Seward County, Kansas
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 20175 · population 21,948 · 640 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 904 records for Seward County, Kansas from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 481 days; the most frequent are hail reports (407 records). The most damaging was the May 15, 2003 tornado ($12.8 million in 2025 dollars). FEMA has issued 12 declarations naming the county since 1973, 10 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Winter Storm, Snowstorm, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding” on June 16, 2017.
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
- 904on 481 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 019 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $48Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 39strongest EF3
- FEMA declarations
- 12latest 2020
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 Seward County most?
The most frequent records are hail reports: 407 since 1958. 60% of its hail reports since 1958 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 | 407 | 208 | 1958-2025 | 0 | 0 | $3.6M | 7 of 105 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 222 | 149 | 1956-2025 | 0 | 7 | $14M | 24 of 105 |
| High wind and dust storms | 106 | 61 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $130K | 2 of 105 |
| Winter storms | 73 | 68 | 1996-2025 | 0 | 0 | – | 21 of 105 |
| Tornadoes | 39 | 32 | 1951-2023 | 0 | 12 | $28M | 20 of 105 |
| Heavy rain | 28 | 13 | 2007-2024 | 0 | 0 | – | 22 of 105 |
| Floods | 13 | 12 | 1996-2024 | 0 | 0 | $1.8M | 79 of 105 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 7 | 6 | 2015-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 25 of 105 |
| Extreme cold | 3 | 3 | 2000-2025 | 0 | 0 | – | 66 of 105 |
| Wildfires | 3 | 2 | 2017-2026 | 0 | 0 | $125K | 11 of 105 |
| Drought | 2 | 2 | 1996-2003 | 0 | 0 | – | 95 of 105 |
| Lightning | 1 | 1 | 2003-2003 | 0 | 0 | $80K | 65 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 Seward County had?
NOAA records 39 tornadoes in Seward County from 1951 to 2023, the strongest rated EF3, with 0 deaths and 12 injuries recorded in the county. That is 20th 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 40 tornadoes whose track touched Seward County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 39: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015-11-16 17:38, as SPC files it | Liberal | EF3 | 51.26 mi | 0 |
| 1996-05-26 14:39, as SPC files it | Unnamed | F3 | 13 mi | 0 |
| 1989-06-06 15:58, as SPC files it | Unnamed | F3 | 12 mi | 0 |
| 1974-06-21 17:35, as SPC files it | Kismet | F3 | 2.7 mi | 0 |
| 1951-06-06 19:30, as SPC files it | Liberal | F3 | 44.8 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Kansas.
Every tornado record filed for Seward County (39)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-02-26 | Liberal, Seward County | EF0 3.89 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2020-07-01 | Kismet, Seward County | EF1 6.2 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $228K |
| 2016-12-25 | Kismet, Seward County | EF0 0.65 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2015-11-16 | Hayne, Seward County | EF3 18.56 mi x 1,900 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2015-05-24 | Kismet, Seward County | EF1 4.27 mi x 1,200 yd | 0 | 0 | $311K |
| 2015-05-24 | Hayne, Seward County | EF0 0.71 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2009-08-02 | Kismet, Seward County | EF1 2.68 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $7K |
| 2009-06-10 | Kismet, Seward County | EF0 0.26 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2006-06-22 | Liberal, Seward County | F0 0.3 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2005-06-16 | Kismet, Seward County | F1 4.1 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2005-04-05 | Kismet, Seward County | F1 7.5 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2005-04-05 | Hayne, Seward County | F0 0.5 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2003-05-15 | Liberal, Seward County | F2 2.5 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $13M |
| 2003-05-15 | Liberal, Seward County | F2 4.9 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $241K |
| 2003-05-15 | Liberal, Seward County | F2 2.5 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $9.6M |
| 2002-07-10 | Liberal, Seward County | F0 0.3 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2001-05-29 | Hayne, Seward County | F0 0.8 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2000-03-07 | Liberal, Seward County | F1 2 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 2 | $428K |
| 1998-05-07 | Liberal, Seward County | F0 0.4 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1997-08-18 | Liberal, Seward County | F0 1.5 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1996-05-26 | Liberal, Seward County | F2 14 mi x 450 yd | 0 | 0 | $640K |
| 1996-05-26 | Sublette, Seward County | F0 2 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $4K |
| 1996-05-26 | Woods, Seward County | F1 8 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $282K |
| 1995-05-22 | Liberal To, Seward County | F0 2.5 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1994-04-09 | Kismet, Seward County | F2 7 mi x 1,000 yd | 0 | 8 | $100K |
| 1989-06-06 | Seward County | F3 12 mi x 500 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1982-08-29 | Seward County | F1 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1982-05-15 | Seward County | F0 | 0 | 0 | $30 step |
| 1982-03-18 | Seward County | F2 0.5 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1981-07-17 | Seward County | F1 0.5 mi x 27 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1980-08-05 | Seward County | F1 10 mi x 23 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1976-04-14 | Seward County | F1 1.3 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1974-06-21 | Seward County | F3 2.7 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 2 | $25K step |
| 1967-07-03 | Seward County | F1 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1955-06-04 | Seward County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 1955-06-04 | Seward County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 1954-10-26 | Seward County | 0 | 0 | $3K step | |
| 1953-05-28 | Seward County | F1 0.1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1951-04-26 | Seward County | F0 1 mi x 33 yd | 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 Seward County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the February 17, 2026 wildfire ($125,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-15 | High WindSeward County · forecast zone Seward | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-15 | High WindSeward County · forecast zone Seward | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-04 | Dense FogSeward County · forecast zone Seward | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-17 | WildfireSeward County · forecast zone Seward | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-02-17 | WildfireSeward County · forecast zone Seward | 0 | 0 | $125K | |
| 2026-02-17 | High WindSeward County · forecast zone Seward | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-02-17 | High WindSeward County · forecast zone Seward | 51 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-01-16 | High WindSeward County · forecast zone Seward | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-10-14 | Dense FogSeward County · forecast zone Seward | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-08-10 | Thunderstorm WindHayne, Seward County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-08-10 | Thunderstorm WindKismet, Seward County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-08-08 | Thunderstorm WindKismet, Seward County | 53 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994-04-09 | TornadoKismet, Seward County A tornado touched down 3.5 WSW of Kismet at 1535 CST and moved ENE across Highway 54 and east into Meade County where it ended at 1610 CST at a point one southeast of Meade. Speed of movement was 35 mph with total path length of 26 miles. In Seward County the tornado struck a car and mobile home 2 E of Kismet at 1540 ... | F2 7 mi x 1,000 yd | 0 | 8 | $100K |
| 1988-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindSeward County | 0 | 7 | – | |
| 2000-03-07 | TornadoLiberal, Seward County Tornado began at 3rd and Pennsylvania and traveled north-northwest to just past the Southwest Medical Center. The small circulation was evidently wrapped into the RFD as it traversed around the southeast section of the Meso. Several trees were uprooted, the awing at a gas station was damaged, signs were blown down. ... | F1 2 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 2 | $428K |
| 1974-06-21 | TornadoSeward County | F3 2.7 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 2 | $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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-05-15 | TornadoLiberal, Seward County | F2 2.5 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $13M |
| 2003-06-28 | Thunderstorm WindLiberal, Seward County | 78 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $13M |
| 2003-05-15 | TornadoLiberal, Seward County | F2 2.5 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $9.6M |
| 2003-05-15 | HailKismet, Seward County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $3.2M |
| 1998-10-01 | Flash FloodLiberal, Seward County | 0 | 0 | $1.8M | |
| 1996-05-26 | TornadoLiberal, Seward County | F2 14 mi x 450 yd | 0 | 0 | $640K |
| 2000-03-07 | TornadoLiberal, Seward County | F1 2 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 2 | $428K |
| 2015-05-24 | TornadoKismet, Seward County | EF1 4.27 mi x 1,200 yd | 0 | 0 | $311K |
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: April 14, 1976 (tornado, Seward County); August 5, 1980 (tornado, Seward County); August 29, 1982 (tornado, Seward 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 Seward 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 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 17 | 81 | 179 | 83 | 31 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 13 | 11 | 7 | 12 | 18 | 59 | 51 | 51 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 4 | 19 | 22 | 61 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 10 | 34 | 14 | 15 |
| Tornadoes | 5 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 12 | 4 | 2 |
| Heavy rain | – | – | – | – | 0 | 11 | 14 | 3 |
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 1958 fell in May and June. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 33 · Feb 43 · Mar 66 · Apr 64 · May 160 · Jun 255 · Jul 107 · Aug 77 · Sep 35 · Oct 21 · Nov 15 · Dec 28 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Seward County
FEMA's register lists 12 declarations that include Seward County: 9 major disasters, 3 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (6) and biological (2).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 2017-02-24 | DR-4304 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2009-06-24 | DR-1848 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm and Record and Near Record Snow |
| 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 |
| 2005-09-10 | EM-3236 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2003-05-06 | DR-1462 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 1998-10-14 | DR-1254 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding and Tornadoes |
| 1973-05-02 | DR-378 | 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.
How many floods has Seward County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 13 flood or flash flood records for Seward County from 1996 to 2024, on 12 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Seward County ranks 1784th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $114,000 on 39 claims filed in Seward County; the most in one year was 11 in 2003. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1978: 2 · 1982: 2 · 1983: 1 · 1985: 4 · 1991: 5 · 1994: 1 · 1996: 2 · 1998: 3 · 2003: 11 · 2006: 2 · 2009: 1 · 2014: 1 · 2015: 2 · 2017: 2; the other years: 0.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.
FEMA's modeled risk for Seward County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Seward County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $11.8 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.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | Relatively High | $3.5M | 122 modeled event-days a year |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | $952K | 9.5 a year (modeled) |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | $2.2M | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | $762K | 4.6 a year (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | $267K | 43 a year (modeled) |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | $966K | once in about 265 years (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | $1.2M | 2.6 a year (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | $76K | 9.7 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 Seward 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 Seward CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Seward County's FEMA declarations (CSV)12 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis