Sterling, KS Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Sterling is about the same as Kansas average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Sterling is higher than Kansas average and is much higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #536
| Sterling, 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
| Sterling, 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, #236
| Sterling, KS | 266.24 |
| 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 5,002 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Sterling, 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: | 13 | Cold: | 8 | Dense Fog: | 0 | Drought: | 3 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 165 | Hail: | 2,877 | Heat: | 13 | Heavy Snow: | 54 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 21 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 63 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 1,597 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 1 | Winter Storm: | 57 | Winter Weather: | 45 |
| Other: | 85 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Sterling, KS.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Sterling, KS.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Sterling, KS.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 88 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Sterling, KS.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 7.1 | 1962-05-24 | 2 | 38°09'N / 98°06'W | 0 | 2 | 0K | 0 | Reno | |||
| 9.5 | 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 |
| 11.1 | 1962-05-24 | 3 | 38°03'N / 98°11'W | 0 | 2 | 0K | 0 | Reno | |||
| 14.2 | 1954-05-01 | 2 | 38°05'N / 98°00'W | 0.30 Mile | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Reno | |
| 14.3 | 1959-05-17 | 2 | 38°04'N / 98°01'W | 2.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Harper | |
| 15.3 | 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 |
| 17.5 | 1950-06-08 | 4 | 38°20'N / 97°56'W | 38°20'N / 97°55'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Rice | ||
| 17.7 | 1954-08-05 | 2 | 38°03'N / 97°57'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Reno | |||
| 18.8 | 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 |
| 20.7 | 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 |
| 21.0 | 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 |
| 21.1 | 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 |
| 21.9 | 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 |
| 22.5 | 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 |
| 23.8 | 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 |
| 23.9 | 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 |
| 24.0 | 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 |
| 24.1 | 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 |
| 24.9 | 1971-06-13 | 2 | 38°10'N / 97°45'W | 0.50 Mile | 300 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Mcpherson | |
| 25.5 | 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 |
| 25.8 | 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 |
| 25.9 | 1972-04-30 | 2 | 38°35'N / 98°14'W | 1.00 Mile | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Ellsworth | |
| 26.0 | 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 |
| 26.2 | 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 |
| 27.0 | 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 |
| 27.3 | 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 |
| 27.6 | 1964-06-10 | 2 | 38°31'N / 98°32'W | 0.50 Mile | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Barton | |
| 28.7 | 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 |
| 28.8 | 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 |
| 28.8 | 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 |
| 29.1 | 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 |
| 29.3 | 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 |
| 29.5 | 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 |
| 30.3 | 1954-04-25 | 2 | 38°37'N / 98°25'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Ellsworth | |||
| 30.8 | 1973-09-25 | 2 | 38°32'N / 97°49'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Mcpherson | |||
| 30.8 | 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 |
| 30.9 | 1955-04-27 | 2 | 38°02'N / 97°41'W | 2.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Harvey | |
| 30.9 | 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 |
| 32.2 | 1975-05-27 | 3 | 38°32'N / 98°38'W | 0.50 Mile | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Barton | |
| 32.2 | 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 |
| 32.2 | 1956-10-29 | 3 | 38°22'N / 98°46'W | 0.60 Mile | 147 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Barton | |
| 33.0 | 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 |
| 33.4 | 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 |
| 34.8 | 1966-08-06 | 2 | 38°24'N / 98°48'W | 0.20 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Barton | |
| 35.6 | 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 |
| 35.8 | 1960-11-27 | 2 | 38°23'N / 97°35'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Mcpherson | |||
| 35.9 | 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 |
| 35.9 | 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 |
| 36.4 | 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 |
| 37.0 | 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 |
| 37.1 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 37.3 | 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 |
| 37.9 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 38.0 | 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 |
| 38.0 | 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 |
| 38.0 | 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 | |||||||||||
| 38.3 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 39.4 | 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 |
| 39.5 | 1964-04-22 | 2 | 38°17'N / 97°29'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Mcpherson | |||
| 40.7 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 41.4 | 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 |
| 41.5 | 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 |
| 41.6 | 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 |
| 41.7 | 1962-05-28 | 2 | 38°18'N / 98°58'W | 1.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Barton | |
| 42.5 | 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 |
| 42.7 | 1956-07-01 | 2 | 37°49'N / 97°36'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Sedgwick | |||
| 43.2 | 1951-04-30 | 3 | 37°38'N / 98°45'W | 37°46'N / 98°35'W | 12.80 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Pratt |
| 44.2 | 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 |
| 44.3 | 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 |
| 45.0 | 2008-05-23 | 3 | 37°28'N / 98°37'W | 37°46'N / 98°29'W | 22.00 Miles | 1430 Yards | 2 | 2 | 0K | 0K | Pratt |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This 3/4 mile wide tornado produced EF3 damage and unfortunately claimed two lives. A husband and wife were parked on highway 54 approximately 2 1/4 miles east of Cairo. The tornado picked up their car and carried it approximately 1700 feet NNE into a wheat field (they were not discovered until the next morning at about 9 AM). The female occupant was ejected and was found 30 feet southwest of the wreckage. The male was still strapped in his seat. The car was nearly unrecognizable. A second vehicle (3/4 ton truck) was parked 20 yards behind the aforementioned car. It also went airborne briefly but got lodged on the north side ditch. The two male occupants received numerous cuts and bruises but were otherwise unhurt. They both claimed it was extremely cold immediately after crawling out of their vehicle with heavy vapor breath noticed. This tornado destroyed a home about a mile north and the collapsed east wall trapped a male in the bathtub where he had taken cover. Help was needed in lifting the wall off of him but he claimed he was not hurt. Other homes in the tornadoes path received minor to moderate damage. 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. | |||||||||||
| 45.1 | 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 |
| 45.2 | 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 |
| 45.3 | 2009-06-15 | 2 | 37°54'N / 99°01'W | 37°54'N / 98°52'W | 9.00 Miles | 1400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Stafford |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This was a multiple vortex tornado that moved out of Edwards county at 609 PM CDT. It did high end EF2 damage to trees, crops, pivot irrigation sprinklers and a barn. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Severe thunderstorms broke out in the afternoon heat and became quite intense by evening producing large hail, high winds and tornadoes. | |||||||||||
| 45.5 | 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 |
| 45.9 | 2007-05-05 | 2 | 37°49'N / 99°00'W | 38°00'N / 98°55'W | 13.00 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Stafford |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This tornado did EF2 damage to farms, trees and pivot irrigation sprinklers. It was very large in size. It eventually moved into Pawnee county at 1905 CST. 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. | |||||||||||
| 46.1 | 2002-05-07 | 2 | 37°42'N / 98°48'W | 37°34'N / 98°28'W | 22.00 Miles | 1800 Yards | 0 | 0 | 20.0M | 0 | Pratt |
| Brief Description: This very large tornado moved southeast across much of Pratt. Damage was rated a STRONG F2. There were 14 homes destroyed, 15 with major damage and 230 with minor damage. Over 50 Pivot sprinklers were damaged or destroyed. Despite the very heavy damage, there were no injuries thanks in part to adequate warnings. | |||||||||||
| 46.9 | 1950-05-16 | 2 | 37°33'N / 98°25'W | 0.20 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Kingman | |
| 47.2 | 1961-07-13 | 2 | 38°02'N / 97°22'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Harvey | |||
| 47.6 | 2007-05-04 | 3 | 37°49'N / 98°57'W | 37°55'N / 98°59'W | 7.00 Miles | 2110 Yards | 0 | 1 | 0K | 0K | Stafford |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This tornado moved out of northwest Pratt county and dissipated just south of Macksville. It did strong EF3 damage to farms, trees, machinery and vehicles. A Blazer was carried over 3/4 of a mile and was barely recognizable as a vehicle. Several dozen head of cattle were killed along with wildlife in the area. One well built home was completely swept off it's foundation. 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. | |||||||||||
| 47.8 | 2008-05-23 | 2 | 37°57'N / 99°01'W | 38°00'N / 99°03'W | 3.00 Miles | 1160 Yards | 0 | 1 | 0K | 0K | Edwards |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This tornado moved out of Stafford county and did EF2 damage to a house and barn just west of the Stafford/Edwards county line. A Female received a serious injury when she was blown down the stairs. Pivot sprinklers and trees received EF1-2 damage. The tornado started in the southeast part of Edwards county, moved into Pratt and Stafford and then turned northwest before ending in the extreme northeast part of the county. 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. | |||||||||||
| 47.9 | 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 |
| 48.3 | 2001-04-14 | 2 | 37°34'N / 98°38'W | 37°34'N / 98°29'W | 7.50 Miles | 800 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Pratt |
| Brief Description: Shed destroyed, combine moved, 2 pivot sprinklers destroyed, grain silo destroyed and power poles knocked down. | |||||||||||
| 48.4 | 1956-07-21 | 2 | 38°01'N / 97°21'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Harvey | |||
| 48.4 | 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 |
| 48.5 | 1954-09-09 | 2 | 37°49'N / 97°28'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Sedgwick | |||
| 49.1 | 2008-05-23 | 3 | 37°49'N / 99°00'W | 37°57'N / 99°01'W | 9.00 Miles | 1900 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Stafford |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This large tornado moved out of Pratt county and did EF3 damage before moving into Edwards county. EF3 damage was done to trees and a pivot sprinkler. Other pivot sprinklers received EF1-2 damage along with EF2 damage done to a house and grain bins. 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. | |||||||||||
| 49.2 | 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 |
| 49.6 | 1963-07-12 | 2 | 38°03'N / 97°19'W | 0 | 1 | 0K | 0 | Harvey | |||
* 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.