Gray County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Kansas Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Gray County is about the same as Kansas average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Gray County is much lower than Kansas average and is much lower than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #89
| Gray County | 0.00 |
| 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
| Gray County | 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, #89
| Gray County | 0.00 |
| 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 15,493 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Gray County 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: | 16 | Cold: | 13 | Dense Fog: | 1 | Drought: | 22 |
| Dust Storm: | 1 | Flood: | 317 | Hail: | 10,336 | Heat: | 16 | Heavy Snow: | 65 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 20 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 129 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 4,046 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 7 | Winter Storm: | 61 | Winter Weather: | 19 |
| Other: | 424 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Gray County.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Gray County.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Gray County.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 64 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Gray County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 2.9 | 1982-03-19 | 2 | 37°37'N / 100°40'W | 37°49'N / 100°19'W | 24.00 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Gray |
| 4.0 | 1996-05-26 | 3 | 37°38'N / 100°39'W | 37°52'N / 100°24'W | 22.00 Miles | 900 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.0M | 150K | Gray |
| Brief Description: The thunderstorm that produced the F2 tornado in Seward and Haskell counties spun up an even bigger tornado further into Haskell and Gray counties. The tornado took a few trees in Haskell county. In Gray county...34 irrigation sprinklers systems were damaged or destroyed...power poles were snapped...2 houses were damaged...a barn was destroyed...a truck overturned...flood irrigation pipe was tossed like match sticks. In fact...one witness reported the 30 foot pieces of pipe were 4 or 5 hundred feet in the air. In addition...3 inch high corn plants were completely removed...leaving the field bare. Several people video taping the tornado were chased by the tornado...only to take shelter under a bridge. The tornado passed about 1/2 mile east of them while they watched 5 inch diameter hail pound the ground. | |||||||||||
| 8.2 | 1955-07-13 | 2 | 37°49'N / 100°20'W | 0.30 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Gray | |
| 15.1 | 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 |
| 17.1 | 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 |
| 18.4 | 1965-05-07 | 2 | 37°57'N / 100°40'W | 0 | 1 | 3K | 0 | Finney | |||
| 19.5 | 1960-05-23 | 2 | 38°01'N / 100°33'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Finney | |||
| 21.5 | 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 |
| 22.1 | 2001-04-10 | 2 | 37°30'N / 100°11'W | 37°42'N / 100°00'W | 17.30 Miles | 380 Yards | 0 | 0 | 190K | 0 | Ford |
| Brief Description: A mobile home was completely demolished. Ironically, the occupants were not at home, only because the school activity bus was late. Another trailer nearby received moderate damage. Two pivot sprinklers were destroyed and there was other scattered minor damage along the path of the tornado. | |||||||||||
| 23.0 | 1950-08-06 | 2 | 37°58'N / 100°46'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Finney | |||
| 23.7 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 24.7 | 1982-03-18 | 2 | 37°26'N / 100°57'W | 37°37'N / 100°40'W | 24.00 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Haskell |
| 24.7 | 1965-05-07 | 2 | 38°06'N / 100°24'W | 0 | 1 | 3K | 0 | Finney | |||
| 24.9 | 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 |
| 25.9 | 1954-06-10 | 2 | 38°06'N / 100°18'W | 7.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Finney | |
| 26.2 | 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 |
| 27.6 | 1972-07-28 | 2 | 37°30'N / 100°51'W | 1.30 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 7 | 250K | 0 | Haskell | |
| 28.0 | 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 |
| 28.4 | 2005-06-09 | 2 | 37°19'N / 100°20'W | 37°24'N / 100°13'W | 9.20 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Meade |
| Brief Description: This tornado damaged outbuilds, trees and center pivot sprinklers. | |||||||||||
| 29.2 | 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 |
| 29.3 | 1996-05-26 | 2 | 37°24'N / 100°51'W | 37°28'N / 100°47'W | 6.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 100K | 0 | Haskell |
| Brief Description: 2 irrigation sprinklers destroyed...fertilizer tanks carried over 1 mile...2 houses damaged...fence destroyed...trees uprooted...hay bales tossed...30 foot radio tower blown down...wheat plants pulled up...farm building heavily damaged...flood irrigation pipe scattered about. | |||||||||||
| 29.8 | 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 |
| 31.3 | 1972-07-28 | 2 | 37°27'N / 100°01'W | 0.50 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Clark | |
| 31.9 | 1960-05-22 | 2 | 38°11'N / 100°38'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Finney | |||
| 34.1 | 1977-05-18 | 2 | 37°43'N / 101°05'W | 37°44'N / 101°04'W | 1.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Haskell |
| 34.4 | 1953-05-29 | 2 | 37°29'N / 99°55'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Ford | |||
| 34.5 | 1955-06-17 | 2 | 37°15'N / 100°22'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Meade | |||
| 36.7 | 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 |
| 36.9 | 1987-05-03 | 2 | 37°26'N / 100°58'W | 37°25'N / 101°01'W | 3.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Haskell |
| 37.0 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 37.1 | 1955-06-17 | 2 | 37°20'N / 100°01'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Clark | |||
| 37.1 | 1958-06-21 | 2 | 37°16'N / 100°35'W | 37°09'N / 100°25'W | 12.20 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Meade |
| 37.3 | 1994-04-09 | 2 | 37°09'N / 100°46'W | 37°16'N / 100°19'W | 7.00 Miles | 1000 Yards | 0 | 8 | 50K | 0 | Seward |
| Brief Description: A tornado touched down 3.5 WSW of Kismet at 1535 CST and moved ENE across Highway 54 and east into Meade County where it ended at 1610 CST at a point one southeast of Meade. Speed of movement was 35 mph with total path length of 26 miles. In Seward County the tornado struck a car and mobile home 2 E of Kismet at 1540 CST. Two adults were in the car and one adult and five children were in the mobile home. All eight sustained minor injuries and the mobile home was demolished. The tornado had a maximum path width of 1,000 yards in Seward County, but expanded to a maximum width of a mile southeast of Plains in Meade County. | |||||||||||
| 37.4 | 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 |
| 38.7 | 1951-05-20 | 3 | 37°54'N / 101°12'W | 38°01'N / 101°01'W | 12.80 Miles | 900 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Kearny |
| 38.8 | 1968-06-13 | 2 | 38°06'N / 99°54'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Hodgeman | |||
| 38.8 | 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 |
| 39.0 | 1996-05-26 | 2 | 37°12'N / 100°56'W | 37°24'N / 100°51'W | 14.00 Miles | 450 Yards | 0 | 0 | 200K | 140K | Seward |
| Brief Description: 2 irrigation sprinklers destroyed...fertilizer tanks carried over 1 mile...2 houses damaged...fence destroyed...trees uprooted...hay bales tossed...30 foot radio tower blown down...wheat plants pulled up...farm building heavily damaged...flood irrigation pipe scattered about. | |||||||||||
| 39.8 | 1959-09-17 | 2 | 38°09'N / 99°56'W | 0 | 1 | 3K | 0 | Hodgeman | |||
| 40.0 | 1964-04-19 | 2 | 38°16'N / 100°08'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Hodgeman | |||
| 40.5 | 2001-04-10 | 2 | 37°31'N / 99°46'W | 37°38'N / 99°43'W | 10.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 425K | 0 | Ford |
| Brief Description: Eight pivot sprinklers were destroyed along with a barn and silo. | |||||||||||
| 40.8 | 1974-06-21 | 3 | 37°12'N / 100°42'W | 37°10'N / 100°40'W | 2.70 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Seward |
| 41.0 | 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 |
| 41.4 | 1973-09-25 | 3 | 37°37'N / 99°45'W | 37°43'N / 99°39'W | 8.80 Miles | 73 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Ford |
| 41.8 | 2003-05-15 | 2 | 37°15'N / 100°56'W | 37°18'N / 100°56'W | 4.90 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 150K | 0 | Seward |
| Brief Description: The tornado began 15 miles north and 1.5 miles west of the center of Liberal and ended 18 miles north and 2 miles east. One home received minor roof damage and broken windows. The second home was destroyed with debris from the home traveling 1/4 of a mile. | |||||||||||
| 41.9 | 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 |
| 42.6 | 1994-04-09 | 2 | 37°27'N / 99°46'W | 0.80 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 50K | 0 | Clark | |
| Brief Description: Tornado touched down briefly and passed through the Roger Giles Farmstead. House windows were broken out, farm machinery was wrecked, and the house was moved on its foundation. All but two outbuildings on the farmstead were damaged. | |||||||||||
| 43.6 | 1959-07-10 | 2 | 37°38'N / 99°40'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Ford | |||
| 43.8 | 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 |
| 45.2 | 1989-06-06 | 3 | 37°11'N / 101°01'W | 37°14'N / 100°50'W | 12.00 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Seward |
| 45.6 | 2002-05-07 | 2 | 37°43'N / 99°40'W | 37°43'N / 99°34'W | 1.90 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 150K | 0 | Ford |
| Brief Description: This first tornado of the afternoon came close to striking a farm that was plowing his field. His tractor was running low on fuel and just made it back to shelter as irrigation pipe was flying by. Several pivots were destroyed. | |||||||||||
| 46.1 | 1973-09-25 | 3 | 37°06'N / 100°05'W | 37°11'N / 100°06'W | 5.70 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Meade |
| 46.1 | 1951-05-20 | 2 | 37°58'N / 101°15'W | 1.00 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Kearny | |
| 46.2 | 2005-05-11 | 2 | 37°36'N / 101°21'W | 37°44'N / 101°14'W | 13.20 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 350K | 0 | Grant |
| Brief Description: This tornado traveled into Kearny county before roping out. At 2ne of Ulysses part of a barn roof was blown off and a large tree was uprooted. Several horses were slightly injured. Then at 5ne of Ulysses an abandoned mobile home was destroyed. At six miles northeast of Ulysses, two pivot sprinklers were mangled, large trees were snapped at the base and several power poles were destroyed. Several grain bins (full of wheat) were completely swept away and the grain was scattered for some distance. Remnants of the grain bins were not found in the local vicinity. Farther northeast along the track several more pivot sprinklers were destroyed. It is estimated that if this tornado had made a direct hit, it would have likely caused at least high-end F3 damage. | |||||||||||
| 46.4 | 2001-04-06 | 2 | 37°25'N / 101°17'W | 37°35'N / 101°12'W | 14.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 235K | 0 | Grant |
| Brief Description: Tornado crossed into Grant county from Stevens county at 1647. Three pivot sprinklers were destroyed, 2 grain bins, a silo, machine shed and horse trailer were also damaged or destroyed. A roof was taken off a building and an empty rail car was overturned. | |||||||||||
| 47.4 | 1990-06-19 | 2 | 37°39'N / 101°27'W | 37°30'N / 101°08'W | 20.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 2 | 2.5M | 0 | Grant |
| 47.5 | 2008-05-23 | 2 | 37°46'N / 99°37'W | 37°48'N / 99°33'W | 4.00 Miles | 850 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Ford |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This tornado produced EF2 damage to trees and pivot irrigation systems. It caused EF1 damage to a house and grain bin. It took down several power poles and power lines. The tornado moved into Edwards county at 22:19 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. | |||||||||||
| 47.7 | 1977-05-18 | 2 | 37°24'N / 101°30'W | 37°43'N / 101°05'W | 31.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Grant |
| 47.8 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 48.0 | 2002-05-07 | 3 | 37°43'N / 99°34'W | 37°40'N / 99°35'W | 4.00 Miles | 900 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Ford |
| Brief Description: This tornado became quite large as it moved at first to the southwest and then turned southeast. The tornado completely stripped topsoil from one field and debarked trees at a pond. Several dozen cattle were killed with several 1500 pound heifers carried 3/4 of a mile. Two other tornadoes crossed nearly the same location within an hour, which may have contributed to the scouring of the topsoil. | |||||||||||
| 48.6 | 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 |
| 48.7 | 1951-06-06 | 3 | 37°35'N / 101°22'W | 37°02'N / 100°56'W | 44.80 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 3 | 25K | 0 | Grant |
| 49.5 | 1951-06-06 | 2 | 37°35'N / 101°20'W | 0 | 3 | 3K | 0 | Grant | |||
| 49.6 | 2002-05-07 | 3 | 37°42'N / 99°33'W | 37°37'N / 99°33'W | 8.50 Miles | 1800 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Ford |
| Brief Description: This tornado which developed in the same general tornadoes earlier, moved southwest and then finally turned south and southeast. It grew very large and at one time was 1 mile wide. Extreme damage was done to trees and irrigation pipe. | |||||||||||
* 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.