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Russell County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes

 
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The chance of earthquake damage in Russell County is about the same as Kansas average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Russell County is lower than Kansas average and is much higher than the national average.

Topics:Earthquake IndexVolcano IndexTornado IndexOther Weather Extremes EventsVolcanos NearbyHistorical Earthquake EventsHistorical Tornado Events

Earthquake Index, #15

Russell County
0.05
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

Russell 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, #39

Russell County
242.24
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 16,347 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Russell County were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:

TypeCountTypeCountTypeCountTypeCountTypeCount
Avalanche:0Blizzard:31Cold:38Dense Fog:7Drought:22
Dust Storm:1Flood:518Hail:9,986Heat:24Heavy Snow:97
High Surf:0Hurricane:0Ice Storm:37Landslide:0Strong Wind:146
Thunderstorm Winds:4,815Tropical Storm:0Wildfire:1Winter Storm:176Winter Weather:67
Other:381 

Volcanos Nearby

No volcano is found in or near Russell County.

Historical Earthquake Events

No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Russell County.

No historical earthquake events found in or near Russell County.

Historical Tornado Events

A total of 80 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Russell County.

Distance (miles)DateMagnitudeStart Lat/LogEnd Lat/LogLengthWidthFatalitiesInjuriesProperty DamageCrop DamageAffected County
9.41964-06-12238°42'N / 98°48'W38°52'N / 98°48'W11.50 Miles33 Yards0025K0Russell
11.61956-10-29338°51'N / 98°37'W39°00'N / 98°29'W12.40 Miles200 Yards00250K0Russell
12.91974-08-30238°44'N / 98°55'W38°46'N / 98°50'W4.70 Miles67 Yards0025K0Russell
13.51964-08-31238°55'N / 99°01'W000K0Russell
16.91952-08-07339°00'N / 98°31'W39°03'N / 98°27'W4.70 Miles33 Yards000K0Russell
19.81954-10-11338°56'N / 99°13'W38°56'N / 99°03'W8.60 Miles33 Yards0025K0Ellis
20.21960-05-24238°47'N / 99°06'W0.30 Mile100 Yards000K0Ellis
21.31964-06-12238°31'N / 98°46'W38°42'N / 98°48'W12.60 Miles33 Yards0125K0Barton
21.51956-10-29339°00'N / 98°29'W39°13'N / 98°25'W15.20 Miles200 Yards02250K0Lincoln
21.61964-05-05238°34'N / 98°36'W38°43'N / 98°33'W10.60 Miles1320 Yards0025K0Barton
21.91950-05-08239°14'N / 98°57'W39°14'N / 98°35'W19.60 Miles440 Yards0225K0Osborne
24.41968-05-13339°13'N / 99°02'W39°17'N / 98°48'W13.10 Miles320 Yards0025K0Osborne
26.52001-04-21438°30'N / 98°47'W38°34'N / 98°46'W5.00 Miles660 Yards12843.0M0Barton
 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
26.91980-10-16338°49'N / 99°15'W00250K0Ellis
27.41975-05-27338°32'N / 98°38'W0.50 Mile20 Yards00250K0Barton
28.01954-04-25238°37'N / 98°25'W000K0Ellsworth
28.31956-10-29339°13'N / 98°25'W39°14'N / 98°25'W1.10 Miles200 Yards00250K0Mitchell
28.41956-04-02338°32'N / 98°33'W38°35'N / 98°28'W5.40 Miles33 Yards0025K0Ellsworth
28.61964-08-31338°48'N / 99°19'W38°55'N / 99°16'W8.30 Miles33 Yards0025K0Ellis
28.61968-05-13339°08'N / 99°20'W39°13'N / 99°02'W16.90 Miles320 Yards0125K0Rooks
30.31956-04-02338°31'N / 98°28'W38°36'N / 98°25'W6.10 Miles350 Yards0025K0Rice
30.31964-06-10238°31'N / 98°32'W0.50 Mile150 Yards00250K0Barton
30.61972-08-02238°53'N / 99°20'W0.20 Mile150 Yards00250K0Ellis
31.31956-04-02338°31'N / 98°31'W38°31'N / 98°28'W2.30 Miles350 Yards0025K0Barton
32.21972-04-30238°55'N / 99°23'W39°04'N / 99°20'W10.50 Miles127 Yards0025K0Ellis
33.41990-05-24338°29'N / 98°27'W38°32'N / 98°25'W6.00 Miles1320 Yards02250K0Rice
33.61964-04-22338°16'N / 98°38'W38°42'N / 98°20'W34.00 Miles880 Yards00250K0Barton
34.21990-05-24338°27'N / 98°33'W38°29'N / 98°27'W4.00 Miles1320 Yards04250K0Barton
35.01998-10-16338°47'N / 99°34'W39°01'N / 99°16'W23.00 Miles1300 Yards011.2M0Ellis
 Brief Description: Tornado that began in eastern Trego county, steadily moved northeast before dissipating north of Hays. The tornado hit several farms in rural Ellis county and slammed into sparsely populated Yocemento. After leaving Yocemento, the tornado tore through a feedyard and on across other parts of rural Ellis county. Fortunately, the tornado stayed just west and north of populated Hays where a high school football game was in progress. The tornado damaged or destroyed 10 homes, a grain elevator, many outbuildings, a tractor and a feedlot. During the weaker moments of the tornado, it moved a 14,000 pound tractor 30 yards. One modular constructed home on a concrete slab was completely destroyed with the remains carried 1/2 of a mile. A steel I-beam from a concrete building travelled several hundred yards, eventually crashing into a grain elevator. Three empty anhydrous ammonia tanks were moved causing a leak of a benign amount of vapour. An injury occurred to a male driving a tractor-trailer rig on Interstate 70.
35.31973-03-13239°14'N / 99°17'W1.00 Mile50 Yards00250K0Rooks
35.41990-05-24338°32'N / 98°25'W38°38'N / 98°07'W16.00 Miles1320 Yards00250K0Ellsworth
35.51964-06-10238°28'N / 99°05'W0025K0Rush
35.51956-04-02338°21'N / 98°34'W38°31'N / 98°31'W11.70 Miles350 Yards0125K0Barton
35.62007-05-05239°23'N / 98°42'W39°28'N / 98°37'W8.00 Miles75 Yards011150K50KOsborne
 Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A tornado sat down south of Osborne and moved north into town. The twister destroyed 2 mobile homes, damaged roofs, fences, cars and windows, and damaged 2 restaurants. The Pizza Hut sustained minor damage and several employees??? car windows were blown out. Across the road, the Circle Inn lost a large part of their roof, a couple of outside walls, and substantial damage happened to the interior portion of the restaurant. A couple of semi-trailers were blown around and one ended up on top of another car. Eleven people were injured, none seriously, and were treated at the Osborne County Memorial Hospital. The Osborne County Sheriff's office reported the most severe injury was a broken arm. (sources: Osborne County Farmer newspaper, Osborne County Sheriff's office, and the Osborne County Emergency Management Agency). EPISODE NARRATIVE: Thunderstorms rumbled across northern Kansas. A few became severe in the early evening hours. One produced a tornado in Osborne. This tornado damaged homes and two restaurants in town. Other storms in Mitchell and Jewell Counties produced hail to the size of quarters.
35.71966-08-06238°24'N / 98°48'W0.20 Mile200 Yards0125K0Barton
35.91990-04-25338°47'N / 99°33'W39°07'N / 99°19'W23.00 Miles500 Yards002.5M0Ellis
36.61971-06-09238°28'N / 98°24'W38°30'N / 98°21'W3.60 Miles440 Yards0125K0Rice
36.71972-07-27239°15'N / 99°18'W0.50 Mile100 Yards0125K0Rooks
36.81972-04-30238°35'N / 98°14'W1.00 Mile30 Yards0025K0Ellsworth
37.11954-03-11239°27'N / 98°41'W003K0Osborne
37.52001-04-10238°56'N / 99°35'W39°07'N / 99°19'W19.00 Miles300 Yards00150K0Ellis
 Brief Description: A tornado moved in from Trego county at 2209 and moved into Rooks county at 2238. It took out 50 power poles in Ellis county and damaged 13 farms. Roofs were removed on several homes and there was extensive damage done to several outbuildings and trailers. Two semis were overturned on I-70 west of Ellis causing several minor injuries. Reports of the infamous "roar" were noted in the Ellis community.
37.91992-06-15239°23'N / 98°28'W39°26'N / 98°26'W3.50 Miles100 Yards00250K0Mitchell
38.01956-10-29338°22'N / 98°46'W0.60 Mile147 Yards01250K0Barton
38.61972-05-22238°56'N / 99°29'W0.50 Mile220 Yards000K0Ellis
38.81950-05-04438°16'N / 98°55'W38°27'N / 98°47'W14.50 Miles150 Yards01250K0Pawnee
39.41950-05-08239°21'N / 98°29'W39°28'N / 98°18'W12.60 Miles660 Yards00250K0Mitchell
39.81951-06-21238°32'N / 99°19'W000K0Rush
39.81992-06-15239°20'N / 98°20'W39°24'N / 98°16'W4.00 Miles100 Yards00250K0Mitchell
40.11992-06-15239°24'N / 98°24'W39°26'N / 98°22'W3.00 Miles100 Yards00250K0Mitchell
40.51985-05-10339°11'N / 99°31'W39°28'N / 99°06'W30.00 Miles300 Yards002.5M0Rooks
40.71968-06-18338°30'N / 99°18'W0.50 Mile220 Yards08250K0Rush
41.61972-05-22239°00'N / 99°32'W1.00 Mile220 Yards000K0Ellis
41.61972-05-22239°00'N / 99°32'W1.00 Mile220 Yards000K0Ellis
41.61972-05-22239°00'N / 99°32'W1.00 Mile220 Yards000K0Ellis
41.61974-06-05239°00'N / 99°42'W39°00'N / 99°22'W17.70 Miles70 Yards00250K0Trego
41.92002-05-05339°03'N / 99°37'W39°07'N / 99°25'W12.80 Miles880 Yards0000Ellis
 Brief Description: This tornado entered Ellis county from Trego county at 440 PM and continued a a northeast and easterly track. It did speed up at the end of it's life and as is typical, decreased in size. Another tornado was video taped just north and west of this tornado (during the same time), but was just across the county line. A brick building (that was very sturdy) was destroyed and strewn for hundreds of yards into a field. "Huge" cottonwood trees were either uprooted or snapped off at about five feet. A 250 gallon oil tank was moved 1.5 miles and was found lodged into a grove of trees.
43.01992-06-15239°23'N / 98°14'W2.00 Miles50 Yards00250K0Mitchell
43.01972-05-22238°56'N / 99°34'W2.00 Miles250 Yards0025K0Ellis
43.72001-04-21238°23'N / 99°12'W38°23'N / 99°12'W1.50 Miles100 Yards00200K0Rush
 Brief Description: Two farms received heavy damage (grain bins, roofs, shed and vehicle)
43.91956-07-15339°12'N / 98°06'W39°12'N / 97°58'W7.10 Miles880 Yards00250K0Lincoln
43.91962-05-28238°18'N / 98°58'W1.50 Miles33 Yards003K0Barton
44.01960-05-24239°26'N / 98°17'W000K0Mitchell
45.11992-06-15239°24'N / 98°12'W2.00 Miles73 Yards000K0Mitchell
45.81964-06-12239°30'N / 98°26'W39°32'N / 98°22'W4.10 Miles200 Yards0025K0Mitchell
45.91992-06-15339°25'N / 98°12'W2.00 Miles100 Yards00250K0Mitchell
46.22002-05-05239°03'N / 99°38'W39°03'N / 99°35'W2.20 Miles350 Yards0000Trego
 Brief Description: The tornado that developed 3.5 miles north and 5.5 miles east of Ogallah (north of Riga) moved slowly northeast reaching a width of 350 yards before crossing into Ellis county at 440 PM. A shed was destroyed near the starting point of the tornado. Along it's path, 1200 pound bales of hay were pushed into a group of trees with a few of the bales stripped to the core. Power poles were downed, tin sheets were wrapped around trees and a stick was impaled into a post.
46.61992-06-15439°25'N / 98°13'W39°26'N / 98°10'W3.00 Miles100 Yards00250K0Mitchell
47.11985-05-10338°56'N / 99°38'W39°06'N / 99°38'W10.00 Miles300 Yards00250K0Trego
47.11970-05-08239°02'N / 97°58'W39°09'N / 97°52'W9.50 Miles100 Yards0025K0Lincoln
47.91990-04-25338°41'N / 99°42'W38°47'N / 99°33'W10.00 Miles500 Yards002.5M0Trego
48.02008-05-23238°51'N / 99°40'W38°58'N / 99°39'W8.00 Miles250 Yards000K0KTrego
 Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This tornado moved over a sparsely populated area but did EF2 damage to trees. It moved northwest towards the end of it's life cycle. 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.
48.11990-05-24338°30'N / 98°11'W38°31'N / 97°54'W12.00 Miles400 Yards002.5M0Ellsworth
48.21973-04-30238°28'N / 99°27'W0.20 Mile100 Yards003K0Rush
48.52008-05-23238°45'N / 99°41'W38°53'N / 99°38'W9.00 Miles1760 Yards000K0KTrego
 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.
48.71951-07-07239°15'N / 99°34'W003K0Rooks
48.81959-05-20239°36'N / 99°00'W000K0Smith
48.91970-06-15239°08'N / 99°38'W1.50 Miles200 Yards0025K0Graham
49.02008-05-29239°28'N / 98°19'W39°34'N / 98°14'W8.00 Miles2000 Yards00500K500KMitchell
 Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This tornado started near Glen Elder Dam in Mitchell County and moved northeast. It crossed into Jewell County about 4 miles west of Highway 14. Eye witness accounts stated that this tornado combined near the dam with a tornado that had formed to the southwest in Osborne County. Just to the east of the dam, the tornado damaged several outbuildings at a farmstead and uprooted many trees. Power lines and trees were snapped off when the twister crossed US Highway 24 to the east of the town of Glen Elder. Large power poles were broken and another farmstead sustained extensive damage just before the tornado moved into Jewell County. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A significant severe weather outbreak occurred during the afternoon and evening of May 29th. Several tornadoes were reported from south of Palco in Rooks County to community of Jewell in Jewell County. On tornado inflected significant damage to the community of Jewell, including destroying the town???s caf?? and water tower. Several homes in rural areas of Mitchell and Jewell Counties were damaged or destroyed. The town of Woodston in eastern Rooks County also had a twister move through the community; luckily damage was not as severe. All together eight tornadoes occurred in this part of north-central Kansas and no critical injuries were reported. Other areas of north-central Kansas also saw hail and heavy rains from the storms. An area between Webster Lake and Stockton in Rooks County had hail up to the size of baseballs. The hail damaged windows and siding of homes along the storms path. In addition to the tornadoes, hail and wind, thunderstorms dumped several inches of rain across the Solomon River valleys. This resulted in some flooding of rural roads and area creeks and rivers.
49.11974-08-30238°21'N / 99°15'W38°15'N / 99°11'W7.70 Miles200 Yards0025K0Pawnee
49.81955-06-04338°15'N / 98°25'W38°17'N / 98°19'W5.90 Miles200 Yards0025K0Rice


* 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.


 
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