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Conway Springs Unified School District 356 Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Conway Springs Unified School District 356 is about the same as Kansas average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Conway Springs Unified School District 356 is higher than Kansas average and is much higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #250
| Conway Springs Unified School District 356 | 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
| Conway Springs Unified School District 356 | 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, #45
| Conway Springs Unified School District 356 | 322.40 |
| 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 6,693 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Conway Springs Unified School District 356 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: | 7 | Cold: | 15 | Dense Fog: | 9 | Drought: | 24 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 330 | Hail: | 3,757 | Heat: | 15 | Heavy Snow: | 31 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 10 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 45 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 2,277 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 0 | Winter Storm: | 38 | Winter Weather: | 28 |
| Other: | 107 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Conway Springs Unified School District 356.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Conway Springs Unified School District 356.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Conway Springs Unified School District 356.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 106 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Conway Springs Unified School District 356.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 1.8 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 3.9 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 15.7 | 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 |
| 17.5 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 18.1 | 1965-05-13 | 3 | 37°24'N / 97°18'W | 37°29'N / 97°20'W | 5.90 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Sumner |
| 18.7 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 19.8 | 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 |
| 19.9 | 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 |
| 20.1 | 1991-05-16 | 3 | 37°30'N / 97°27'W | 37°36'N / 97°12'W | 20.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Sedgwick |
| 20.6 | 1999-05-03 | 4 | 37°29'N / 97°22'W | 37°42'N / 97°20'W | 14.00 Miles | 880 Yards | 6 | 150 | 140.0M | 0 | Sedgwick |
| Brief Description: The same tornado that initially touched down 4 miles north of Wellington in Central Sumner County, SKYWARN reports indicate the tornado crossed the Sumner/Sedgwick County line at 1930, 1 mile west of Peck. Moving northeast at 30 kts, the tornado hit Haysville at 1935, destroying a subdivision just southwest of the South Seneca-South 87th Street intersection where the first 2 fatalities occurred in a mobile home park when a woman and her grandson were killed while running for shelter. (A 6th fatality resulted when an elderly man died from his injuries at a Wichita hospital on May 23rd.) The tornado then moved north along South Seneca Avenue, entering the Haysville Central Business District at 1938. The 3rd fatality occurred at this point when an elderly man was killed in a mobile home at South 75th Street. At the South Seneca/South 71st Street intersection, most of the businesses were heavily damaged or destroyed. Damage summary for Haysville (damaged or destroyed): 150 homes, 27 businesses, 3 churches, 1 library, 4 historic buildings and 1 lodge. The tornado entered South Wichita at 1943 when it crossed South 55th Street. The tornado then veered slightly toward the northwest. At South 47th Street it reassumed a northeast track. Crossing MacArthur Avenue, the tornado leveled the Lakeshore and Pacesetter mobile home parks located just northeast of the South Seneca/MacArthur intersection where the 4th and 5th fatalities occurred, one at each mobile home park. At 1945, the tornado crossed the East Harry Street interchange on I-135 and continued to move northeast, lifting in the College Hill District in Northeast Wichita. Along this entire track, the tornado left a path of destruction 14 miles long and 1/4 to 1/2 mile wide. Damage summary for Sedgwick County: 8,480 buildings (all types) damaged or destroyed. Of these, 2,456 were at least 50% destroyed and 1,109 totally destroyed. M27MH, F43OU, M1OU, M83MH, M68MH, M78MH | |||||||||||
| 20.8 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 20.9 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 21.0 | 1973-10-11 | 2 | 37°39'N / 97°25'W | 0.70 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 15 | 250K | 0 | Sedgwick | |
| 21.1 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 21.1 | 1965-05-13 | 3 | 37°08'N / 97°18'W | 37°24'N / 97°18'W | 18.40 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Sumner |
| 21.3 | 1964-04-03 | 2 | 37°33'N / 97°18'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Sedgwick | |||
| 21.3 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 21.5 | 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 |
| 21.7 | 1991-04-26 | 5 | 37°28'N / 97°29'W | 37°42'N / 97°09'W | 24.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 4 | 75 | 250.0M | 0 | Sedgwick |
| 22.2 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 23.1 | 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 |
| 23.5 | 1960-04-28 | 3 | 37°42'N / 97°35'W | 37°46'N / 97°29'W | 7.10 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 6 | 25K | 0 | Sedgwick |
| 24.1 | 2004-06-12 | 3 | 37°28'N / 97°14'W | 37°26'N / 97°11'W | 4.00 Miles | 75 Yards | 0 | 2 | 500K | 75K | Sumner |
| Brief Description: The tornado started moving NE before becoming influenced by the outflow of the storm and darted back to the SE. The tornado ripped the roof off one home and blew out two walls and a roof of another. However, the tornado took dead aim on one home about 3.5 miles SE of Mulvane and completely removed it from it's foundation. Two inhabitants were under the staircase in the basement and escaped with only minor injuries. | |||||||||||
| 24.1 | 1965-05-13 | 3 | 37°29'N / 97°20'W | 37°55'N / 97°29'W | 31.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 10 | 250K | 0 | Sedgwick |
| 25.3 | 1965-09-03 | 3 | 37°39'N / 97°18'W | 0 | 27 | 2.5M | 0 | Sedgwick | |||
| 25.6 | 1954-10-04 | 2 | 37°41'N / 97°20'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Sedgwick | |||
| 26.7 | 1958-06-07 | 3 | 37°39'N / 97°16'W | 5.00 Miles | 1760 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Sedgwick | |
| 27.7 | 1992-09-05 | 2 | 37°42'N / 97°20'W | 37°42'N / 97°16'W | 3.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25.0M | 0 | Sedgwick |
| 28.1 | 1955-05-25 | 5 | 37°21'N / 97°09'W | 37°23'N / 97°07'W | 2.30 Miles | 1320 Yards | 75 | 270 | 250K | 0 | Cowley |
| 28.5 | 1956-07-01 | 2 | 37°49'N / 97°36'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Sedgwick | |||
| 28.6 | 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 |
| 29.1 | 1955-05-25 | 5 | 37°00'N / 97°15'W | 37°21'N / 97°09'W | 24.70 Miles | 660 Yards | 5 | 3 | 250K | 0 | Sumner |
| 30.0 | 1954-09-09 | 2 | 37°49'N / 97°28'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Sedgwick | |||
| 30.2 | 1958-06-11 | 2 | 37°46'N / 97°20'W | 0 | 6 | 250K | 0 | Sedgwick | |||
| 30.4 | 1984-04-29 | 2 | 37°43'N / 97°15'W | 2.00 Miles | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Sedgwick | |
| 30.6 | 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 |
| 30.8 | 1960-11-27 | 2 | 37°25'N / 97°15'W | 37°40'N / 96°58'W | 23.20 Miles | 77 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Sumner |
| 30.9 | 1963-05-25 | 2 | 37°34'N / 97°07'W | 0 | 2 | 0K | 0 | Butler | |||
| 31.5 | 1953-06-21 | 2 | 37°45'N / 97°16'W | 0 | 3 | 0K | 0 | Sedgwick | |||
| 31.5 | 1955-05-25 | 5 | 37°00'N / 97°15'W | 37°03'N / 97°24'W | 8.80 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Sumner |
| 32.1 | 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 |
| 32.1 | 1955-05-25 | 5 | 37°23'N / 97°07'W | 37°27'N / 97°00'W | 7.80 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Cowley |
| 32.4 | 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 |
| 32.5 | 1991-03-26 | 3 | 37°00'N / 97°23'W | 37°05'N / 97°09'W | 16.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Sumner |
| 32.6 | 1965-03-16 | 4 | 37°00'N / 97°19'W | 37°07'N / 97°10'W | 11.50 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Sumner |
| 32.8 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 32.8 | 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 |
| 33.1 | 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 |
| 33.6 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 33.8 | 1965-03-16 | 4 | 36°55'N / 97°28'W | 37°00'N / 97°19'W | 10.20 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Kay |
| 34.9 | 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 |
| 35.2 | 1987-07-05 | 2 | 37°31'N / 97°01'W | 0.20 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Butler | |
| 35.3 | 1958-06-11 | 2 | 37°43'N / 97°08'W | 0 | 4 | 0K | 0 | Butler | |||
| 35.6 | 1991-03-26 | 3 | 37°05'N / 97°09'W | 37°10'N / 97°03'W | 7.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Cowley |
| 35.7 | 1960-04-16 | 2 | 37°36'N / 97°08'W | 37°40'N / 96°59'W | 9.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 1 | 3K | 0 | Butler |
| 36.9 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 37.5 | 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 |
| 37.6 | 1965-05-13 | 2 | 36°54'N / 97°54'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Grant | |||
| 37.9 | 1978-05-11 | 2 | 36°54'N / 97°23'W | 36°55'N / 97°19'W | 3.80 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 3 | 25K | 0 | Kay |
| 38.1 | 1965-03-16 | 4 | 37°07'N / 97°10'W | 37°15'N / 96°51'W | 19.70 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 3 | 250K | 0 | Cowley |
| 39.0 | 1959-05-17 | 2 | 36°53'N / 97°55'W | 2.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Grant | |
| 39.1 | 1991-04-26 | 4 | 37°04'N / 97°09'W | 37°21'N / 96°48'W | 25.00 Miles | 500 Yards | 1 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Cowley |
| 39.5 | 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 |
| 39.8 | 1971-06-02 | 2 | 36°51'N / 97°27'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Kay | |||
| 40.1 | 1968-05-22 | 2 | 36°55'N / 97°22'W | 36°54'N / 97°10'W | 11.10 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Kay |
| 40.1 | 1981-05-17 | 2 | 37°04'N / 97°03'W | 0.50 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Cowley | |
| 40.3 | 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 |
| 40.7 | 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 |
| 40.8 | 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 |
| 41.0 | 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 |
| 41.7 | 1966-06-05 | 2 | 36°50'N / 97°24'W | 2.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Kay | |
| 42.0 | 1955-05-25 | 5 | 36°53'N / 97°09'W | 37°00'N / 97°09'W | 8.00 Miles | 660 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Kay |
| 42.2 | 1955-05-25 | 5 | 37°27'N / 97°00'W | 37°27'N / 96°45'W | 13.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Cowley |
| 42.3 | 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 |
| 42.4 | 1973-04-30 | 2 | 36°59'N / 97°05'W | 0.40 Mile | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Kay | |
| 43.1 | 1955-05-25 | 5 | 36°43'N / 97°17'W | 37°00'N / 97°15'W | 19.60 Miles | 500 Yards | 20 | 280 | 25.0M | 0 | Kay |
| 43.4 | 1955-04-27 | 2 | 38°02'N / 97°41'W | 2.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Harvey | |
| 43.5 | 1950-05-16 | 2 | 37°33'N / 98°25'W | 0.20 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Kingman | |
| 43.9 | 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 |
| 44.0 | 1954-03-24 | 2 | 36°56'N / 97°06'W | 36°58'N / 97°04'W | 2.70 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Kay |
| 44.2 | 1959-05-04 | 2 | 36°48'N / 97°19'W | 36°52'N / 97°15'W | 5.70 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Kay |
| 44.2 | 1991-04-26 | 5 | 37°42'N / 97°09'W | 37°54'N / 96°52'W | 22.00 Miles | 700 Yards | 13 | 150 | 250.0M | 0 | Butler |
| 44.3 | 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 |
| 44.4 | 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 |
| 44.8 | 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 |
| 45.2 | 1956-07-21 | 2 | 38°01'N / 97°21'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Harvey | |||
| 45.4 | 1965-09-20 | 2 | 37°37'N / 97°16'W | 38°12'N / 96°57'W | 43.80 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Sedgwick |
| 45.9 | 1961-07-13 | 2 | 38°02'N / 97°22'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Harvey | |||
| 46.4 | 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 |
| 46.4 | 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 |
| 46.7 | 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 |
| 46.9 | 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 |
| 47.1 | 1973-03-13 | 2 | 37°00'N / 96°58'W | 37°27'N / 96°40'W | 35.10 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Cowley |
| 47.2 | 1978-04-17 | 2 | 36°52'N / 97°07'W | 36°59'N / 96°57'W | 12.20 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Kay |
| 47.6 | 1954-08-05 | 2 | 38°03'N / 97°57'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Reno | |||
| 47.8 | 1973-03-13 | 2 | 36°48'N / 97°08'W | 37°00'N / 96°58'W | 16.50 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 1 | 2.5M | 0 | Kay |
| 47.8 | 1979-03-18 | 2 | 36°54'N / 97°03'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Kay | |||
| 47.8 | 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 |
| 48.0 | 1963-07-12 | 2 | 38°03'N / 97°19'W | 0 | 1 | 0K | 0 | Harvey | |||
| 48.4 | 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 |
| 49.1 | 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 |
| 49.2 | 1958-06-10 | 4 | 37°51'N / 97°01'W | 37°50'N / 96°51'W | 9.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 15 | 5 | 2.5M | 0 | Butler |
| 49.4 | 1998-05-24 | 3 | 36°39'N / 97°33'W | 36°44'N / 97°36'W | 5.30 Miles | 1300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.0M | 0 | Grant |
| Brief Description: A large complex of severe thunderstorms moved from southern Kansas into northern and central Oklahoma during the evening of May 24th and the early morning of May 25th, resulting in 16 tornadoes, most of which occurred in Grant County. The strongest tornado, an F3, occurred near Lamont in Grant County. There were also reports of hail up to 3.5 inches in diameter, straight line wind damage, and flooding. The first tornado, an F0, touched down in an open field 1 mile south of Amorita in Alfalfa County at 1745 CST lasting for less than one minute with no reports of damage. The second tornado, also an F0, was reported 5 minutes later by media chasers to have touched down in an open field 3 miles east northeast of Amorita. Touchdown was very brief with no damage reported. The third tornado was also observed by media chasers, this time in northeast Alfalfa County 8 miles east of Amorita. The tornado, an F1, damaged one house and knocked down power lines as it moved southeast and weakened while crossing into western Grant County for a total damage path lengh of 5 miles. There were no reports of damage with this segment of the tornado in Grant County and thus was rated an F0. An unusual aspect of this tornado was that it was reported to be rotating anticyclonically. The fourth and fifth tornadoes were also rated F0, the fourth reported by media chasers to have touched down in an open field 4 west northwest of Wakita with no damage, and the fifth observed by Wakita Fire Department to be on the ground for 2.5 miles from 2 miles southwest of Wakita to 2 miles south of Wakita. No damage was reported. An off-duty National Weather Service meteorologist observed the sixth tornado, an F0, in an open field 9 miles west of Medford. The seventh tornado, also an F0, produced no damage as it rotated anticyclonically 3 miles southeast of Wakita. The eighth and ninth tornadoes, both F0, occurred simultaneously 6 miles west of Medford. The eighth tornado touched down just north of Highway 11 while the ninth tornado touched down just south of Highway 11. One house and a business were damaged by the tenth tornado which occurred in Grant County from 2 miles southwest of Medford to 2 miles south of Medford. The eleventh tornado, an F0, was observed by an off duty National Weather Service meteorologist to be knocking down trees and power lines in a 5 mile long damage path in southern Grant County. The twelvth tornado, an F1, snapped trees in half and damaged a private airstrip 4 miles east northeast of Pond Creek while the thirteenth tornado, also an F1, damaged several homes and knocked down trees and power lines 1 mile north of Salt Fork. The fourteenth tornado, an F0, was reported by spotters to have touched down briefly in an open field causing no damage. The most destructive tornado occurred near the city of Lamont where damage estimates reached 2 million dollars. National Weather Service meteorologists conducted a survey of the area and found a damage path 5 1/4 miles long and 3/4 of a mile wide with F3 damage occurring 2 miles west of Lamont where a well-built brick home had all of its exterior walls destroyed. In addition, 6 single-family homes were destroyed 1.5 miles south of Lamont, while in the city of Lamont 3 single-family dwellings sustained major damage. Nine single-family homes sufferred minor damage. Nearly a dozen vehicles were destroyed, including automobiles, pickup trucks, farm trucks, and farm tractors. Several barns were destroyed including one barn where 30 sheep were also killed. More than 70 utility poles were ripped down in a 3 mile stretch. The Lamont tornado, as it is referred, was unusual in its direction of movement. Several eye witnesses reported a southeast to northwest movement. WSR-88D data also showed the mesocyclone associated with the tornado moving from south to north in a looping manner when the tornado was reported. The last tornado, the sixteenth of this episode, touched down briefly in an open field 5 miles northwest of Tonkawa at 2130 CST. Tonkawa Emergency Management reported no damage. Thus, this tornado was rated an F0. In addition to these tornadoes, a large macroburst containing damaging straight-line winds occurred from 13 miles west of Medford (Grant County) to 4 miles west northwest of Pond Creek. Satellite dishes owned by Classic Cable Company, which were rated at 110 mph, were flattened by the winds. Straight-line wind damage was also reported in Alva where one man sustained minor injuries when he was blown into the bed of a pickup truck. Also in Alva at least 3 mobile homes suffered major damage; several carports were destroyed; awning and minor roof damage occurred to many homes; and trees and power lines were blown down. One indirect fatality occurred in Alva when a man slipped and suffered a heart attack while seeking shelter in a storm cellar. Other reports of straight-line wind damage include major roof damage to an old schoolhouse gymnasium in the city of Jefferson in Grant County. Two large cedar trees were also uprooted in Jefferson. A tree limb was blown through a picture window 14 miles north northeast of Camp Houston in Woods County. Windows were also blown out of a shed, and numerous trees were downed. Four to six inch tree limbs were blown down 9 miles west of Cherokee in Alfalfa County. In Thomas in Custer County one utility pole was snapped and large limbs were blown down. Power lines were knocked down in Edmond in Oklahoma County. Severe winds also damaged the roof of the Fred Humphrey Pavillion in Shawnee in Pottawatomie County. The largest hail reported measured 3.5 inches in diameter and occurred in Medford in Grant County. Three reported events of at least tennis ball size hail occurred in Goltry (Alfalfa County) in less than 2 hours: tennis ball size hail at 2140 CST and 2230 CST, and baseball size hail at 2305 CST. Between 30 and 100 percent of the wheat crop was destroyed due to large hail from about 2 miles west of Jet to near Goltry. Another area south of Cherokee, near the junction of US 64 and SH 8 also sustained major wheat crop damage. In addition numerous vehicles had their windows broken. Tennis ball size hail also damaged the wheat crop and numerous vehicles in Okarche in Canadian County while in Watonga in Blaine County golf ball size hail damaged RV vehicles and street lights. Quarter size hail damaged several vehicles 6 miles north of Piedmont in Canadian County. Lightning struck a house in Piedmont causing a house to catch on fire. The last of the severe thunderstorms moved through northern Oklahoma during the early morning of May 25th, resulting in flooding near Cherokee and the National Wildlife Refuge in Alfalfa County, where 5.5 inches of rain fell. Several streets and the city park were also flooded in Blackwell in Kay County during the evening of May 24th. | |||||||||||
| 49.4 | 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 |
| 49.5 | 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 |
| 49.7 | 1964-05-06 | 2 | 36°45'N / 98°01'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Grant | |||
* 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.