Attica, KS Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Attica is about the same as Kansas average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Attica is lower than Kansas average and is much higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #248
| Attica, KS | 0.02 |
| Kansas | 0.05 |
| U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #1
| Attica, KS | 0.0000 |
| Kansas | 0.0000 |
| U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #360
| Attica, KS | 230.99 |
| Kansas | 252.53 |
| U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 4,769 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Attica, KS were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 9 | Cold: | 8 | Dense Fog: | 8 | Drought: | 28 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 200 | Hail: | 2,727 | Heat: | 20 | Heavy Snow: | 44 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 21 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 41 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 1,491 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 2 | Winter Storm: | 43 | Winter Weather: | 28 |
| Other: | 99 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Attica, KS.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Attica, KS.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Attica, KS.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 75 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Attica, KS.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 0.9 | 2004-05-12 | 2 | 37°13'N / 98°13'W | 37°15'N / 98°13'W | 1.80 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 140K | 0 | Harper |
| Brief Description: Large dusty tornado moved north just on the outskirts of the city. The tornado had a direct hit on an ECO block home. The home lost it's roof, but all exterior walls remained in tact. Two metal barns were also lost in the tornado. | |||||||||||
| 6.4 | 1964-05-05 | 3 | 37°05'N / 98°35'W | 37°22'N / 98°06'W | 33.00 Miles | 660 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Barber |
| 7.2 | 1967-06-11 | 2 | 37°06'N / 98°35'W | 37°24'N / 98°08'W | 32.20 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Barber |
| 12.2 | 2004-05-12 | 2 | 37°16'N / 98°01'W | 37°16'N / 98°00'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 100K | 0 | Harper |
| Brief Description: Tornado moved NNE on the outskirts of Harper. The tornado sheared off the top portion of a two story home and sending debris for several hundred yards. | |||||||||||
| 12.7 | 1976-04-17 | 4 | 37°04'N / 98°32'W | 37°19'N / 98°22'W | 19.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Barber |
| 13.9 | 2004-05-12 | 4 | 37°15'N / 97°59'W | 37°15'N / 97°58'W | 1.20 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 1 | 275K | 75K | Harper |
| Brief Description: Large destructive tornado completely demolished a two story farm house and 5 other barns associated with the homestead. Five cars were also dismantled as the engines were spread across the shaven wheat fields. Very few automobile body parts could be located. | |||||||||||
| 14.4 | 2004-05-12 | 2 | 37°14'N / 97°59'W | 37°14'N / 97°57'W | 2.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 140K | 0 | Harper |
| Brief Description: Large tornado moved over open country before hitting a farmstead and shearing off the roof of a veterinarians clinic and the top floor of a two story home. | |||||||||||
| 16.4 | 2004-05-29 | 2 | 37°11'N / 98°00'W | 37°14'N / 97°52'W | 8.00 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 175K | 200K | Harper |
| Brief Description: The tornado mainly moved over open country damaging wheat fields that were ready to be harvested, however, one home completely lost it's roof and most of the belongings inside. | |||||||||||
| 21.3 | 1968-04-21 | 2 | 37°24'N / 98°24'W | 37°42'N / 98°00'W | 30.10 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Kingman |
| 23.5 | 2010-05-10 | 2 | 37°30'N / 97°59'W | 37°31'N / 97°56'W | 3.00 Miles | 700 Yards | 0 | 0 | 125K | 0K | Kingman |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: The tornado touched down and caused some damage to a barn and some trees limbs were partially torn off. As the tornado continued to move to the northeast more significant damage occurred. A house was damaged with the roof being torn off of a house with 2 exterior walls being blown out (EF2 damage). Two garages were also destroyed and a riding lawnmower was removed from the garage and moved 100 yards downstream. Three people took shelter from the tornado in the basement and were unharmed. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Severe thunderstorms developed during the afternoon and evening hours of May 10th, 2010, ahead of an approaching dry line and warm front. This dynamic environment coupled with an unstable airmass led to the development of thunderstorms to the west and south of Wichita, Kansas with tornado producing supercells moving across portions of South Central Kansas. Two supercells in particular produced significant damage across portions of Kingman, Sedgwick and Cowley counties with some of the damage classified as EF-2 damage by survey teams. | |||||||||||
| 23.6 | 1950-05-16 | 2 | 37°33'N / 98°25'W | 0.20 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Kingman | |
| 25.3 | 1964-11-14 | 2 | 37°31'N / 98°40'W | 37°28'N / 98°28'W | 11.30 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Pratt |
| 27.1 | 1957-04-22 | 2 | 37°30'N / 98°36'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Pratt | |||
| 28.8 | 2001-04-14 | 2 | 37°34'N / 98°38'W | 37°34'N / 98°29'W | 7.50 Miles | 800 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Pratt |
| Brief Description: Shed destroyed, combine moved, 2 pivot sprinklers destroyed, grain silo destroyed and power poles knocked down. | |||||||||||
| 29.8 | 1965-05-13 | 2 | 36°54'N / 97°54'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Grant | |||
| 30.2 | 1959-05-17 | 2 | 36°53'N / 97°55'W | 2.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Grant | |
| 30.4 | 1956-04-02 | 3 | 36°48'N / 98°32'W | 36°54'N / 98°25'W | 9.20 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Alfalfa |
| 30.5 | 2008-05-23 | 2 | 37°22'N / 98°45'W | 37°27'N / 98°44'W | 7.00 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Barber |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This tornado produced EF2 damage to trees and turned sharply northwest as it dissipated. EPISODE NARRATIVE: An anonymously strong upper level system allowed everything to come together at the surface to produced what is perhaps the biggest tornado outbreak to ever occur in the Dodge City CWA! Fifty-five tornadoes were documented during that afternoon and evening! Some of the tornadoes were very large and damaging. The character of the supercell thunderstorms that day had similarities to the storms that produced the Greensburg tornado a little over a year after. In fact there was one tornado that was just as large and perhaps could have been just as damaging that was headed towards the small Kiowa county town but fortunately turned and dissipated. | |||||||||||
| 30.7 | 1964-05-05 | 2 | 37°30'N / 98°41'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Pratt | |||
| 31.0 | 1990-03-13 | 3 | 36°57'N / 97°50'W | 37°00'N / 97°43'W | 4.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Grant |
| 31.3 | 2008-05-23 | 3 | 37°28'N / 98°37'W | 37°46'N / 98°29'W | 22.00 Miles | 1430 Yards | 2 | 2 | 0K | 0K | Pratt |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This 3/4 mile wide tornado produced EF3 damage and unfortunately claimed two lives. A husband and wife were parked on highway 54 approximately 2 1/4 miles east of Cairo. The tornado picked up their car and carried it approximately 1700 feet NNE into a wheat field (they were not discovered until the next morning at about 9 AM). The female occupant was ejected and was found 30 feet southwest of the wreckage. The male was still strapped in his seat. The car was nearly unrecognizable. A second vehicle (3/4 ton truck) was parked 20 yards behind the aforementioned car. It also went airborne briefly but got lodged on the north side ditch. The two male occupants received numerous cuts and bruises but were otherwise unhurt. They both claimed it was extremely cold immediately after crawling out of their vehicle with heavy vapor breath noticed. This tornado destroyed a home about a mile north and the collapsed east wall trapped a male in the bathtub where he had taken cover. Help was needed in lifting the wall off of him but he claimed he was not hurt. Other homes in the tornadoes path received minor to moderate damage. EPISODE NARRATIVE: An anonymously strong upper level system allowed everything to come together at the surface to produced what is perhaps the biggest tornado outbreak to ever occur in the Dodge City CWA! Fifty-five tornadoes were documented during that afternoon and evening! Some of the tornadoes were very large and damaging. The character of the supercell thunderstorms that day had similarities to the storms that produced the Greensburg tornado a little over a year after. In fact there was one tornado that was just as large and perhaps could have been just as damaging that was headed towards the small Kiowa county town but fortunately turned and dissipated. | |||||||||||
| 31.8 | 1973-04-30 | 2 | 36°48'N / 98°06'W | 36°48'N / 98°02'W | 3.30 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 6 | 250K | 0 | Alfalfa |
| 32.3 | 1962-05-28 | 2 | 36°48'N / 98°25'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Alfalfa | |||
| 32.5 | 1990-03-13 | 3 | 37°00'N / 97°43'W | 37°14'N / 97°36'W | 18.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Sumner |
| 32.6 | 1990-03-13 | 3 | 36°44'N / 97°59'W | 36°58'N / 97°49'W | 19.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Grant |
| 33.9 | 1973-04-30 | 2 | 36°48'N / 98°02'W | 36°49'N / 97°51'W | 10.10 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Grant |
| 34.5 | 2004-05-29 | 3 | 37°22'N / 97°38'W | 37°24'N / 97°37'W | 2.50 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 1 | 17.8M | 100K | Sumner |
| Brief Description: The following were destroyed: 15 farm dwellings and service buildings, 25 pieces of farm machinery and equipment, many miles of transmission line, with most of wheat a total loss. (This portion of narrative courtesy of USDA Flash Situation Report.) In addition, major damage to several homes along highway 49. One modular was completely removed from over a viewout basement. A teenage boy sought refuge under the staircase in the basement only to watch a car thrown overhead. He escaped unharmed. However, one woman wasn't so fortunate; the resident of a mobile home that was completely destroyed. The only recognizable parts were the steel girders that ran along the base of the home. She had sought refuge in the bathroom and was holding on to the commode. She was thrown several feet from the homestead and received several injuries. Fortunately, none were serious. | |||||||||||
| 34.7 | 1962-05-20 | 2 | 36°45'N / 98°21'W | 0.30 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Alfalfa | |
| 35.0 | 2002-05-07 | 2 | 37°42'N / 98°48'W | 37°34'N / 98°28'W | 22.00 Miles | 1800 Yards | 0 | 0 | 20.0M | 0 | Pratt |
| Brief Description: This very large tornado moved southeast across much of Pratt. Damage was rated a STRONG F2. There were 14 homes destroyed, 15 with major damage and 230 with minor damage. Over 50 Pivot sprinklers were damaged or destroyed. Despite the very heavy damage, there were no injuries thanks in part to adequate warnings. | |||||||||||
| 35.9 | 1985-09-22 | 2 | 36°44'N / 98°23'W | 36°44'N / 98°20'W | 4.00 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Alfalfa |
| 36.0 | 1964-05-06 | 2 | 36°45'N / 98°01'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Grant | |||
| 36.5 | 2004-05-29 | 3 | 37°23'N / 97°36'W | 37°22'N / 97°34'W | 2.50 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 1.0M | 0 | Sumner |
| Brief Description: Considerable damage to two homesteads; the first being a sturdy brick home. All exterior walls ripped from the home, only leaving only the interior. Home owner ran down the stairs as the tornado hit and avoided injury. Further southeast, a modular home was completely removed from above a viewout basement. It was here that an amazing survival occurred. The homeowner sought refuge in a safe room in the basement and was unharmed, despite the fact a propane tank landed in the basement and began to leak. Breathing became difficult as fumes permeated the saferoom. At the same time, the saferoom began to flood, however the rising water levels dissipated the fumes. In addition, a semi-truck was thrown approximately 100 feet. | |||||||||||
| 37.2 | 2010-05-10 | 3 | 36°48'N / 98°01'W | 36°57'N / 97°27'W | 33.00 Miles | 1500 Yards | 0 | 1 | 0K | 0K | Grant |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This is the Grant County portion of tornado #A2. This tornado developed as a multiple-vortex tornado along State Highway 11 southwest of Wakita. The tornado initially moved east and southeast continuing to affect State Highway 11 before beginning an east-northeast movement across Grant County. The tornado was a large and occasionally multiple-vortex tornado as it moved northwest and north of Medford and was embedded within a larger scale circulation that was strong enough to produce damage along a wide area around the tornado path. The tornado caused significant structural damage about 5 miles northwest of Medford and 5 miles east of Renfrow, and many areas of tree and power pole damage. This tornado moved into Kay County. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A significant outbreak of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes affected a large part of northern, central, and southern Oklahoma. Tornadoes were most numerous across central and southern Oklahoma, with significant damage occurring over many areas. Severe thunderstorms erupted by mid afternoon across northern and western Oklahoma. Given the potent combination of ingredients in place, storms began to produce tornadoes quickly after initiation. Storm motions of 50 to 60 mph were common. During the mid afternoon hours, severe weather was confined to northern Oklahoma. It was there a long track supercell storm produced tornadoes near the Kansas border - including one rated EF3 - from near Wakita to north of Braman. The capping inversion that had delayed thunderstorm development into central Oklahoma weakened, allowing for explosive supercell development along the dry line along and west of the Interstate 35 corridor. Rapid development and intensification was common with the late afternoon storms, with storms becoming tornadic within a very short time after initiation. This round of storms would directly impact a large part of the Oklahoma City metro area at rush hour, and posed a significant threat to the area. The first tornado in this area occurred in Canadian County. During the next several hours, tornadoes were clustered around the metro area, and at times there were multiple significant damaging tornadoes occurring simultaneously. Several of the tornadoes had long tracks. Damage from the tornadoes was substantial, with numerous structures, vehicles, trees and power poles/lines significantly damaged or destroyed. One of the more intense tornadoes moved across Lake Thunderbird east of Norman destroying numerous boats. More storms developed across southwest and south central Oklahoma, and also quickly became tornadic. By 9 pm, 35 tornadoes had been reported. While the loss of three lives was tragic, the casualties could have been much higher given the storm's fast motions, their intensity, the time of day and the areas impacted. While exact monetary damage figures were not available, it is estimated that losses were in excess of $595 million. At least 450 sustained injuries, most of them minor. Unfortunately three people lost their lives. Note: The large number of injuries and tornadoes made it difficult to associate injuries with specific tornadoes. Injury numbers were included when we had confidence in the numbers. Note: The complex nature of storm evolutions and interactions made the job of classifying tornadoes difficult. This represents our best scientific assessment based on ground and aerial surveys, data from multiple radars, photographic and video evidence and anecdotal information. | |||||||||||
| 38.1 | 2006-04-01 | 2 | 37°41'N / 98°38'W | 37°44'N / 98°34'W | 4.90 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Pratt |
| Brief Description: A barn was destroyed, a house damaged, large trees uprooted, a bailing trailer thrown into trees and several pivot sprinklers were destroyed. | |||||||||||
| 38.2 | 1953-05-10 | 2 | 36°59'N / 97°37'W | 37°00'N / 97°36'W | 1.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Grant |
| 39.5 | 1991-03-26 | 3 | 36°42'N / 98°00'W | 36°56'N / 97°30'W | 35.00 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Grant |
| 39.7 | 1951-04-30 | 3 | 37°38'N / 98°45'W | 37°46'N / 98°35'W | 12.80 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Pratt |
| 40.1 | 1959-05-04 | 2 | 37°44'N / 98°25'W | 37°53'N / 98°22'W | 10.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Reno |
| 40.2 | 1956-04-02 | 3 | 36°41'N / 98°40'W | 36°48'N / 98°32'W | 10.80 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Woods |
| 40.8 | 2002-04-18 | 2 | 36°35'N / 98°31'W | 36°47'N / 98°25'W | 15.00 Miles | 1500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 75K | 0 | Alfalfa |
| Brief Description: This tornado is a continuation of the tornado that developed in Major County and moved through Woods County. The tornado tracked for another 15 miles in Alfalfa County before dissipating 2 miles southwest of Ingersoll. As the tornado entered Alfalfa County, damage was sustained to outbuildings, trees and power lines, along State Highway 45 to the west of Carmen. Large trees were uprooted or snapped, and a windmill was destroyed along EW 25 Road to the east of NS 253 Road, or about 4.5 miles southwest of Lambert. Along the west side of NS 255 Road, between EW 23 Road and EW 22 Road (about 2.5 miles west of Lambert), a barn roof was removed as was the west section of the barn. Numerous power poles were snapped along EW 22 Road in a « mile area to the east of NS 255 Road. Several high-tension power poles were damaged or destroyed west of NS 256 Road and south of EW 21 Road. Significant tree damage and a couple of destroyed outbuildings were observed at the northeast corner of EW 20 and NS 256 Roads, about 5.5 miles southwest of Cherokee. The tornado continued north-northeast with the last damage observed along EW 17 Road just east of NS 257 Road, 2 miles southwest of Ingersoll, or about 4 miles west-northwest of Cherokee. In total, the tornado persisted for 62 minutes and traveled 34 miles. Numerous severe thunderstorms were observed over western Oklahoma during the afternoon and evening of the 17th and early morning of the 18th. Four tornadoes were confirmed, and there were several reports of very large hail, even one report of softball size hail (4.5 inches in diameter). The tornadoes were at night with the largest tornado, believed to be up to one mile wide, causing a maximum of F2 damage over a 34 mile path across northwest Oklahoma. Another tornado resulted in F3 damage. | |||||||||||
| 41.1 | 1955-06-17 | 2 | 36°45'N / 98°42'W | 36°47'N / 98°39'W | 3.60 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Woods |
| 41.1 | 1991-03-26 | 3 | 37°48'N / 98°30'W | 37°48'N / 98°29'W | 1.00 Mile | 220 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Pratt |
| 41.1 | 1965-03-16 | 4 | 36°40'N / 98°00'W | 36°49'N / 97°39'W | 21.90 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Grant |
| 41.5 | 1974-06-10 | 2 | 37°31'N / 98°54'W | 1.00 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Pratt | |
| 42.0 | 1969-04-16 | 2 | 36°36'N / 98°30'W | 36°47'N / 98°36'W | 13.80 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Alfalfa |
| 42.1 | 1990-06-07 | 2 | 37°47'N / 97°57'W | 37°52'N / 98°03'W | 7.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Reno |
| 42.4 | 1959-05-17 | 2 | 36°43'N / 97°49'W | 36°46'N / 97°45'W | 4.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Grant |
| 43.2 | 1965-03-16 | 4 | 36°36'N / 98°06'W | 36°40'N / 98°00'W | 7.10 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Grant |
| 43.3 | 1983-05-17 | 2 | 36°37'N / 98°11'W | 2.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Alfalfa | |
| 43.7 | 1997-05-25 | 2 | 37°08'N / 97°30'W | 37°10'N / 97°23'W | 8.00 Miles | 1700 Yards | 0 | 0 | 1.9M | 0K | Sumner |
| Brief Description: TWO (2) FARMSTEADS WERE HEAVILY DAMAGED THAT INCLUDED A 90-YEAR OLD BARN, 2 HOMES, 3 MACHINE SHEDS, A GARAGE AND THE MACHINERY THAT IT HOUSED AS WELL AS NUMEROUS CROPS. A CO-OP LOST A LARGE GRAIN BIN. TREE DAMAGE WAS EXTENSIVE THAT INCLUDED LARGE TREES THAT WERE COMPLETELY UPROOTED. | |||||||||||
| 44.3 | 1965-05-25 | 3 | 37°42'N / 98°47'W | 37°49'N / 98°38'W | 11.50 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 7 | 250K | 0 | Pratt |
| 44.3 | 1956-04-02 | 2 | 36°36'N / 97°51'W | 36°48'N / 97°45'W | 14.80 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 4 | 250K | 0 | Grant |
| 44.5 | 1969-06-23 | 4 | 37°39'N / 97°39'W | 37°36'N / 97°30'W | 8.70 Miles | 700 Yards | 0 | 6 | 250K | 0 | Sedgwick |
| 45.1 | 1976-03-11 | 2 | 36°29'N / 98°21'W | 36°42'N / 98°13'W | 16.60 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Alfalfa |
| 45.1 | 1965-03-16 | 4 | 36°49'N / 97°39'W | 36°55'N / 97°28'W | 12.30 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Grant |
| 45.5 | 2004-08-27 | 2 | 37°16'N / 97°24'W | 37°13'N / 97°24'W | 3.00 Miles | 110 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Sumner |
| Brief Description: At intersection of E. 40th St. S and Highway 81, 2 miles south of Wellington, two homes were damaged around 1830 CST. The first, a 2-story brick structure, was unroofed and had one wall collapsed. (F2 rating assigned to this property.) Tree damage also occurred on & around the property. The 2nd, neighboring home, of wood frame construction, was located 30 feet distant, and sustained minor roof damag. (F0 rating assigned to this property.) In addition, four power poles were snapped to near the ground as were, of course, their associated power lines. | |||||||||||
| 45.6 | 1991-04-12 | 3 | 36°39'N / 97°49'W | 36°46'N / 97°40'W | 9.50 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Grant |
| 46.1 | 1952-06-19 | 2 | 37°11'N / 97°25'W | 37°13'N / 97°22'W | 3.30 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Sumner |
| 46.3 | 1990-03-13 | 5 | 37°46'N / 98°01'W | 37°56'N / 97°43'W | 21.00 Miles | 1320 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25.0M | 0 | Reno |
| 46.5 | 1998-10-04 | 2 | 36°36'N / 98°31'W | 36°37'N / 98°30'W | 2.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 55K | 0 | Alfalfa |
| Brief Description: A major severe weather outbreak occurred across western and central Oklahoma from the afternoon of the 4th through the early morning of the 5th, resulting in 19 tornadoes, straight-line wind damage, hail as large as baseballs, and significant flooding across portions of Lincoln and Noble Counties, where numerous costly bridges were destroyed. Thunderstorms first developed over northwest Oklahoma during the early and mid-afternoon where hail larger than golf balls was reported in Major and Woodward Counties. The first of 19 tornadoes occurred at 1425 CST in Woods County 11 miles south-southwest of Dacoma. A media storm chaser observed this multiple vortex tornado as it touched down in southeastern Woods County and traveled northeast into western Alfalfa County before dissipating 4 miles northwest of Carmen. Damage was first reported south of Dacoma where an old abandoned house was damaged and a barn and garage were destroyed. As the tornado moved into western Alfalfa County, an office building at Carmen Field Limited Partnership and a local gas plant were completely destroyed. A modular home adjacent to the gas plant also had most of its roof blown off. Numerous witnesses described this tornado (F2) as very large and was at least a quarter of a mile wide. The 2nd tornado, an F0, developed on the salt flats 5 miles southeast of Cherokee in Alfalfa County and was seen by an Alfalfa County Sheriff's Deputy. The 3rd tornado was witnessed by a state trooper touching down very close to Highway 11, 5 miles west of Medford in Grant County, and was on the ground for less than one minute with no known damage (F0). As the thunderstorms associated with these tornadoes moved east, additional thunderstorms began to intensify farther south. Near Mountain Park in Kiowa County, Baseball size hail destroyed numerous car windshields. A short while longer, at 1638 CST, the 4th tornado was captured on video by a reliable storm chaser 9 miles southwest of Watonga in Blaine County. This tornado touched down for only a few seconds in an open field with no known damage (F0). Several storage buildings at a Lowe's Department Store in Ponca City in Kay County, were blown over by winds estimated between 80-90 mph. The 5th tornado touched down 2.5 miles southwest of Watonga in Blaine County and crossed US-270/281 two miles south of Watonga. The tornado continued to the northeast and finally dissipated about 9 miles east-northeast of Watonga. At least three homes suffered significant damage, one of which had its roof completely removed (F2). The 6th tornado was seen by an Oklahoma Highway Patrol Officer 5 miles north of Medicine Park in Comanche County touching down briefly in an open field with no known damage (F0). The 7th tornado, an F1, touched down 6 miles southwest of Dover in Kingfisher County and traveled northeast for 7 miles, crossing Highway 81 near the Cimarron River, and dissipating 2 miles southeast of Dover. One haybarn was destroyed, while 1 residence and 5 barns were damaged. Numerous trees and power lines were also downed. The 8th tornado, an F0, touched down just west of the intersection of US-277 and SH-8, 1 mile north of Cyril in Caddo County, and moved east for one-half mile knocking down trees and power lines and causing minor roof damage in the extreme northeastern portion of Cyril. While straight-line winds damaged a roof at the Farmers Coop Association building, and a trailer home in Guthrie in Logan County at 1745 CST, the 9th tornado touched down at 1747 CST on or just south of Lake Carl Blackwell in Payne County, and was observed by numerous people in and near Stillwater. The tornado moved northeast over the lake, crossed into extreme southern Noble County, and over Lake McMurtry. Minor damage was reported in northern Payne County, however the worst damage occurred in southern Noble County as the tornado moved off of Lake McMurtry and severely damaged a mobile home (F1). The 10th tornado (F2) was witnessed by 3 firefighters 1 mile south of Highway 277 on Lake Burtshi Road 9 miles west-southwest of Ninnekah in Grady County, and was on the ground for 1.5 miles. One mobile home was disintegrated, while 2 others nearby were flipped over. Many well-structured homes sustained minor roof damage, and numerous trees were blown over, some onto homes and one onto an RV. A storage building was also destroyed. The 11th tornado, also an F2, touched down in Grady County, 4.5 miles north of Middleburg, damaging several mobile homes and outbuildings. One mobile home was completely destroyed in the Bridge Creek area while two others were blown over. Scattered tree damage continued for 5 miles into McClain county just to the southwest of the Newcastle city limits. Wind damage continued into the south part of Newcastle causing damage to trees and power lines. In addition to the tornado damage, straight-line winds overturned several tractor-trailers 7 miles south of Tuttle, also in Grady County, and destroyed a barn in Dibble in McClain County. Lightning also struck a house on Broadway in Norman in Cleveland County, causing a small fire at 1900 CST. The 12th tornado (F0) developed at 1926 CST 3 miles north of Newcastle in McClain County, and was observed by people from Norman, Moore and Newcastle. This tornado touched down just northeast of the intersection of I-44 and North 32nd Street north of Newcastle, and moved north into extreme western Cleveland County near SW 149th St. and Meridian Avenue, in southwest Oklahoma City. Damage was primarily to trees. The 13th tornado was one of the most destructive tornadoes of the outbreak, developing over the city of Moore in Cleveland County about 1/2 mile north of SW 19th Ave, just east of Santa Fe Ave. The tornado tracked almost due north at first, and then curved slightly east of north. Many homes lost all or parts of their roofs, leaving them uninhabitable, and one home lost a portion of an exterior wall. Sections of roofs were also torn off of a few warehouses as the tornado crossed Shields Ave. and then dissipated just west of I-35. The worst damage occurred along NW 12th Ave to the west of Janaway where F2 damage was observed. In total, 10 single-family residences were either destroyed or severely damaged; 8 multi-family buildings were severely damaged; and hundreds of other homes and businesses sustained minor damage. Damage estimates were near 2 million dollars. The 14th tornado touched down near EW 106 road and NS 346 Road 4 miles southeast of Meeker in Lincoln County, where light damage occurred to many trees. The tornado then moved northeast crossing EW 347 south of US 62. Damage was observed from just south of this intersection southward for about one mile. Just south of the intersection, trees were downed and a house received damage to the roof and porch. F2 damage occurred about 1/2 mile south of US 62, where three homes received significant roof damage, and an RV was pushed over onto its side. The tornado crossed US 62 with light damage to trees and minor damage to a house along the highway. The tornado likely dissipated just northeast of the intersection of US 62 and NS 347 Road. The 15th tornado, also an F2, developed a few minutes after the last tornado about 7 miles west of Prague. This tornado touched down near NS 348 road about 1/2 mile north of EW 106 Road where a mobile home received light damage. The tornado moved northeast crossing near the intersection of EW 105 Road and NS 349 Road, then grew in size and intensity before crossing US 62. A mobile home along US 62 just west of NS 350 Road was destroyed. The metal frame that supported the home and most of the contents was deposited northwest of the original location up to 150 yards. Other debris was thrown north-northeast across US 62. The tornado then continued northeast and damage was noted for 3/4 of a mile along NS 350 Road centered on US 62. Slight damage to trees and outbuildings was observed along NS 352 Road approximately 2 miles north of US 62. The tornado probably dissipated northeast of this point, although roads became inaccessibe due to flooding and made it difficult to determine the exact location. In addition, a 6 mile long swath of damaging straight-line winds accompanied this tornado from 6 miles west of Prague to 3 miles northwest of Prague, resulting in massive tree damage. Damaging straight-line winds were also responsible for blowing down trees and power lines in Shawnee in Pottowatomie County at 2010 CST, and for a wind gust of 64 mph at 2020 CST, 4 miles west-southwest of Guthrie in Logan County, measured by Oklahoma Mesonet. Another tornado, the 16th of the outbreak, developed at about the same time 6 miles northwest of Prague, and moved northeast for 7 miles before dissipating 7 miles north-northeast of Prague. This tornado, rated an F1, touched down at the intersection of EW 102 Road and NS 350 Road where outbuildings received moderate damage. Less than 1/4 of a mile away on EW 102 Road, a mobile home was lifted and thrown east about 100 yards, uprooting a power pole while airborne. The mobile home was destroyed upon impact. All 6 family members who took shelter inside an interior closet were injured. All injuries were minor, except for the father who suffered broken ribs, a cracked pelvis and head injuries. He stayed overnight in a nearby hospital and was released the next day. As the tornado continued east-northeast along NS 352 Road, south of the community of Wilzetta, an outbuilding was unroofed, minor damage occurred to a house roof, and trees were uprooted. Tree and power line damage continued to about 2 or 3 miles east of Wilzetta. The tornado then turned more to the northeast as it crossed SH 99 where a mobile home received minor damage, 3 outbuildings were destroyed, a few logs at a sawmill were tossed, and trees were downed. Scattered tree damage was observed to just southwest of the intersection of NS 357 Road and EW 99 Road where the tornado lifted. In addition to the tornadoes near Prague, straight-line winds were responsible for downing numerous trees and awnings of several businesses in downtown Prague. Farther south in Pottawatomie County, 2 tornadoes (Numbers 17 and 18 of the outbreak) embedded in larger swaths of damaging straight-line winds, developed near Shawnee. The first one touched down 3 miles northwest of Shawnee and remained on the ground for 3 miles before dissipating 3 miles north of Shawnee. A large swath of damaging straight-line winds approximately 1 mile wide and 4 miles long accompanied this F1 tornado as it moved across northern portions of Shawnee. Extensive tree damage occurred on a private golf course just west of Acme road. Minor damage also occurred to the roof of the clubhouse and to the roof-mounted air conditioning unit. Widespread tree and roof damage also occurred in a subdivision south of 45th St. and west of Kickapoo. In addition to a mobile home being destroyed near the east end of the damage path, which is believed to be the result of a tornado, many other mobile homes nearby received minor damage. In addition, 1 mile southeast of Dale in Pottowatomie County, numerous trees and signs were either destroyed or uprooted along Interstate 40; a shed was destroyed, and a barn was unroofed along Highway 102. Oklahoma Mesonet also measured a wind gust of 72 mph at 2055 CST, 3 miles north-northwest of Shawnee. The 2nd tornado, also an F1 and the 18th tornado of the outbreak, developed in or very close to the Shawnee business district, moved east for 2 miles, and was also accompanied by a large area of damaging straight-line winds. The exact damage resulting from the tornado was difficult to assess, but it is believed it was limited to fallen trees, downed power lines, and minor roof and structural damage to many homes. The area of straight-line wind damage was approximately 2.5 miles wide and 5 miles long, and occurred from the western side of Shawnee to the eastern side of Shawnee. Damage included widespread fallen trees in a suburban area north of Highland extending several blocks either side of Kickapoo, in the Woodland Park area, Boy Scout Park, and in the rural area along and south of Farrel Road between Harrison and Bryan. One tree fell on and heavily damaged the Beard House, a local landmark that was the first homestead built in Shawnee in 1895. An east-facing cinder block wall of a warehouse was blown outward in the vicinty of Minnesota and Pennsylvania Streets, and structural damage occurred to many buildings in downtown Shawnee, including toppled brick walls and broken windows. The combination of widespread straight-line wind damage and a tornado resulted in major damage over a very large area. The 19th and last tornado of the outbreak touched down 5 miles west-northwest of Little, near the intersection of EW 114 Road and NS 351 Road in northwestern Pottowatomie County, where minor tree damage was observed. The tornado, an F3, then increased in size to approximately a 1/2 mile wide as it moved northeast. As it crossed NS 351 Road and then EW 113 Road, a number of outbuildings were heavily damaged, and trees were snapped. Three mobile homes received light damage near the north edge of the path, and 3 other homes received light damage to shingles. The tornado crossed Interstate 40 blowing over a truck which was carrying hazardous materials. The tornado then continued northeast unroofing a mobile home, causing damage to trees and destroying a number of outbuilding before crossing the North Canadian River into northeast Pottawatomie County. Along EW 110 Road, significant tree damage was observed, and a barn was partially unroofed. The community of Center View near the intersection of SH 99 and EW 109 Road was then hard hit with most of the damage south and east of this intersection. From the debris pattern, the center of the tornado crossed Highway 99 one-half mile south of EW 109 Road. A house along Highway 99 was unroofed and lost most of its exterior walls. Three homes suffered major damage along EW 109 Road. Two other homes suffered significant damage. As the tornado continued moving northeast another home suffered significant roof damage, and the south facing brick wall was buckled. The garage was destroyed. Steel and cinder block from the garage were impaled in a tree. There was also significant damage to large trees. Farther northeast, damage to a roof was noted, and a large number of power lines were downed along NS 357 Road near the intersection of EW 108 Road. One outbuilding was damaged, and light damage was observed in trees just south of EW 107 Road. In total, at least 60 homes or businesses were damaged. Major flooding developed across Noble, Lincoln, and Payne Counties shortly after midnight on the 5th. Red Rock Creek and Black Bear Creek near Red Rock in Payne County, overflowed their banks between Highway 77 and Interstate 35 washing away several small bridges. Damage was estimated at 200 thousand dollars. Six to seven inches of rain fell across a large portion of Lincoln County. At least 3 bridges were washed away by the floods including 1 bridge 1 mile east of Kendrick, and dozens of roads suffered erosion damage. Creeks also overflowed their banks in Stroud, Davenport, and Agra. At least 500 thousand dollars in damage resulted. Between 4 and 5 inches of rain fell across Payne County forcing the Cu Chee Creek to overflow its banks, flooding many roads in Cushing and Stillwater. | |||||||||||
| 47.2 | 2008-05-23 | 3 | 37°00'N / 99°03'W | 37°06'N / 99°03'W | 7.00 Miles | 980 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Comanche |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This 1/2 mile wide tornado moved out of Oklahoma. EF3+ damaged was based on trees that appeared to be sand blasted. Also, there were trees uprooted, several antique cars that have yet to be found as of late July, 2008 (probably dropped in ravines in the area). An oil tank was carried 2 miles. Several head of cattle were killed. The tornado turned west (left) as it began to dissipate. EPISODE NARRATIVE: An anonymously strong upper level system allowed everything to come together at the surface to produced what is perhaps the biggest tornado outbreak to ever occur in the Dodge City CWA! Fifty-five tornadoes were documented during that afternoon and evening! Some of the tornadoes were very large and damaging. The character of the supercell thunderstorms that day had similarities to the storms that produced the Greensburg tornado a little over a year after. In fact there was one tornado that was just as large and perhaps could have been just as damaging that was headed towards the small Kiowa county town but fortunately turned and dissipated. | |||||||||||
| 47.5 | 2000-05-25 | 2 | 36°34'N / 98°37'W | 36°40'N / 98°33'W | 8.00 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 50K | 0 | Woods |
| Brief Description: This tornado was confirmed by a damage survey from the National Weather Service and is believed to have formed about 1/4 mile southwest of the intersection of State Highway 45 and NS246 Road in Woods County, or about 7 miles south-southwest of Dacoma, where significant tree damage was evident. Dozens of large, mature trees were stripped of most limbs, and many others were pushed over mostly in a northwestward direction, but not lofted. Then at the intersection of State Highway 45 and NS246 Road the property of the Green Valley Church sustained massive damage, most significant of which occurred to the community center, a 40 foot by 20 foot wooden structure that was completely destroyed. All exterior walls, 4 total, and the 2 interior walls were made of wood and entirely displaced from the foundation with debris located near the west edge of the foundation extending northwestward about 100 feet. On the same lot, just west and north of the community center, 3 to 4 large mature trees were either pushed over to the west and northwest or largely stripped of their limbs. The roof of the parsonage located approximately 50 feet north of the community center and just north of 2 pushed-over trees, also was heavily damaged. A 15 foot section of the gable-style roof was blown off the back side of the house and lofted eastward about 50 feet. Two large mature trees located northeast of the house were pushed over in a north-northwestward direction. Lesser damage on the property occurred to the garage, located immediately northeast of the community center, where several windows were broken and numerous roof shingles were missing. Several large bales of hay also rolled westward approximately 125 feet and were embedded in structure and tree debris. Damage to the Green Valley Community Center 6 miles SSW of Dacoma is the basis for the F2 rating. As the accompanying photo (below listing of tornado at 2225 CST) shows, this building was completely destroyed with most of the debris found to the northwest of the foundation. As the tornado tracked northeastward, a 1 mile long path of tree damage was evident on both sides of EW29 Road. Most trees had numerous limbs blown off or were damaged, while fewer trees were blown over, with the majority of trees north of the road blown over to the north and trees south of the road blown over to the east. Minor structural damage was also observed about 1/4 mile south of EW29 Road. Along NS249 Road an uninhabited house sustained significant damage to the east portion thought to be a garage, which was pushed over to the north. Numerous shingles were missing from the remainder of the house roof. A flag pole on the west side of the lot was bent to the northwest, while dozens of large mature trees north and northeast of the house were heavily damaged, with most of the them missing numerous limbs, while others were pushed over. This tree damage continued northward to EW27 Road. On the southeast side of Dacoma, an old barn was blown over, while another barn of tin construction had part of its roof blown off, with debris scattered northward a short distance. The tornado dissipated 1 mile east-northeast of Dacoma where 3-4 inch diameter tree limbs were downed. Severe thunderstorms first developed across portions of western and northern Oklahoma during the evening of the 25th, resulting in 4 confirmed tornadoes, one rated F2, and other areas of straight-line wind damage and large hail. Then during the early morning hours of the 26th, a line of severe thunderstorms formed across southwest Oklahoma and raced eastward into southeast Oklahoma, resulting in widespread damage from winds estimated between 80 and 100 mph at times. | |||||||||||
| 47.7 | 1991-03-26 | 3 | 36°56'N / 97°30'W | 37°00'N / 97°22'W | 9.00 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Kay |
| 47.9 | 1953-05-10 | 2 | 37°00'N / 97°36'W | 37°23'N / 97°07'W | 37.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Sumner |
| 48.2 | 1965-05-25 | 3 | 37°49'N / 98°38'W | 37°58'N / 98°28'W | 13.80 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Stafford |
| 48.6 | 1991-03-26 | 2 | 36°29'N / 98°14'W | 36°36'N / 98°05'W | 9.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Alfalfa |
| 48.8 | 1991-04-12 | 3 | 36°35'N / 97°54'W | 36°36'N / 97°52'W | 2.20 Miles | 800 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Grant |
| 49.1 | 1959-05-04 | 2 | 36°32'N / 98°17'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Alfalfa | |||
| 49.5 | 1965-06-04 | 3 | 37°50'N / 97°50'W | 37°54'N / 97°44'W | 6.90 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Reno |
| 49.6 | 2002-05-07 | 2 | 37°39'N / 99°00'W | 37°42'N / 98°54'W | 7.50 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 500K | 0 | Pratt |
| Brief Description: This tornado moved in from Kiowa county. No injuries due to adequate warning. | |||||||||||
| 49.6 | 1973-05-26 | 3 | 37°43'N / 97°36'W | 37°45'N / 97°32'W | 4.30 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Sedgwick |
| 49.6 | 2010-05-10 | 3 | 36°57'N / 97°27'W | 37°00'N / 97°20'W | 7.00 Miles | 1500 Yards | 0 | 1 | 0K | 0K | Kay |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This is the Kay County portion of tornado #A2. The tornado crossed into Kay County from Grant County and continued to produce significant damage. One home was destroyed and another significantly damaged between the Grant County line and U.S. Highway 177. After the tornado crossed US-177, an anchored mobile home was destroyed and blown to the east, and a tri-level home was destroyed with the top floor blown about 50 yards northeast into some trees, and the ground floor pivoted and was displaced to the northwest exposing the basement where one minor injury occurred. The tornado continued to produce significant tree damage as it moved east-northeast, and blew semi trucks over along Interstate 35 at the Kansas state line. This tornado crossed into Sumner County Kansas. See documentation from the NWS Wichita KS for additional information. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A significant outbreak of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes affected a large part of northern, central, and southern Oklahoma. Tornadoes were most numerous across central and southern Oklahoma, with significant damage occurring over many areas. Severe thunderstorms erupted by mid afternoon across northern and western Oklahoma. Given the potent combination of ingredients in place, storms began to produce tornadoes quickly after initiation. Storm motions of 50 to 60 mph were common. During the mid afternoon hours, severe weather was confined to northern Oklahoma. It was there a long track supercell storm produced tornadoes near the Kansas border - including one rated EF3 - from near Wakita to north of Braman. The capping inversion that had delayed thunderstorm development into central Oklahoma weakened, allowing for explosive supercell development along the dry line along and west of the Interstate 35 corridor. Rapid development and intensification was common with the late afternoon storms, with storms becoming tornadic within a very short time after initiation. This round of storms would directly impact a large part of the Oklahoma City metro area at rush hour, and posed a significant threat to the area. The first tornado in this area occurred in Canadian County. During the next several hours, tornadoes were clustered around the metro area, and at times there were multiple significant damaging tornadoes occurring simultaneously. Several of the tornadoes had long tracks. Damage from the tornadoes was substantial, with numerous structures, vehicles, trees and power poles/lines significantly damaged or destroyed. One of the more intense tornadoes moved across Lake Thunderbird east of Norman destroying numerous boats. More storms developed across southwest and south central Oklahoma, and also quickly became tornadic. By 9 pm, 35 tornadoes had been reported. While the loss of three lives was tragic, the casualties could have been much higher given the storm's fast motions, their intensity, the time of day and the areas impacted. While exact monetary damage figures were not available, it is estimated that losses were in excess of $595 million. At least 450 sustained injuries, most of them minor. Unfortunately three people lost their lives. Note: The large number of injuries and tornadoes made it difficult to associate injuries with specific tornadoes. Injury numbers were included when we had confidence in the numbers. Note: The complex nature of storm evolutions and interactions made the job of classifying tornadoes difficult. This represents our best scientific assessment based on ground and aerial surveys, data from multiple radars, photographic and video evidence and anecdotal information. | |||||||||||
| 49.7 | 1955-05-25 | 3 | 36°42'N / 97°37'W | 36°51'N / 97°28'W | 13.30 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Grant |
| 49.8 | 1991-03-26 | 3 | 37°48'N / 98°29'W | 38°07'N / 98°12'W | 25.00 Miles | 220 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Reno |
| 50.0 | 2008-05-23 | 2 | 36°57'N / 99°07'W | 36°59'N / 99°01'W | 4.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 20K | 0K | Woods |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: The tornado developed and moved predominately over range land. Little or no significant damage was observed until the tornado approached the state line. Widespread tree damage, consistent with an EF2 tornado was noted. The tornado then moved into Comanche County Kansas. Monetary damages were estimated. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Thunderstorms developed during the afternoon ahead of a dry line that was located near the Texas panhandle and Oklahoma border. The thunderstorms quickly became supercells as they moved toward southwest Kansas. Very large hail was the initial threat, although a significant tornado threat became apparent as they neared the Kansas border. Three tornadoes were reported with the thunderstorms, with two of them doing significant damage. The tornadic thunderstorms moved northeast by nightfall, with other less severe thunderstorms developing farther south. Monetary damages were estimated. | |||||||||||
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.