Gove County, Kansas
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 20063 · population 2,718 · 1,072 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 976 records for Gove County, Kansas from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 509 days; the most frequent are hail reports (450 records). The deadliest single record is the December 27, 2018 blizzard, filed for the forecast zone Gove, which covers the county: 1 death. FEMA has issued 13 declarations naming the county since 2005, 11 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding” on September 1, 2026.
The record, 1950 to 2026
Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $100,000
- $100,000 or more
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more, or a death
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
- 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
- Storm records
- 976on 509 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 213 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $49Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 62strongest EF4
- FEMA declarations
- 13latest 2026
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.
What hazards hit Gove County most?
The most frequent records are hail reports: 450 since 1961. 60% of its hail reports since 1961 fell in May and June. The rank column places the county among Kansas's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 450 | 218 | 1961-2026 | 0 | 0 | $11M | 78 of 105 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 215 | 143 | 1955-2026 | 0 | 1 | $1.4M | 81 of 105 |
| High wind and dust storms | 77 | 69 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 2 | $276K | 17 of 105 |
| Tornadoes | 62 | 33 | 1950-2025 | 0 | 3 | $9.4M | 89 of 105 |
| Winter storms | 61 | 59 | 1997-2025 | 2 | 7 | $26M | 100 of 105 |
| Drought | 48 | 48 | 2000-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 48 of 105 |
| Floods | 42 | 34 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $235K | 59 of 105 |
| Extreme cold | 12 | 11 | 1997-2024 | 0 | 0 | – | 46 of 105 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 3 | 3 | 1996-2001 | 0 | 0 | – | 57 of 105 |
| Wildfires | 3 | 3 | 2021-2025 | 0 | 0 | – | 12 of 105 |
| Lightning | 2 | 2 | 2003-2005 | 0 | 0 | $1K | 59 of 105 |
| Heavy rain | 1 | 1 | 2010-2010 | 0 | 0 | $12K | 90 of 105 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.
How many tornadoes has Gove County had?
NOAA records 62 tornadoes in Gove County from 1950 to 2025, the strongest rated EF4, with 0 deaths and 3 injuries recorded in the county. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.
Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 64 tornadoes whose track touched Gove County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 62: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-05-23 17:10, as SPC files it | Park | EF4 | 11.39 mi | 0 |
| 2025-05-18 17:32, as SPC files it | Grinnell | EF3 | 13.33 mi | 0 |
| 1968-05-13 13:40, as SPC files it | Natoma | F3 | 140.4 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Kansas.
Every tornado record filed for Gove County (62)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-05-18 | Campus, Gove County | EF3 13 mi x 416 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2024-05-01 | Gove County | EFU 0.02 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2024-05-01 | Gove County | EFU 0.07 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2024-03-24 | Campus, Gove County | EFU 1.84 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022-05-17 | Buffalo Park, Gove County | EFU 0.56 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2017-10-02 | Quinter, Gove County | EF1 0.54 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $90K |
| 2017-10-02 | Gove County | EF0 0.14 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $5K |
| 2017-10-02 | Gove County | EF1 0.41 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $48K |
| 2017-10-02 | Gove County | EF1 9.49 mi x 450 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2016-05-08 | Gove County | EF0 8.85 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2015-11-16 | Grainfield, Gove County | EF1 1.4 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2015-11-16 | Grainfield, Gove County | EF0 1.83 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2015-11-16 | Gove County | EF0 2.72 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2015-05-09 | Grinnell, Gove County | EF1 6.07 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $62K |
| 2015-05-09 | Gove County | EF0 5.67 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2014-06-29 | Gove County | EF1 1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $62K |
| 2013-05-29 | Grinnell, Gove County | EF0 1.3 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2011-06-20 | Quinter, Gove County | EF0 2.74 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2011-06-20 | Quinter, Gove County | EF0 1.1 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2011-06-18 | Gove County | EF0 0.3 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2010-05-25 | Gove County | EF1 9.9 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $34K |
| 2010-05-25 | Gove County | EF0 4.77 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2010-05-25 | Gove County | EF1 21.26 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $30K |
| 2010-05-25 | Gove County | EF0 0.34 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2010-04-22 | Gove County | EF0 0.52 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2009-07-31 | Gove County | EF0 0.25 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2009-07-31 | Gove County | EF0 0.25 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2008-06-05 | Gove County | EF0 1 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2008-05-23 | Quinter, Gove County | EF4 11.39 mi x 1,320 yd | 0 | 2 | $3.4M |
| 2008-05-23 | Quinter, Gove County | EF0 3 mi x 1,760 yd | 0 | 0 | $1.0M |
| 2008-05-23 | Quinter, Gove County | EF1 1.8 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $34K |
| 2008-05-23 | Gove County | EF0 0.5 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2008-05-23 | Quinter, Gove County | EF0 4.5 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2008-05-23 | Gove County | EF0 5 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2008-05-22 | Quinter, Gove County | EF0 0.5 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2008-05-22 | Gove County | EF1 8 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $206K |
| 2008-05-22 | Grainfield, Gove County | EF0 4 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $34K |
| 2008-05-22 | Grinnell, Gove County | EF0 3 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2008-05-22 | Gove County | EF0 0.5 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2007-09-28 | Grinnell, Gove County | EF0 0.25 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2005-06-09 | Gove County | F1 1.5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2005-06-09 | Gove County | F0 0.8 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2004-05-16 | Gove County | F0 0.5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2001-08-23 | Gove County | F0 0.5 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2000-10-28 | Gove County | F1 1 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2000-10-28 | Gove County | F1 2 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1999-07-05 | Grainfield, Gove County | F0 0.2 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1994-07-15 | Quinter, Gove County | F0 0.1 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $995 |
| 1992-09-06 | Gove County | F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1992-09-06 | Gove County | F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1992-09-06 | Gove County | F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1990-04-25 | Gove County | F0 2 mi x 23 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1982-06-24 | Gove County | F0 0.1 mi x 3 yd | 0 | 0 | $30 step |
| 1979-08-28 | Gove County | F0 2.7 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1979-08-28 | Gove County | F0 1.9 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1979-08-28 | Gove County | F0 2.7 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1979-08-28 | Gove County | F2 10.1 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1964-05-05 | Gove County | F1 | 0 | 1 | $25K step |
| 1959-05-25 | Gove County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 1951-06-17 | Gove County | 0 | 0 | – |
A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.
When was the last damaging storm in Gove County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the March 15, 2026 high wind (2 injuries).
Gusts up to 70 mph were measured two miles east-southeast of Quinter, with additional gusts of 58 to 62 mph reported across the county. The high winds contributed to a two person injury accident east-bound on Interstate 70 just south of Grinnell.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1322997)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindGove County | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindGrinnell, Gove County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindCampus, Gove County | 54 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-20 | Flash FloodGrinnell, Gove County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-20 | Thunderstorm WindGrinnell, Gove County | 58 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-20 | HailGrainfield, Gove County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-20 | HailCampus, Gove County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-20 | Thunderstorm WindQuinter, Gove County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-20 | Thunderstorm WindGrinnell, Gove County | 58 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-20 | Thunderstorm WindQuinter, Gove County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-20 | Thunderstorm WindGrainfield, Gove County | 57 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-20 | Thunderstorm WindCampus, Gove County | 70 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.
The deadliest and costliest records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-12-27 | BlizzardGove County · forecast zone Gove Visibility as low as 10 ft. in the wet, blowing snow. Power outages were also reported. Multiple vehicles were involved in accidents on I-70. One of these accidents resulted in a fatality. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2005-01-04 | Winter StormGove County · forecast zone Gove A 63-year old man died of exposure when he became disoriented in poor visibility while driving across his property. Low visibility in freezing rain and snow was occurring at the time, with wind chill temperatures eventually falling to near zero by late afternoon Tuesday (Jan 4). His truck was found late in the day ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2011-01-19 | Winter WeatherGove County · forecast zone Gove Numerous slide off and rollover accidents due to light freezing drizzle were reported by local law enforcement. Among the incidents were two single vehicle accidents on Interstate 70 involving injuries, and a school bus which left the road near the town of Gove and rolled over, injuring one student. | 0 | 3 | $72K | |
| 2026-03-15 | High WindGove County · forecast zone Gove Gusts up to 70 mph were measured two miles east-southeast of Quinter, with additional gusts of 58 to 62 mph reported across the county. The high winds contributed to a two person injury accident east-bound on Interstate 70 just south of Grinnell. | 61 kt wind | 0 | 2 | – |
| 2008-05-23 | TornadoQuinter, Gove County A large wedge tornado developed about 9 miles SSW of Quinter and moved north, then northwest, eventually dissipating 2 miles SE of Park. This tornado caused extensive damage to several homes, including EF4 damage to one home which was completely destroyed. A car and a pickup truck were tossed or bounced 200 yards at ... | EF4 11.39 mi x 1,320 yd | 0 | 2 | $3.4M |
| 2020-12-28 | Winter WeatherGove County · forecast zone Gove Multiple bands of snow moved across Gove County producing a range of snow amounts from a trace to 2 inches. Numerous slide-offs were reported on I-70 and KS-212. At 5:28 pm CST on December 28th, a rollover accident involving a passenger vehicle occurred near mile marker 99 on I-70. No injuries were reported. At 6:05 ... | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2020-02-19 | Winter WeatherGove County · forecast zone Gove A vehicle rolled just south of the Highway 23 and CR X intersection at 22:50 CT. A vehicle rolled multiple times at 1 mile south of Campus, Kansas at 00:00 CT. | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2015-06-10 | Thunderstorm WindPark, Gove County A semi pulling a loaded trailer and a truck pulling a camper were blown over at mile marker 99 near the Park exit. The driver of the semi received injuries from the accident. | 70 kt wind | 0 | 1 | $73K |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-12-29 | Winter StormGove County · forecast zone Gove | 0 | 0 | $26M | |
| 1995-05-22 | HailGrainfield, Gove County | 2.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | $4.9M |
| 1995-05-16 | HailGove County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $4.9M |
| 2008-05-23 | TornadoQuinter, Gove County | EF4 11.39 mi x 1,320 yd | 0 | 2 | $3.4M |
| 2008-05-23 | TornadoQuinter, Gove County | EF0 3 mi x 1,760 yd | 0 | 0 | $1.0M |
| 2001-09-17 | HailPark, Gove County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $800K |
| 1996-08-14 | Thunderstorm WindQuinter, Gove County | 0 | 0 | $470K | |
| 2021-10-12 | Thunderstorm WindCampus, Gove County | 87 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $310K |
Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $250K, in the dollars of the day) holds: August 6, 1950 (tornado, Gove County); August 28, 1979 (tornado, Gove County).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.
Is it getting more frequent?
Records per decade for Gove County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 0 | 13 | 8 | 15 | 88 | 157 | 93 | 76 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 1 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 23 | 40 | 72 | 69 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 5 | 16 | 24 | 32 |
| Tornadoes | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 21 | 20 | 5 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 5 | 26 | 17 | 13 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 0 | 6 | 24 z | 18 |
Drought in the 2010s: 24 records against 6 in the decade before, 24 of them forecast-zone records. Cells marked z rose mostly through zone records. The local National Weather Service office files these once per forecast zone, so a change in how it draws its zones or splits a storm into records moves this count as much as the weather does; read it beside the Gove County days with a record above.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
60% of its hail reports since 1961 fell in May and June. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 28 · Feb 23 · Mar 35 · Apr 73 · May 266 · Jun 201 · Jul 118 · Aug 97 · Sep 49 · Oct 34 · Nov 15 · Dec 37 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Gove County
FEMA's register lists 13 declarations that include Gove County: 10 major disasters, 3 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (9) and biological (2).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-01 | DR-4943 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2025-07-22 | DR-4883 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2025-05-21 | DR-4869 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Wildfires |
| 2022-02-17 | DR-4640 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Straight Line Winds |
| 2020-03-29 | DR-4504 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3481 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2017-06-16 | DR-4319 | Snowstorm | Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding |
| 2010-03-09 | DR-1885 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorm |
| 2008-07-09 | DR-1776 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding and Tornadoes |
| 2007-12-12 | EM-3282 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms |
| 2007-01-07 | DR-1675 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2006-01-26 | DR-1626 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2005-09-10 | EM-3236 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.
FEMA's modeled risk for Gove County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Gove County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $4.2 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | $1.1M | 9 a year (modeled) |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | $886K | 70 modeled event-days a year |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | $53K | 11 a year (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | $311K | 4.5 a year (modeled) |
| Wildfire | Very Low | $35K | once in about 2,804 years (modeled) |
| Tornado | Very Low | $479K | 1.1 a year (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Very Low | $222K | 4.2 a year (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Very Low | $29K | 3.5 modeled event-days a year |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Gove County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Tornadoes in KansasEvery Kansas tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- Hail in KansasThe state's hail reports, by county, year and month
- The Kansas recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Gove CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Gove County's FEMA declarations (CSV)13 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis