Dighton, KS Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Dighton is about the same as Kansas average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Dighton is much lower than Kansas average and is higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #543
| Dighton, KS | 0.01 |
| 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
| Dighton, 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, #637
| Dighton, KS | 173.57 |
| 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 3,892 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Dighton, 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: | 3 | Cold: | 6 | Dense Fog: | 0 | Drought: | 12 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 85 | Hail: | 2,539 | Heat: | 0 | Heavy Snow: | 11 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 1 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 22 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 1,086 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 1 | Winter Storm: | 17 | Winter Weather: | 4 |
| Other: | 105 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Dighton, KS.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Dighton, KS.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Dighton, KS.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 58 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Dighton, KS.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 11.7 | 1972-04-30 | 3 | 38°39'N / 100°29'W | 1.00 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 2 | 3K | 0 | Lane | |
| 12.9 | 1972-04-30 | 3 | 38°32'N / 100°22'W | 38°41'N / 100°13'W | 13.10 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Lane |
| 13.3 | 1964-05-05 | 2 | 38°33'N / 100°44'W | 38°37'N / 100°37'W | 7.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Scott |
| 13.6 | 1962-06-16 | 3 | 38°25'N / 100°15'W | 38°26'N / 100°12'W | 2.70 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 3 | 250K | 0 | Ness |
| 14.3 | 1962-06-16 | 3 | 38°08'N / 100°43'W | 38°25'N / 100°15'W | 31.90 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Finney |
| 15.4 | 1962-06-16 | 2 | 38°15'N / 100°43'W | 38°20'N / 100°31'W | 12.20 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Finney |
| 18.3 | 1979-08-28 | 2 | 38°46'N / 100°35'W | 38°39'N / 100°42'W | 10.10 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Gove |
| 22.5 | 1960-05-22 | 2 | 38°11'N / 100°38'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Finney | |||
| 22.6 | 1950-07-02 | 2 | 38°28'N / 100°53'W | 1.00 Mile | 90 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Scott | |
| 23.0 | 2007-03-28 | 3 | 38°15'N / 100°02'W | 38°29'N / 100°06'W | 16.00 Miles | 1320 Yards | 0 | 0 | 325K | 0K | Ness |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This tornado originated in Hodgeman county and entered Ness county at 925 PM. This large tornado destroyed or heavily damaged 5 homes in Ness county. Hundreds of power poles were broken along with 7 pivot irrigation sprinklers and lots of damage to trees. There were also at least 20 head of cattle dead from this tornado in Ness county. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Major tornado outbreak and severe weather swept across parts of western Kansas. Fortunately, there were no injuries or fatalities despite major destruction. | |||||||||||
| 23.3 | 1964-04-19 | 2 | 38°16'N / 100°08'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Hodgeman | |||
| 23.9 | 2008-05-23 | 2 | 38°29'N / 100°03'W | 38°37'N / 100°01'W | 12.00 Miles | 1410 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Ness |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This was a large tornado that produced EF2 damage. It turned northwest towards the end of its life cycle but dissipated before reaching Arnold. Damage was done to trees, large power poles, a large tank, a barn and hay bales. 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. | |||||||||||
| 24.3 | 1951-06-20 | 2 | 38°28'N / 101°22'W | 38°29'N / 100°28'W | 48.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Wichita |
| 25.6 | 2008-05-23 | 2 | 38°33'N / 100°00'W | 38°33'N / 100°00'W | 1.00 Mile | 75 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Ness |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This was a satellite tornado that moved south on the west side of its large parent tornado. EF2 damage was done to trees (uprooted). 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. | |||||||||||
| 25.9 | 1968-05-13 | 3 | 38°29'N / 101°08'W | 39°08'N / 99°20'W | 106.8 Miles | 320 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Scott |
| 26.6 | 1965-05-07 | 2 | 38°06'N / 100°24'W | 0 | 1 | 3K | 0 | Finney | |||
| 27.0 | 1972-04-30 | 3 | 38°33'N / 100°02'W | 38°37'N / 99°56'W | 6.80 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Ness |
| 27.5 | 1971-06-09 | 2 | 38°31'N / 100°01'W | 38°27'N / 99°54'W | 7.70 Miles | 117 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Ness |
| 27.8 | 1954-06-10 | 2 | 38°06'N / 100°18'W | 7.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Finney | |
| 29.4 | 1972-05-22 | 2 | 38°11'N / 100°05'W | 38°17'N / 99°58'W | 9.40 Miles | 10 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Hodgeman |
| 29.7 | 1956-07-12 | 2 | 38°29'N / 101°07'W | 38°20'N / 100°54'W | 15.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 1 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Scott |
| 31.8 | 1978-05-30 | 2 | 38°04'N / 100°42'W | 38°00'N / 100°30'W | 11.70 Miles | 17 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Finney |
| 32.0 | 2007-03-28 | 3 | 38°04'N / 100°04'W | 38°16'N / 100°00'W | 13.00 Miles | 1320 Yards | 0 | 0 | 210K | 0K | Hodgeman |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This large tornado destroyed three homes and did damage to one other. Hundreds of power poles were broken along with a handful of pivot irrigation sprinklers and barns. Trees also sustained major damage. There were also at least 50 head of cattle dead from this tornado in Hodgeman county. Parts of the debris from a shed were found 40 miles north. A wedding book registry was found intact 34 miles from the original location in a home that was destroyed. This tornado continued into Ness county at 925 PM CDT. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Major tornado outbreak and severe weather swept across parts of western Kansas. Fortunately, there were no injuries or fatalities despite major destruction. | |||||||||||
| 32.4 | 1960-05-23 | 2 | 38°01'N / 100°33'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Finney | |||
| 32.9 | 2009-04-18 | 2 | 38°01'N / 100°15'W | 38°04'N / 100°13'W | 3.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Finney |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This was a multiple vortex tornado that heavily damaged a farm that included outbuildings and some damage to the home itself. There was also some tree damage. The tornado moved slowly and steadily into Hodgeman county at 224 PM CDT. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Severe thunderstorms developed under a cold core upper low and were capable or producing tornadoes and hail. Some of the hail was deep enough on the highway in Finney county in the vicinity of Kalvesta the the Department of Transportation had to get snow plows out to clear the highway. | |||||||||||
| 35.3 | 2008-05-23 | 3 | 38°36'N / 99°52'W | 38°42'N / 99°50'W | 6.00 Miles | 715 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Ness |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This tornado caused EF3 damage to trees and an old stone home. A farm implement was carried 1/2 mile south of it's original starting point. EF3 damage was also done to trees. Another home sustained EF1 damage. There were numerous power poles taken down and at least 5 head of cattle perished in the tornado. The tornado moved into Trego county at 19:42 CDT. 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. | |||||||||||
| 35.7 | 1971-05-17 | 2 | 38°44'N / 100°05'W | 38°47'N / 99°44'W | 19.10 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Trego |
| 35.8 | 1960-05-04 | 2 | 38°38'N / 99°50'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Ness | |||
| 36.8 | 1959-09-17 | 2 | 38°09'N / 99°56'W | 0 | 1 | 3K | 0 | Hodgeman | |||
| 36.9 | 1972-04-30 | 4 | 38°05'N / 100°06'W | 38°16'N / 99°43'W | 24.30 Miles | 77 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Hodgeman |
| 37.0 | 1968-05-13 | 3 | 38°26'N / 101°10'W | 38°29'N / 101°08'W | 3.60 Miles | 320 Yards | 0 | 4 | 25K | 0 | Wichita |
| 37.1 | 1978-05-30 | 2 | 38°00'N / 100°30'W | 37°54'N / 100°13'W | 16.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Gray |
| 37.4 | 1956-07-12 | 2 | 38°29'N / 101°12'W | 38°29'N / 101°07'W | 4.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Wichita |
| 37.9 | 1977-05-18 | 2 | 37°44'N / 101°04'W | 38°15'N / 100°30'W | 47.10 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Finney |
| 38.0 | 2008-05-23 | 2 | 38°42'N / 99°50'W | 38°43'N / 99°49'W | 3.00 Miles | 715 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Trego |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This tornado moved out of Ness county at 19:42 CDT. EF2 damage was done to trees and fences. Otherwise, this is a sparely populated area (farms and vegetation). 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. | |||||||||||
| 38.0 | 2008-05-23 | 4 | 38°56'N / 100°17'W | 39°06'N / 100°19'W | 11.00 Miles | 1320 Yards | 0 | 2 | 2.5M | 0K | Gove |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A large wedge tornado developed about 9 miles SSW of Quinter and moved north, then northwest, eventually dissipating 2 miles SE of Park. This tornado caused extensive damage to several homes, including EF4 damage to one home which was completely destroyed. A car and a pickup truck were tossed or bounced 200 yards at the residence. Nearby, two other homes suffered extensive damage. This tornado caused two injuries, including the driver of a vehicle which was thrown off Interstate 70, and an older male attempting to get into his storm cellar when he was struck by flying debris. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Intense supercell thunderstorms moved north across the region during the afternoon and evening hours producing 10 tornadoes, including an F4 tornado just SW of Quinter. Extremely heavy rainfall also resulted in flooding in many areas. Many of these thunderstorms occurred in the same areas as the storms the previous day. | |||||||||||
| 38.2 | 1965-05-07 | 2 | 37°57'N / 100°40'W | 0 | 1 | 3K | 0 | Finney | |||
| 39.1 | 1950-08-06 | 2 | 37°58'N / 100°46'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Finney | |||
| 39.3 | 2005-06-09 | 3 | 38°51'N / 100°00'W | 38°55'N / 99°54'W | 6.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Trego |
| Brief Description: Significant damage was done to several farms, outbuildings and trees. One 1500 pound heifer was thrown 1/4 mile. The tornado actually made a loop traveling back west, south then back to the north and it dissipated rather rapidly (from video). Some of the structures were protected in a ravine but still sustained major damage. Several cottonwood trees with six foot diameter trunks were pulled out of the ground. This tornado did high-end F3 damage. | |||||||||||
| 40.2 | 1967-06-23 | 3 | 38°02'N / 101°00'W | 37°55'N / 100°40'W | 19.80 Miles | 33 Yards | 1 | 30 | 25.0M | 0 | Finney |
| 40.2 | 1991-05-16 | 3 | 37°56'N / 100°09'W | 38°05'N / 99°55'W | 22.00 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Hodgeman |
| 40.4 | 1968-06-13 | 2 | 38°06'N / 99°54'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Hodgeman | |||
| 41.2 | 1973-06-28 | 2 | 38°00'N / 100°58'W | 37°59'N / 100°50'W | 7.20 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Finney |
| 41.4 | 1971-10-17 | 2 | 37°57'N / 100°55'W | 38°00'N / 100°50'W | 5.60 Miles | 127 Yards | 0 | 7 | 25K | 0 | Finney |
| 42.0 | 1972-04-30 | 3 | 38°27'N / 99°43'W | 38°26'N / 99°40'W | 2.70 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Ness |
| 42.1 | 1990-04-25 | 3 | 38°37'N / 99°44'W | 38°41'N / 99°42'W | 4.00 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Ness |
| 43.7 | 1972-04-30 | 4 | 38°16'N / 99°43'W | 38°18'N / 99°41'W | 2.30 Miles | 77 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Ness |
| 43.9 | 1978-05-30 | 2 | 37°54'N / 100°13'W | 37°52'N / 100°10'W | 3.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Ford |
| 44.0 | 1954-04-25 | 2 | 39°03'N / 100°06'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Trego | |||
| 44.7 | 1950-08-06 | 2 | 39°08'N / 100°38'W | 39°07'N / 100°28'W | 8.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Gove |
| 44.7 | 1967-06-23 | 3 | 38°09'N / 101°15'W | 38°02'N / 101°00'W | 15.80 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Kearny |
| 46.0 | 1972-05-22 | 2 | 38°00'N / 99°54'W | 38°02'N / 99°49'W | 5.10 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Hodgeman |
| 46.2 | 1959-05-28 | 2 | 38°37'N / 99°39'W | 38°39'N / 99°37'W | 2.30 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Ness |
| 46.4 | 1955-07-13 | 2 | 37°49'N / 100°20'W | 0.30 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Gray | |
| 48.6 | 1990-04-25 | 3 | 38°41'N / 99°42'W | 38°47'N / 99°33'W | 10.00 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Trego |
| 49.4 | 2008-05-23 | 2 | 38°45'N / 99°41'W | 38°53'N / 99°38'W | 9.00 Miles | 1760 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Trego |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This 1.0 mile wide tornado moved over a sparsely populated area (including vegetation) but did EF2 damage to trees, power poles and a house. A large outbuilding was completely destroyed. Oil tanks ruptured and there were several head of cattle killed. Also a combine was rolled. Since this tornado moved north along a road, there was 2.4 miles of power poles taken down. 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. | |||||||||||
| 49.4 | 1951-06-27 | 4 | 39°02'N / 99°53'W | 0.80 Mile | 300 Yards | 5 | 100 | 2.5M | 0 | Trego | |
| 49.6 | 1954-06-10 | 2 | 38°08'N / 101°16'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Kearny | |||
* 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.