Rooks County, Kansas
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 20163 · population 4,918 · 891 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 755 records for Rooks County, Kansas from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 449 days; the most frequent are hail reports (317 records). The most damaging was the June 5, 2022 hail ($4.0 million in 2025 dollars). FEMA has issued 19 declarations naming the county since 1993, 17 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Wildfires” on May 21, 2025.
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
- 755on 449 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 010 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $172Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 53strongest F4
- FEMA declarations
- 19latest 2025
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 Rooks County most?
The most frequent records are hail reports: 317 since 1959. 61% of its hail reports since 1959 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 | 317 | 178 | 1959-2025 | 0 | 0 | $51M | 82 of 105 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 141 | 88 | 1958-2025 | 0 | 4 | $16M | 104 of 105 |
| Winter storms | 90 | 89 | 1996-2025 | 0 | 0 | $1.4M | 29 of 105 |
| Drought | 54 | 54 | 2000-2024 | 0 | 0 | $59M | 30 of 105 |
| Tornadoes | 53 | 33 | 1951-2019 | 0 | 6 | $38M | 68 of 105 |
| High wind and dust storms | 41 | 33 | 2002-2026 | 0 | 0 | $102K | 36 of 105 |
| Floods | 23 | 20 | 1997-2022 | 0 | 0 | $3.9M | 71 of 105 |
| Heavy rain | 14 | 8 | 2005-2022 | 0 | 0 | $19K | 59 of 105 |
| Extreme cold | 13 | 13 | 1996-2025 | 0 | 0 | $356K | 19 of 105 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 4 | 3 | 2008-2011 | 0 | 0 | – | 47 of 105 |
| Wildfires | 3 | 3 | 2017-2021 | 0 | 0 | $2.1M | 7 of 105 |
| Heat | 2 | 2 | 2011-2023 | 0 | 0 | – | 62 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 Rooks County had?
NOAA records 53 tornadoes in Rooks County from 1951 to 2019, the strongest rated F4, with 0 deaths and 6 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 52 tornadoes whose track touched Rooks County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 53: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985-05-10 16:40, as SPC files it | Speed | F4 | 33 mi | 0 |
| 1991-04-11 19:12, as SPC files it | Unnamed | F3 | 6 mi | 0 |
| 1985-05-10 15:50, as SPC files it | Zurich to Woodston | F3 | 30 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Kansas.
Every tornado record filed for Rooks County (53)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-05-21 | Webster Res, Rooks County | EF0 0.23 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2017-10-01 | Webster, Rooks County | EF0 0.01 mi x 15 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2016-05-08 | Codell, Rooks County | EF1 2.82 mi x 500 yd | 0 | 0 | $18K |
| 2016-05-08 | Codell, Rooks County | EF2 0.38 mi x 440 yd | 0 | 0 | $2K |
| 2014-06-14 | Webster, Rooks County | EF1 0.78 mi x 110 yd | 0 | 0 | $12K |
| 2008-05-29 | Woodston, Rooks County | EF1 0.38 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | $82K |
| 2008-05-29 | Zurich, Rooks County | EF0 0.6 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $7K |
| 2008-05-29 | Zurich, Rooks County | EF0 0.35 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $7K |
| 2008-05-29 | Palco, Rooks County | EF1 1.75 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $240K |
| 2008-05-23 | Zurich, Rooks County | EF1 2.39 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $356K |
| 2008-05-23 | Plainville Airpark, Rooks County | EF1 6.15 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $411K |
| 2008-04-24 | Woodston, Rooks County | EF0 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2008-04-24 | Stockton Municipal Airport, Rooks County | EF0 0.1 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2005-06-09 | Stockton, Rooks County | F1 4 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $453K |
| 2005-06-09 | Zurich, Rooks County | F1 6 mi x 90 yd | 0 | 0 | $453K |
| 2005-06-09 | Zurich, Rooks County | F1 9 mi x 60 yd | 0 | 0 | $453K |
| 2005-06-09 | Palco, Rooks County | F0 2.5 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | $38K |
| 2005-04-05 | Stockton, Rooks County | F0 1 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2004-07-07 | Palco, Rooks County | F0 0.1 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2002-05-05 | Zurich, Rooks County | F0 3 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2001-05-20 | Plainville, Rooks County | F0 0.5 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2001-05-20 | Stockton, Rooks County | F0 1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $200K |
| 2001-05-20 | Stockton, Rooks County | F0 0.5 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $17K |
| 2001-04-10 | Plainville, Rooks County | F0 3 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 1 | $167K |
| 2001-04-10 | Plainville, Rooks County | F1 20 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 0 | $1.0M |
| 2001-04-10 | Palco, Rooks County | F1 14 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $167K |
| 2000-06-29 | Webster, Rooks County | F0 0.3 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1999-05-15 | Stockton, Rooks County | F1 3 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $27K |
| 1995-05-12 | Plainville, Rooks County | F0 0.1 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1995-05-12 | Codell, Rooks County | F0 0.1 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1992-06-15 | Rooks County | F1 7 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 2 | $2.5M step |
| 1992-06-15 | Rooks County | F0 1 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1992-06-15 | Rooks County | F0 1 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1991-04-11 | Rooks County | F1 1 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1991-04-11 | Rooks County | F3 6 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 1 | $2.5M step |
| 1990-04-25 | Rooks County | F1 15 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $2.5M step |
| 1987-03-22 | Rooks County | F1 1 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1985-05-10 | Rooks County | F4 5 mi x 1,000 yd | 0 | 0 | $2.5M step |
| 1985-05-10 | Rooks County | F3 30 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $2.5M step |
| 1983-05-17 | Rooks County | F0 0.2 mi x 17 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1973-03-13 | Rooks County | F2 1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1972-07-27 | Rooks County | F2 0.5 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 1 | $25K step |
| 1972-05-22 | Rooks County | F1 0.5 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1972-05-22 | Rooks County | F1 7.9 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1968-05-13 | Rooks County | F3 16.9 mi x 320 yd | 0 | 1 | $25K step |
| 1967-06-12 | Rooks County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 1964-04-29 | Rooks County | 0 | 0 | $3K step | |
| 1964-04-22 | Rooks County | F1 4.9 mi x 880 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1961-07-11 | Rooks County | F0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1961-06-05 | Rooks County | F1 | 0 | 0 | $250 step |
| 1961-06-05 | Rooks County | 0 | 0 | $250 step | |
| 1959-05-28 | Rooks County | F0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1951-07-07 | Rooks County | F2 | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
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 Rooks County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the May 25, 2024 hail ($2.0 million in damage in 2025 dollars).
Quarter to ping pong ball size hail was reported.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1175655)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-15 | High WindRooks County · forecast zone Rooks | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-08-18 | HailCodell, Rooks County | 1.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-08-17 | Thunderstorm WindStockton, Rooks County | 51 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-08-17 | Thunderstorm WindPlainville, Rooks County | 57 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-08-17 | HailWebster, Rooks County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-08-10 | Thunderstorm WindStockton, Rooks County | 51 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-08-10 | Thunderstorm WindPalco, Rooks County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-03-19 | BlizzardRooks County · forecast zone Rooks | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-03-18 | High WindRooks County · forecast zone Rooks | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-03-04 | High WindRooks County · forecast zone Rooks | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-02-17 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillRooks County · forecast zone Rooks | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-02-17 | Winter WeatherRooks County · forecast zone Rooks | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-07-04 | Thunderstorm WindWebster Res, Rooks County The occupants of a camper overturned by strong thunderstorm winds were slightly injured. | 61 kt wind | 0 | 3 | $117K |
| 1992-06-15 | TornadoRooks County | F1 7 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 2 | $2.5M step |
| 2001-04-10 | TornadoPlainville, Rooks County Strong thunderstorms just north of a warm front moved into north-central Kansas. Despite the late hour of the day, cooler temperatures and foggy conditions, these thunderstorms began to rotate and produced several tornadoes across the area. The first tornado developed in southwest Rooks county near Palco and lifted ... | F0 3 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 1 | $167K |
| 1994-07-01 | Thunderstorm WindStockton, Rooks County Wind estimated to 70 mph tore down power lines, branches. A horse barn at the fairgrounds lost a roof. One person was injured by flying debris at the fairgrounds. Funnel clouds were observed east of Codell with this storm. | 0 | 1 | $100K | |
| 1991-04-11 | TornadoRooks County | F3 6 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 1 | $2.5M step |
| 1972-07-27 | TornadoRooks County | F2 0.5 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 1 | $25K step |
| 1968-05-13 | TornadoRooks County | F3 16.9 mi x 320 yd | 0 | 1 | $25K step |
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.
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-06-05 | HailStockton, Rooks County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $4.0M |
| 2000-06-29 | HailStockton, Rooks County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $3.9M |
| 2008-05-29 | HailWebster, Rooks County | 2.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $2.2M |
| 2024-05-25 | HailPlainville, Rooks County | 1.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | $2.0M |
| 2024-05-06 | HailZurich, Rooks County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $2.0M |
| 2019-08-29 | Thunderstorm WindPlainville, Rooks County | 62 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1.7M |
| 1996-08-02 | Thunderstorm WindStockton, Rooks County | 0 | 0 | $1.7M | |
| 2011-08-09 | HailPlainville, Rooks County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $1.6M |
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 $2.5M, in the dollars of the day) holds: June 15, 1992 (tornado, Rooks County); April 11, 1991 (tornado, Rooks County); May 10, 1985 (tornado, Rooks 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 Rooks 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 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 13 | 65 | 92 | 96 | 38 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 3 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 19 | 35 | 36 | 39 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 15 | 20 | 35 | 20 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 0 | 2 | 25 | 27 |
| Tornadoes | 2 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 9 | 22 | 5 | 0 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 0 | 5 | 16 z | 20 |
High wind and dust storms in the 2010s: 16 records against 5 in the decade before, 16 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 Rooks 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?
61% of its hail reports since 1959 fell in May and June. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 36 · Feb 28 · Mar 40 · Apr 74 · May 151 · Jun 162 · Jul 92 · Aug 70 · Sep 32 · Oct 22 · Nov 13 · Dec 35 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Rooks County
FEMA's register lists 19 declarations that include Rooks County: 15 major disasters, 3 emergencies and one fire management assistance declaration. Most were for severe storm (12) and snowstorm (2).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-05-21 | DR-4869 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Wildfires |
| 2022-05-25 | DR-4654 | Snowstorm | Severe Winter Storms and Straight-Line Winds |
| 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 |
| 2017-03-06 | FM-5175 | Fire | Rooks County Fire |
| 2016-10-20 | DR-4287 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2013-04-26 | DR-4112 | Snowstorm | Snowstorm |
| 2011-07-29 | DR-4010 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2010-08-10 | DR-1932 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes |
| 2010-03-09 | DR-1885 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorm |
| 2008-07-09 | DR-1776 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding and Tornadoes |
| 2008-02-01 | DR-1741 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms |
| 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 |
| 2004-08-03 | DR-1535 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes |
| 1993-07-22 | DR-1000 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
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 Rooks County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Rooks County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $8.2 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 | $3.2M | 8.3 a year (modeled) |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | $1.3M | 46 modeled event-days a year |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | $908K | 4.6 a year (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Low | $130K | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | $82K | 12 a year (modeled) |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | $1.1M | about once a year (modeled) |
| Wildfire | Very Low | $69K | once in about 1,824 years (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Very Low | $285K | 3.2 a year (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Rooks 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 Rooks CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Rooks County's FEMA declarations (CSV)19 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis