significant events
Deadliest lightning events in Kansas
| Date | County | Scale | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 5, 1996 | Sedgwick County | — | 2 | 0 |
| Nov 22, 1999 | Ellis County | — | 1 | 1 |
| Apr 25, 2009 | Jefferson County | — | 1 | 1 |
| Sep 28, 2019 | Montgomery County | — | 1 | 0 |
| May 24, 2008 | Osage County | — | 1 | 3 |
| Aug 11, 1999 | Riley County | — | 1 | 0 |
| Sep 10, 2011 | Coffey County | — | 1 | 0 |
| Aug 17, 2007 | Shawnee County | — | 1 | 1 |
| Jul 8, 2012 | Coffey County | — | 1 | 0 |