Russell County, Kansas

What hazards hit Russell County most?

The most frequent records are hail reports: 493 since 1956. 62% of its hail reports since 1956 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.

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 Russell County had?

NOAA records 79 tornadoes in Russell County from 1952 to 2024, the strongest rated F4, with 1 death and 7 injuries recorded in the county. That is 35th of 105 Kansas counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. 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 82 tornadoes whose track touched Russell County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 79: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 1 person.

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Kansas.

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 Russell County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the July 3, 2024 thunderstorm wind (1 death and 3 injuries).

Multiple campers were blown over throughout the state park at Wilson Lake with debris spreading all over. Three people were transported to the hospital with injuries, and one person was found deceased.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1189332)

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

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 Russell 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).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).

What time of year?

62% of its hail reports since 1956 fell in May and June. The two busiest months are in violet.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.

Federal disaster declarations for Russell County

FEMA's register lists 23 declarations that include Russell County: 19 major disasters, 3 emergencies and one fire management assistance declaration. Most were for severe storm (15) and biological (2).

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 Russell County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Russell County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $5.8 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.

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.

Counties that share a border with Russell County

1. Barton County 1,298
2. Russell County 1,292
3. Ellis County 1,194
4. Ellsworth County 875
5. Rush County 807
6. Osborne County 776
7. Lincoln County 774

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 Russell CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
• Download Russell County's FEMA declarations (CSV)23 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis