Kansas natural disasters

The state's storm and disaster record · population 2,936,286 · 105 counties and county equivalents

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 94,007 storm events in Kansas since 1950, 79,592 of them since 1996 when every event type began to be recorded, and the Storm Prediction Center counts 4,610 tornadoes in the state since 1950. The most frequent records are hail reports (40,229). In NOAA's storm record since 1950, the deadliest tornado day in Kansas was May 25, 1955: tornadoes and the storms that came with them killed 80 people in the state; the deadliest of them in Kansas, the Udall tornado, killed 80 (SPC). FEMA has made 96 declarations for Kansas since 1955, 90 for natural hazards; 73 were major disasters.

The record, 1950 to 2026

Storm events recorded in Kansas 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 $1 million
$1 million or more
$10 million or more
$100 million or more, or 10 deaths
$1 billion or more, or 100 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 events recorded: 94,0071950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded: 4754,268 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars: $14.9Bas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes (SPC): 4,6101950 to 2025
FEMA declarations: 9673 major disasters

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); tornado count: NOAA Storm Prediction Center, 1950-2025; damage in 2025 dollars (BLS CPI-U). Search the record at NCEI.

What natural disasters happen in Kansas?

By NOAA's records, Kansas's most frequent hazards are hail reports (40,229), severe thunderstorm wind events (26,021), winter storm records (7,432); the deadliest are tornadoes (238 deaths). Each hazard is counted over the years NOAA has recorded it everywhere: tornadoes since 1950, hail and thunderstorm wind since 1955, everything else since 1996. Open a hazard for its years, months, counties and worst events.

Kansas: records by hazard to June 30, 2026
Hazard	Records	Last 10 years	Killed	Injured	Damage	Counties
Hail	40,229	6,873	0	130	$1.4B	105 of 105
Severe thunderstorm wind	26,021	7,334	19	401	$721M	105 of 105
Winter storms	7,432	2,002	120	614	$504M	105 of 105
Tornadoes	4,965	522	238	2,854	$11.1B	105 of 105
Floods	4,604	1,263	32	38	$699M	105 of 105
High wind and dust storms	3,686	1,892	20	102	$28M	105 of 105
Drought	2,928	1,318	0	0	$301M	105 of 105
Heavy rain	1,562	801	2	9	$3.5M	91 of 105
Heat	897	25	20	38	$5.3M	67 of 105
Extreme cold	691	214	5	5	$58M	105 of 105
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds	558	106	6	27	$228K	89 of 105
Lightning	342	19	10	40	$20M	79 of 105
Wildfires	92	71	3	10	$53M	48 of 105

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: every record counted once in the state; "last 10 years" is 2017-2026 (2026 to June 30, 2026).

What were the deadliest disasters in Kansas?

The storms with the most deaths since 1950, from the National Weather Service's own entries. NOAA files one storm as several records when it crosses forecast zones and counties or changes type, and groups them under one episode; each row here is an episode, with its totals and the narrative of its deadliest record. Before 1996 tornado records carry no episode and stand alone. The narrative says what happened: some deaths the National Weather Service files under a weather type had another cause beside the weather.

Kansas: the 10 storm episodes with the most deaths
Date	Record	Character	Killed	Injured	Damage
1955-05-25	Tornadoes of the day; the deadliest, Udall, killed 80 (SPC) · TornadoCowley County Every tornado record filed in the state that day (6, in 3 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's.	F5 2.3 mi x 1,320 yd	80	274	$250K step
1991-04-26	Tornadoes of the day; the deadliest, Andover, killed 17 (SPC) · TornadoButler County Every tornado record filed in the state that day (32, in 18 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's.	F5 22 mi x 700 yd	19	243	$250M step
1966-06-08	Tornadoes of the day; the deadliest, Topeka, killed 16 (SPC) · TornadoShawnee County Every tornado record filed in the state that day (6, in 5 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's.	F5 21.1 mi x 880 yd	17	502	$250M step
1978-06-17	Tornadoes of the day; the deadliest, Vassar, killed 16 (SPC) · TornadoOsage County Every tornado record filed in the state that day (4, in 4 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's.	F1 7.3 mi x 150 yd	16	3	$250K step
1958-06-10	Tornadoes of the day; the deadliest, El Dorado, killed 15 (SPC) · TornadoButler County	F4 9 mi x 300 yd	15	5	$2.5M step
2007-05-04	Tornadoes of the day; the deadliest, Greensburg, killed 11 (SPC) · TornadoMullinville, Kiowa County One storm episode: 25 records in 7 places; the totals are the episode's. A destructive tornado, the first 5 rating on the new Enhanced-Fujita Scale and the first 5 classification since May 3, 1999 when an F5 tornado ripped through Moore, Oklahoma occurred on this day. There were 16 tornadoes during about a 4 hour period, one a little over 2 miles wide! Two of the tornadoes existed for over ...	EF5 25.8 mi x 3,000 yd	13	66	$358M
2003-05-04	Tornadoes of the day; the deadliest, Crestline, killed 3 in the state (5 on its whole track, SPC) · TornadoMelrose, Cherokee County One named storm filed by several offices: 7 records in 3 episodes; the totals are the storm's. A classic supercell thunderstorm moved out of southern Labette County, Kansas and into southwest Cherokee County, Kansas. Intermittent, brief tornado touch downs were observed from storm spotters in rural sections of southeast Labette County, however, the storm eventually produced a long lived tornado that initially ...	F3 20 mi x 880 yd	8	71	$50M
2025-03-14	Dust StormSherman County · forecast zone Sherman One storm episode: 19 records in 9 places; the totals are the episode's. A strong cold front moved east through Northwest Kansas during the afternoon. As the cold front moved into Kansas, a wall of dust formed along the front, with the blowing dust continuing for hours afterward. As the front moved through, visibility fell immediately to near zero or lower. East ahead of the front ...		8	45	–
1957-05-20	Tornadoes of the day; the deadliest, Ruskin Heights, killed 7 in the state (44 on its whole track, SPC) · TornadoMiami County Every tornado record filed in the state that day (16, in 10 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's.	F5 29.1 mi x 440 yd	7	31	$2.5M step
1997-04-10	Heavy SnowClay County · forecast zone Clay One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. A late season moisture laden snow storm dumped 4 to 8 inches of accumulation across North Central and Northeast kansas generally north and west of Manhattan or along and north of a line from Abilene in Dickenson County to Baileyville in Nemaha County. Locally heavier amounts fell in some areas, especially near the ...		7	0	$267K

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: deaths direct and indirect, as filed in this state, summed over the records of each episode (EPISODE_ID); a forecast-zone record counts the zone's deaths once. A tornado's whole-track deaths (SPC), on the state's tornado page, can be higher when the track crossed a state line. Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.

The costliest records in Kansas

Kansas: the 8 records with the most damage since 1993, 2025 dollars
Date	Record	Character	Killed	Injured	Damage
2012-04-14	TornadoHaysville, Sedgwick County	EF3 13.2 mi x 1,760 yd	0	38	$643M
2007-05-04	TornadoMullinville, Kiowa County	EF5 25.8 mi x 3,000 yd	11	63	$356M
1999-05-03	TornadoPeck, Sedgwick County	F4 14 mi x 880 yd	6	150	$248M
2010-09-15	HailGoddard, Sedgwick County	4.50 in hail	0	0	$203M
2000-04-19	TornadoDennis, Labette County	F3 21 mi x 440 yd	0	27	$122M
2007-07-01	Flash FloodCoffeyville, Montgomery County		1	0	$116M
2006-04-24	HailGoddard, Sedgwick County	3.00 in hail	0	0	$102M
1993-03-28	HailWichita, Sedgwick County	1.75 in hail	0	0	$102M

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 $250M, in the dollars of the day) holds: June 8, 1966 (tornado, Shawnee County, 16 killed); April 26, 1991 (tornado, Butler County, 13 killed); April 26, 1991 (tornado, Sedgwick County, 4 killed).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. BLS consumer price index.

Which counties in Kansas have the most records?

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950 attributed to each county (forecast-zone records count on every county the zone covers).

Every county in Kansas

Billion-dollar disasters in Kansas

NOAA counted 102 weather or climate disasters from 1980-2024 that cost at least $1 billion (adjusted for inflation) and affected Kansas, led by severe storm (71). The most recent: Central and Eastern Severe Weather (2024); Central Tornado Outbreak (2024); Central, Southern, Eastern Severe Weather (2024).

Kansas: billion-dollar disasters by type, 1980-2024
Type	Events	Total cost (NOAA's range)
Severe Storm	71	$10.0B-$20.0B
Drought	20	$20.0B-$50.0B
Flooding	6	$2.0B-$5.0B
Winter Storm	3	$100M-$250M
Freeze	2	$100M-$250M

Every one of the 102, newest first

Central and Eastern Severe Weather2024
Central Tornado Outbreak2024
Central, Southern, Eastern Severe Weather2024
Central, Southern, Southeastern Tornado Outbreak2024
Central and Southern Tornado Outbreak2024
Central and Southern Severe Weather2024
Central, Southern, Northeastern Winter Storm and Cold Wave2024
Southern/Eastern/Northwestern Drought and Heat Wave2024
Northeastern and Eastern Severe Weather2023
North Central and Eastern Severe Weather2023
Central and Eastern Tornadoes and Hail Storms2023
Central Severe Weather2023
Central and Eastern Severe Weather2023
Southern/Midwestern Drought and Heatwave2023
Central Tornado Outbreak and Eastern Severe Weather2023
Central and Eastern Winter Storm and Cold Wave2022
Central Derecho2022
Central Severe Weather2022
Southern Severe Weather2022
Western/Central Drought and Heat Wave2022
Midwest Derecho and Tornado Outbreak2021
North Central Severe Weather2021
Central Severe Storms2021
Central Severe Weather2020
Western/Central Drought and Heat Wave2020
Central and Eastern Severe Weather2020
Southeast and Eastern Tornado Outbreak2020
Midwest and Ohio Valley Severe Weather2020
Rockies, Central and Northeast Tornadoes and Severe Weather2019
Arkansas River Flooding2019
South and Southeast Severe Weather2019
Mississippi River, Midwest and Southern Flooding2019
Central and Eastern Tornadoes and Severe Weather2018
Southwest/Southern Plains Drought2018
Central and Eastern Severe Weather2018
Central and Northeast Severe Weather2018
Midwest Severe Weather2017
Midwest Tornado Outbreak2017
Rockies/Central Tornadoes and Severe Weather2016
Plains Tornadoes and Central Severe Weather2016
Texas and Oklahoma Flooding and Severe Weather2015
Southern Plains Tornadoes2015
South/Southeast Severe Weather2015
Midwest/Ohio Valley Severe Weather2015
Rockies/Plains Severe Weather2014
Rockies/Central Plains Severe Weather2014
Center Severe Weather2014
Midwest/Southeast/Northeast Tornadoes and Flooding2014
Plains Severe Weather2014
Western Drought2014
Midwest/Plains/Northeast Tornadoes2013
Midwest/Plains/East Tornadoes2013
Midwest/Plains Severe Weather2013
Western/Plains Drought/Heat Wave2013
Southern Plains/Midwest/Northeast Severe Weather2012
Midwest Tornadoes2012
U.S. Drought/Heat Wave2012
Midwest/Southeast Severe Weather2011
Midwest/Southeast Tornadoes and Severe Weather2011
Midwest/Southeast Tornadoes2011
Missouri River flooding2011
Southeast/Midwest Tornadoes2011
Midwest/Southeast Tornadoes and Derecho2011
Southern Plains/Southwest Drought and Heat Wave2011
Rockies/Central/East Severe Weather2010
Oklahoma, Kansas, and Texas Tornadoes and Severe Weather2010
Midwest, South and East Severe Weather2009
Central Derecho and Tornadoes2009
Midwest/Southeast Tornadoes2009
Southwest/Great Plains Drought2009
Midwest/Mid-Atlantic Severe Weather2008
Midwest Tornadoes and Severe Weather2008
Midwest Flooding2008
Western, Central and Northeast Severe Weather2008
U.S. Drought2008
Spring Freeze2007
Midwest/Southeast Tornadoes2006
Severe Storms and Tornadoes2006
Midwest/Plains/Southeast Drought2006
Severe Storms/Tornadoes2003
Western/Central Drought/Heat Wave2003
Severe Storms and Tornadoes2002
U.S. Drought2002
Midwest/Ohio Valley Hail and Tornadoes2001
Western/Central/Southeast Drought/Heat Wave2000
Oklahoma and Kansas Tornadoes1999
Central and Eastern Severe Storms and Flooding1998
Southern Plains Drought1996
Midwest/Plains Tornadoes1994
Northern Plains and Ohio Valley Severe Weather1993
Midwest Flooding1993
Severe Storms, Hail1992
Severe Storms, Tornadoes1991
U.S. Drought1991
Northern Plains Drought1989
U.S. Drought/Heat Wave1988
Freeze/Cold Wave1983
Severe Storms1982
Midwest/Plains/Southeast Tornadoes1982
Midwest/Southeast/Northeast Winter Storm, Cold Wave1982
Severe Storms, Flash Floods, Hail, Tornadoes1981
Central/Eastern Drought/Heat Wave1980

Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters, state summary for Kansas, 1980-2024 (NCEI's last update; the product is archived). A disaster that affected several states counts in each. NCEI billion-dollar disasters.

Federal disaster declarations in Kansas

FEMA has made 96 declarations for Kansas since 1955: 73 major disasters, 9 emergencies and 14 fire management assistance declarations. The most common incident types are severe storm (50), fire (14), flood (13).

1950s 3
1960s 4
1970s 6
1980s 4
1990s 6
2000s 24
2010s 27
2020s 22

The 15 most recent declarations in Kansas
Declared	Number	Type	Title	Areas named
2026-09-01	DR-4943	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding	21
2026-09-01	DR-4940	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding	32
2026-06-30	DR-4926	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding	5
2025-12-19	DR-4897	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding	12
2025-09-11	DR-4891	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding	16
2025-07-22	DR-4883	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding	11
2025-05-21	DR-4869	Severe Storm	Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Wildfires	28
2025-03-14	FM-5556	Fire	Yates Center Fire	1
2024-09-24	DR-4824	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding	17
2024-08-20	DR-4811	Severe Storm	Severe Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding	14
2024-07-15	DR-4800	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding	13
2024-04-28	DR-4774	Winter Storm	Severe Winter Storm	17
2023-10-26	DR-4747	Severe Storm	Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding	21
2023-04-13	FM-5463	Fire	Haddam Fire	1
2022-05-25	DR-4654	Snowstorm	Severe Winter Storms and Straight-Line Winds	20

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.

Flood insurance claims in Kansas

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $116 million on 7,806 claims in 74 Kansas counties. Claims count insured losses only.

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.

FEMA's modeled risk across Kansas's counties

How FEMA's National Risk Index rates Kansas's counties overall: a model of expected future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of events.

Relatively High 2
Relatively Moderate 2
Relatively Low 21
Very Low 80

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