Kansas heat
Every recorded heat record since 1996 · 67 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 897 heat records in Kansas from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 53 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the July 14, 2011 excessive heat in Reno County: 5 deaths across 3 records. Kansas ranks 21st of 51 states and territories by count and 30th of 50 per square mile.
Heat in Kansas, 1996 to 2026
Heat records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.
- 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
- Records
- 8971996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 53average
- Deaths
- 2038 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $5.3Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2010238 records
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
Are heat records common in Kansas?
Kansas averages about 53 heat records a year since 2000, 21st of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2010 (238). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Kansas records 110 heat records since 1996, 30th of 50 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.
Which counties in Kansas have the most heat records?
Per square mile, Wyandotte County leads Kansas: 19 days with a heat record since 1996, 125.3 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Shawnee County has the most heat records (24 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is the heat season in Kansas?
88% of its heat records since 1996 fell in July and August. The busiest month is July (440 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 0 · Feb 1 · Mar 0 · Apr 0 · May 2 · Jun 70 · Jul 440 · Aug 350 · Sep 34 · Oct 0 · Nov 0 · Dec 0 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest heat records in Kansas?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-07-14 | Excessive HeatReno County · forecast zone Reno One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places, 2011-07-14 to 2011-07-15; the totals are the episode's. An extended period of 100 degree heat settled over the region from the middle portion of the month until the end of the month. High temperatures across most of Central and South Central Kansas stayed at or above 98 degrees for seventeen straight days, with some areas seeing max temperatures reaching 109 to 113 ... | 5 | 0 | – | |
| 2006-07-16 | HeatSedgwick County · forecast zone Sedgwick One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. From July 16-20, a deadly heat wave gripped much of central, south-central and southeast Kansas. Broad high pressure in the mid and upper levels of the atmosphere caused temperatures to soar into the 105-110 degree range, with afternoon heat indices about the same. The cover of darkness provided little in the way of ... | 5 | 0 | – | |
| 1998-08-17 | HeatSedgwick County · forecast zone Sedgwick One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2000-07-13 | HeatMorris County · forecast zone Morris Two people died from dehydration in Council Grove. One was an 85 year old male and the other was his 82 year old wife. The two were found dead in their home. | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2015-08-03 | HeatMiami County · forecast zone Miami While conditions were not particularly hot, they were slightly above average for the mid to late summer, with heat indices in the middle to upper 90s. A 15 year old boy was out riding his bike near Osawatomie when he complained to his friend of being too hot, so he turned around to go home. He was found near train ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2014-07-24 | Excessive HeatSedgwick County · forecast zone Sedgwick A 10-month old girl died after she had been left in a car for approximately 2 hours from around 4:30 to 6:40 PM. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2011-05-09 | Excessive HeatButler County · forecast zone Butler High temperatures near 100 degrees led to the death of a Hispanic man in Rose Hill, Kansas. The 30 year old male collapsed while working on a roof and later died from heat stroke. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1999-07-15 | HeatLyon County · forecast zone Lyon Excessive heat occurred over the area throughout the month. But an approximate 2 week string of days during the last half of the month seemed to be the worst. Temperatures during this two week period exceeded 100 degrees in many areas on many days. The excessive heat was also accompanied by very high heat indices that ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2005-07-21 | HeatWyandotte County · forecast zone Wyandotte Oppressive heat and humidity was observed across the area from July 21st to July 25th. Afternoon heat indices ranged from 105 to 110 degrees. A 78 year old female from Bonner Springs in Wyandotte county died from heat related causes on July 23rd. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1999-07-18 | HeatMiami County · forecast zone Miami Oppressive heat and humidity gripped northeast Kansas for nearly 2 weeks in late July. Temperatures exceeded 90 degrees across the area on 14 consecutive days, and flirted with the 100 degree mark on eight of those days, from July 23-30. High humidity levels pushed afternoon heat indices over 100, and even as high as ... | 1 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.
The costliest heat records in Kansas
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-07-16 | HeatBarton County · forecast zone Barton One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $4.7M | |
| 2010-07-19 | Excessive HeatOttawa County · forecast zone Ottawa | 0 | 0 | $325K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are heat records becoming more frequent in Kansas?
Kansas's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.
| Decade | Kansas | United States | Kansas's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996-99 | 42 | 4,355 | 1.0% |
| 2000s | 328 | 9,163 | 3.6% |
| 2010s | 502 | 16,445 | 3.1% |
| 2020-26 | 25 | 26,796 | 0.1% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent heat records in Kansas
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-08-24 | HeatSedgwick County · forecast zone Sedgwick | 0 | 15 | – | |
| 2015-08-03 | HeatMiami County · forecast zone Miami | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2014-07-24 | Excessive HeatSedgwick County · forecast zone Sedgwick | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2011-07-15 | Excessive HeatSumner County · forecast zone Sumner | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2011-07-15 | Excessive HeatButler County · forecast zone Butler | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2011-07-14 | Excessive HeatReno County · forecast zone Reno | 3 | 0 | – | |
| 2011-07-14 | Excessive HeatDouglas County · forecast zone Douglas | 0 | 6 | – | |
| 2011-05-09 | Excessive HeatButler County · forecast zone Butler | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2010-07-19 | Excessive HeatOttawa County · forecast zone Ottawa | 0 | 0 | $325K | |
| 2010-07-16 | HeatRice County · forecast zone Rice | 0 | 0 | $1.7M | |
| 2010-07-16 | HeatSaline County · forecast zone Saline | 0 | 0 | $677K | |
| 2010-07-16 | HeatBarton County · forecast zone Barton | 0 | 0 | $2.4M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.
Next
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