Rice County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Kansas Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Rice County is about the same as Kansas average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Rice County is about the same as Kansas average and is much higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #61
| Rice County | 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
| Rice 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, #23
| Rice County | 261.51 |
| 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 18,709 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Rice 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: | 27 | Cold: | 32 | Dense Fog: | 11 | Drought: | 17 |
| Dust Storm: | 1 | Flood: | 727 | Hail: | 11,039 | Heat: | 30 | Heavy Snow: | 84 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 36 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 172 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 5,902 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 1 | Winter Storm: | 142 | Winter Weather: | 77 |
| Other: | 411 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Rice County.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Rice County.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Rice County.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 80 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Rice County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 10.5 | 1955-06-04 | 3 | 38°15'N / 98°25'W | 38°17'N / 98°19'W | 5.90 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Rice |
| 13.3 | 1971-06-09 | 2 | 38°28'N / 98°24'W | 38°30'N / 98°21'W | 3.60 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Rice |
| 14.1 | 1990-05-24 | 3 | 38°30'N / 98°11'W | 38°31'N / 97°54'W | 12.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Ellsworth |
| 14.7 | 1962-05-24 | 2 | 38°09'N / 98°06'W | 0 | 2 | 0K | 0 | Reno | |||
| 15.0 | 1950-06-08 | 4 | 38°20'N / 97°56'W | 38°20'N / 97°55'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Rice | ||
| 16.4 | 1972-04-30 | 2 | 38°35'N / 98°14'W | 1.00 Mile | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Ellsworth | |
| 16.7 | 1990-05-24 | 3 | 38°32'N / 98°25'W | 38°38'N / 98°07'W | 16.00 Miles | 1320 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Ellsworth |
| 16.8 | 1990-05-24 | 3 | 38°29'N / 98°27'W | 38°32'N / 98°25'W | 6.00 Miles | 1320 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Rice |
| 17.9 | 1964-04-22 | 3 | 38°16'N / 98°38'W | 38°42'N / 98°20'W | 34.00 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Barton |
| 18.1 | 1990-05-24 | 3 | 38°27'N / 98°33'W | 38°29'N / 98°27'W | 4.00 Miles | 1320 Yards | 0 | 4 | 250K | 0 | Barton |
| 19.2 | 1973-09-25 | 3 | 38°21'N / 98°01'W | 38°37'N / 97°46'W | 22.70 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Rice |
| 19.4 | 1956-04-02 | 3 | 38°21'N / 98°34'W | 38°31'N / 98°31'W | 11.70 Miles | 350 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Barton |
| 19.5 | 1956-04-02 | 3 | 38°31'N / 98°28'W | 38°36'N / 98°25'W | 6.10 Miles | 350 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Rice |
| 19.6 | 1956-04-02 | 3 | 38°31'N / 98°31'W | 38°31'N / 98°28'W | 2.30 Miles | 350 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Barton |
| 20.5 | 1962-05-24 | 3 | 38°03'N / 98°11'W | 0 | 2 | 0K | 0 | Reno | |||
| 21.2 | 1954-05-01 | 2 | 38°05'N / 98°00'W | 0.30 Mile | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Reno | |
| 21.4 | 1964-06-10 | 2 | 38°31'N / 98°32'W | 0.50 Mile | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Barton | |
| 21.8 | 1959-05-17 | 2 | 38°04'N / 98°01'W | 2.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Harper | |
| 21.9 | 1954-04-25 | 2 | 38°37'N / 98°25'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Ellsworth | |||
| 22.1 | 1956-04-02 | 3 | 38°32'N / 98°33'W | 38°35'N / 98°28'W | 5.40 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Ellsworth |
| 22.7 | 1991-03-26 | 4 | 37°58'N / 98°03'W | 38°09'N / 97°57'W | 13.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 5 | 25.0M | 0 | Reno |
| 24.0 | 1950-06-08 | 4 | 38°20'N / 97°55'W | 38°20'N / 97°36'W | 17.10 Miles | 700 Yards | 1 | 5 | 250K | 0 | Mcpherson |
| 24.5 | 1973-09-25 | 2 | 38°32'N / 97°49'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Mcpherson | |||
| 24.6 | 1954-08-05 | 2 | 38°03'N / 97°57'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Reno | |||
| 25.2 | 1974-05-13 | 2 | 38°06'N / 97°51'W | 38°09'N / 97°49'W | 3.60 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Reno |
| 26.5 | 1955-06-04 | 3 | 38°04'N / 98°36'W | 38°10'N / 98°35'W | 6.80 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Stafford |
| 26.7 | 1975-05-27 | 3 | 38°32'N / 98°38'W | 0.50 Mile | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Barton | |
| 26.8 | 1974-05-13 | 2 | 37°57'N / 98°04'W | 38°09'N / 97°42'W | 24.20 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 2 | 2.5M | 0 | Reno |
| 27.5 | 1971-06-13 | 2 | 38°10'N / 97°45'W | 0.50 Mile | 300 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Mcpherson | |
| 27.9 | 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 |
| 28.7 | 1964-05-05 | 2 | 38°34'N / 98°36'W | 38°43'N / 98°33'W | 10.60 Miles | 1320 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Barton |
| 29.9 | 1990-03-13 | 3 | 38°09'N / 97°44'W | 38°08'N / 97°42'W | 5.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Reno |
| 30.6 | 1956-10-29 | 3 | 38°22'N / 98°46'W | 0.60 Mile | 147 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Barton | |
| 31.2 | 1990-03-13 | 3 | 38°08'N / 97°42'W | 38°10'N / 97°40'W | 3.00 Miles | 17 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Harvey |
| 32.5 | 1990-05-24 | 3 | 38°31'N / 97°54'W | 38°29'N / 97°22'W | 30.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Mcpherson |
| 32.6 | 1966-08-06 | 2 | 38°24'N / 98°48'W | 0.20 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Barton | |
| 32.8 | 1992-06-15 | 4 | 38°22'N / 97°40'W | 38°27'N / 97°32'W | 6.00 Miles | 73 Yards | 0 | 10 | 25.0M | 0 | Mcpherson |
| 33.6 | 1960-11-27 | 2 | 38°23'N / 97°35'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Mcpherson | |||
| 33.6 | 2001-04-21 | 4 | 38°30'N / 98°47'W | 38°34'N / 98°46'W | 5.00 Miles | 660 Yards | 1 | 28 | 43.0M | 0 | Barton |
| Brief Description: Initial touchdown occurred 1 mile southwest of Hoisington. The tornado rapidly achieved F3 intensity as it entered the west side of town. Moving northeast around 20 mph, the tornado intensified to F4 within 2-3 minutes. While crossing northwest Hoisington, the tornado inflicted a path about 2 miles long and about 2 blocks wide of almost complete destruction. Damage summary: 182 homes destroyed, 52 homes with major damage, 180 homes with minor to moderate damage, 12 businesses destroyed, tore the roof off the hospital, and severed power to most (if not all) areas on the northwest and north sides of town. As the tornado exited through the north side of town it weakened rapidly, inflicting F1-F2 damage as it approached Deception Creek which runs in a southeast to northwest manner 3 miles northeast of town. Once the tornado crossed the creek, it suddenly turned toward the northwest where it damaged two farmsteads shortly before dissipating. One man, 69 years of age, was killed when a minivan fell on him. There were 28 injuries of which 3 were critical. M69PH | |||||||||||
| 34.4 | 1964-04-22 | 3 | 37°57'N / 98°53'W | 38°16'N / 98°38'W | 25.70 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 2 | 0K | 0 | Stafford |
| 34.6 | 1990-03-13 | 3 | 38°10'N / 97°40'W | 38°14'N / 97°31'W | 10.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Mcpherson |
| 34.9 | 1955-04-27 | 2 | 38°23'N / 97°37'W | 38°29'N / 97°31'W | 8.70 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Mcpherson |
| 35.1 | 1950-05-04 | 4 | 38°16'N / 98°55'W | 38°27'N / 98°47'W | 14.50 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Pawnee |
| 35.5 | 1955-04-27 | 2 | 38°02'N / 97°41'W | 2.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Harvey | |
| 36.3 | 1964-06-12 | 2 | 38°31'N / 98°46'W | 38°42'N / 98°48'W | 12.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Barton |
| 36.4 | 1964-05-05 | 3 | 37°54'N / 98°48'W | 37°58'N / 98°26'W | 20.40 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Stafford |
| 36.7 | 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 |
| 37.7 | 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 |
| 38.1 | 1974-05-13 | 2 | 38°09'N / 97°42'W | 38°22'N / 97°19'W | 25.60 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Mcpherson |
| 38.6 | 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 |
| 38.8 | 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 |
| 39.1 | 1964-04-22 | 2 | 38°17'N / 97°29'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Mcpherson | |||
| 40.2 | 1962-05-24 | 3 | 38°02'N / 97°40'W | 38°00'N / 97°31'W | 8.40 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Harvey |
| 40.2 | 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 |
| 40.9 | 1990-03-13 | 5 | 37°56'N / 97°43'W | 38°10'N / 97°23'W | 26.00 Miles | 1320 Yards | 1 | 59 | 25.0M | 0 | Harvey |
| 40.9 | 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 | 1974-05-13 | 2 | 38°09'N / 97°49'W | 38°10'N / 97°09'W | 36.20 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 2 | 0K | 0 | Harvey |
| 41.6 | 1962-05-28 | 2 | 38°18'N / 98°58'W | 1.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Barton | |
| 41.9 | 2007-05-05 | 2 | 37°59'N / 98°53'W | 38°07'N / 98°52'W | 9.00 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Stafford |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This wedge tornado was occurring simultaneously to another large but smaller tornado (within several miles). Damage was done to houses, trees and pivot irrigation sprinklers. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Unbelievably, an outbreak of tornadoes, some very large in size, raked the earth in basically the same area as the day before when Greensburg was nearly completely leveled. Although some of the tornadoes were large and apparently very strong, there was no loss of life on this day. A National Weather Service assessment team was in an area about 30 minutes before a tornado moved through. They also saw one tornado during the storm survey of damage that was produced the day before. | |||||||||||
| 42.9 | 1993-05-07 | 2 | 37°48'N / 98°54'W | 38°04'N / 98°41'W | 3.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 5K | 0 | Pratt |
| Brief Description: Tornado developed northwest of Byers and moved to the northeast into Stafford County. The tornado was 1/4 of a mile wide as it crossed the county line into Stafford County. | |||||||||||
| 43.0 | 2007-05-04 | 3 | 37°54'N / 98°57'W | 38°06'N / 98°46'W | 17.00 Miles | 1515 Yards | 1 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Stafford |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This killer tornado formed just east of another large but dissipating tornado that was approaching Macksville. Unfortunately a law officer watching the dissipating tornado was unaware that this one was rapidly forming and could not get out of harms way. His car was thrown at least 1/4 of a mile and was found in a field. He died several days later from catastrophic injuries received in the crushed vehicle. EF3 damage was done to over a dozen farms, trees, machinery, vehicles, pivot irrigation sprinklers and power poles. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A destructive tornado, the first 5 rating on the new Enhanced-Fujita Scale and the first 5 classification since May 3, 1999 when an F5 tornado ripped through Moore, Oklahoma occurred on this day. There were 12 tornadoes during about a 4 hour period, one a little over 2 miles wide! Two of the tornadoes existed for over 1 hour as they churned up the ground, leveling homes and causing fatalities along their path. Miraculously, on 13 people perished, 11 in Greensburg - a miracle because over 90 percent of the town of Greensburg was literately wiped off the face of the earth. Another round of tornadoes occurred the following day across generally the same area. Nearly 250 pivot irrigation sprinklers were damaged or destroyed during the 2 day outbreak. Due to the number of sprinklers involved and the lack of replacements, some farmers would be out of service for over 1 year. | |||||||||||
| 43.9 | 1990-03-13 | 5 | 38°09'N / 97°26'W | 38°11'N / 97°25'W | 2.00 Miles | 1320 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Harvey |
| 44.0 | 1973-09-25 | 3 | 38°37'N / 97°46'W | 38°58'N / 97°28'W | 29.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 6 | 25.0M | 0 | Saline |
| 44.1 | 1956-10-29 | 3 | 38°51'N / 98°37'W | 39°00'N / 98°29'W | 12.40 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Russell |
| 44.2 | 1964-06-12 | 2 | 38°42'N / 98°48'W | 38°52'N / 98°48'W | 11.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Russell |
| 44.3 | 1992-06-15 | 2 | 38°33'N / 97°30'W | 38°33'N / 97°21'W | 7.00 Miles | 73 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Mcpherson |
| 44.6 | 1969-06-21 | 3 | 38°49'N / 97°38'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 60 | 25.0M | 0 | Saline | |
| 45.8 | 1974-08-30 | 2 | 38°44'N / 98°55'W | 38°46'N / 98°50'W | 4.70 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Russell |
| 45.9 | 1965-05-13 | 3 | 37°55'N / 97°29'W | 38°01'N / 97°32'W | 7.20 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Harvey |
| 45.9 | 1990-03-13 | 5 | 38°11'N / 97°25'W | 38°13'N / 97°20'W | 4.00 Miles | 1320 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Mcpherson |
| 46.3 | 1950-05-04 | 4 | 38°02'N / 99°07'W | 38°16'N / 98°55'W | 19.30 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Barton |
| 46.4 | 1990-03-13 | 5 | 38°10'N / 97°23'W | 38°11'N / 97°22'W | 1.00 Mile | 1320 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Mcpherson |
| 46.9 | 1962-06-24 | 2 | 38°51'N / 97°37'W | 0.50 Mile | 27 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Saline | |
| 47.6 | 1962-05-24 | 3 | 38°00'N / 97°31'W | 38°03'N / 97°20'W | 10.40 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Reno |
| 47.7 | 2008-06-11 | 3 | 38°45'N / 97°40'W | 38°51'N / 97°24'W | 16.00 Miles | 225 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.6M | 0K | Saline |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: Widespread damage was noted to several homes, businesses, and trees along the tornadoes path. One cabinet making business had a 10000 square foot section of roof removed, with a total of 20000 square feet of damage to the structure as a sprinkler main broke pouring water onto the factory floor. Several homes sustained damage due to garage doors collapsing in the wind and ultimately lifting the roofs off of the homes. One home sustained slightly more damage than the rest, as two exterior walls were also blown out. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Supercell thunderstorms erupted along a strong cold front across Central Kansas. The supercell storms produced destructive hail and damaging winds, along with tornadoes across Central, Kansas. A few strong tornadoes touched down just south of Salina, Kansas. The supercells would continue to track to the northeast and eventually produce the tornadoes that would hit Chapman, Kansas and Manhattan, Kansas. | |||||||||||
| 48.4 | 1964-06-10 | 2 | 38°28'N / 99°05'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Rush | |||
| 49.1 | 1956-07-01 | 2 | 37°49'N / 97°36'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Sedgwick | |||
| 49.1 | 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 |
| 49.1 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 49.2 | 1952-08-07 | 3 | 39°00'N / 98°31'W | 39°03'N / 98°27'W | 4.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Russell |
* 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.