Kansas high wind and dust storms
Every recorded high wind record since 1996 · 105 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 3,686 high wind and dust records in Kansas from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 122 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the March 14, 2025 dust storm: 8 deaths and 45 injuries across 14 records. Kansas ranks 12th of 52 states and territories by count and 25th of 51 per square mile.
High wind and dust storms in Kansas, 1996 to 2026
Wind 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
- 3,6861996 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 122average
- Deaths
- 20102 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $28Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2022340 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 high wind and dust records common in Kansas?
Kansas averages about 122 high wind and dust records a year since 2000, 12th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2022 (340). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Kansas records 451 high wind and dust records since 1996, 25th of 51 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 high wind and dust records?
Per square mile, Sherman County leads Kansas: 142 days with a high wind record since 1996, 134.5 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Ford County has the most wind records (207 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 windy season in Kansas?
45% of its high wind and dust records since 1996 fell in March and April. The busiest month is April (951 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 327 · Feb 224 · Mar 703 · Apr 951 · May 299 · Jun 254 · Jul 15 · Aug 12 · Sep 34 · Oct 231 · Nov 227 · Dec 409 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.
What were the deadliest high wind and dust records in Kansas?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-03-14 | Dust StormSherman County · forecast zone Sherman One storm episode: 14 records in 8 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 | – | |
| 2014-01-16 | Dust StormThomas County · forecast zone Thomas A small stretch of highway 83 just west of Rexford, Kansas in Thomas county experienced severe visibility reductions in blowing dirt early in the afternoon. Three separate accidents occurred around 1400 CST, involving a total of seven semi trailers and eight passenger vehicles. Multiple injuries and fatalities were ... | 3 | 1 | – | |
| 2011-04-29 | Strong WindMarion County · forecast zone Marion A 70-year old man was killed and two others injured when their boat on Marion Reservoir was swamped by 5 to 6 foot swells, created by strong southerly winds. All three men were wearing life jackets. Information courtesy of Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. Property damage amounts are rough estimates. | 48 kt wind | 1 | 2 | $7K |
| 2026-02-17 | Dust StormThomas County · forecast zone Thomas One storm episode: 16 records in 12 places; the totals are the episode's. In the midday of the 17th, west-southwesterly winds began gusting up to close to 70 MPH ahead of a cold front. Behind the front high winds continued. The west-southwesterly winds did loft dirt into the air, causing widespread visibilities to drop to around 1-2 miles with isolated pockets of intense plumes leading to ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-12-18 | High WindButler County · forecast zone Butler One storm episode: 13 records in 13 places; the totals are the episode's. Very strong northwesterly winds overspread portions of central and south-central Kansas during the morning hours of December 18th. These strong winds continued throughout the afternoon hours with many sites reporting wind gusts between 60 and 75 mph. If fact, a 77-mph wind gust was reported at the Russell Airport. | 51 kt wind | 1 | 0 | – |
| 1996-01-17 | High WindFord County · forecast zone Ford Several semi trucks blown off the road. Many structures with roof damage. Numerous power outages. | 1 | 0 | $376K | |
| 2022-12-02 | Dust StormSheridan County · forecast zone Sheridan Law enforcement reported reduced visibility while responding to a fatal, multi-car accident occurred due to blowing dust caused by strong winds. The accident was due to extremely reduced visibility caused by blowing dust. | 1 | 0 | $134K | |
| 2004-05-29 | High WindLogan County · forecast zone Logan 2-4 inch branches littering the ground. Power out on west side of Oakley for 4 hours. Low visibility in blowing dirt for over an hour. Fatal accident killing a state senator on Interstate-70 occurred in period of near zero visibility. | 56 kt wind | 1 | 0 | – |
| 2001-03-15 | High WindFord County · forecast zone Ford Wind of 40 to 60 mph for much of the morning and early afternoon blew several cars off the road. In Ford county, the wind blew a motor home into the path of a semi. The result was one fatality. | 50 kt wind | 1 | 0 | – |
| 2000-02-25 | High WindSedgwick County · forecast zone Sedgwick A 50-foot locust tree was blown down at a golf course. The tree fell onto a golf cart, killing the driver instantly. | 35 kt wind | 1 | 0 | $3K |
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 high wind and dust records in Kansas
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-04-11 | High WindAnderson County · forecast zone Anderson | 74 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $6.7M |
| 2024-05-25 | High WindSherman County · forecast zone Sherman | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $6.6M |
| 2020-10-11 | High WindSherman County · forecast zone Sherman | 70 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1.7M |
| 2001-04-11 | High WindRussell County · forecast zone Russell | 65 kt wind | 0 | 2 | $1.3M |
| 2001-04-11 | High WindGreeley County and Wichita County · forecast zone Greeley | 0 | 0 | $833K | |
| 2025-03-04 | High WindFinney County · forecast zone Finney One storm episode: 33 records in 24 places; the totals are the episode's. | 73 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $507K |
| 1996-01-17 | High WindFord County · forecast zone Ford | 1 | 0 | $376K | |
| 2002-03-08 | High WindJackson County · forecast zone Jackson | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $331K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are high wind and dust 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 | 313 | 14,026 | 2.2% |
| 2000s | 891 | 37,254 | 2.4% |
| 2010s | 935 | 41,748 | 2.2% |
| 2020-26 | 1,547 | 36,300 | 4.3% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent high wind and dust records in Kansas
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-20 | Dust StormGreeley County · forecast zone Greeley | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-20 | High WindGreeley County · forecast zone Greeley | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-20 | High WindThomas County · forecast zone Thomas | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-20 | Dust StormLogan County · forecast zone Logan | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-11 | High WindLogan County · forecast zone Logan | 54 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-30 | High WindSaline County · forecast zone Saline | 54 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-16 | Dust StormGove County · forecast zone Gove | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-23 | Dust StormLogan County · forecast zone Logan | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-23 | High WindThomas County · forecast zone Thomas | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $12K |
| 2026-04-23 | Dust StormThomas County · forecast zone Thomas | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-23 | Dust StormGove County · forecast zone Gove | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-23 | Dust StormLogan County · forecast zone Logan | 0 | 0 | – |
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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