10 Deadly Tornadoes That Have Gone Down In Kansas History
Though Texas is the #1 state for number of tornadoes per year, that doesn’t mean Kansas doesn’t get some real big ones every now and then. We get a lot of these every May, and some of them get big enough to wipe out entire towns. These 10 tornadoes here in the Sunflower State might not have killed anyone, but they’re deadly because of their potential and size. Let’s take a look at the big ten!
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This Kiowa county twister, almost a mile wide at its largest, didn't injure or kill anyone, because it was so slow. In its path of destruction, it reportedly carried 3 mules a couple miles from home. (Just for fun, I guess!)
Just Northwest of Cheney, an aggressive mile-wide tornado touched down and began it's path, destroying 118 farms, homes, and businesses. This twister killed 23 and injured 70, racing at speeds of up to 65 mph. That's pretty fast, considering the fastest a car could go around that time was only 85 mph.
With an average width of a mile, this tornado rampaged along its 95-mile path across Barber, Kingman, Reno, and McPherson counties. Many farms were wiped off the map, with more than 100 hit. The tornado itself killed only 10, but injured 300. (Not including farm animals, of course.)
A bad day in Oberlin came quickly in 1942. This small twister didn't go very far, but it took the lives of 15 in the form of three whole families, and injured 25. It's fortunate that it didn't hit the center of town, and instead swept the east side and continued north instead.
Known as the deadliest tornado in Kansas history, the Udall tornado took the lives of 80 and injured 270. This tornado started below the Kansas border, and worked its way up through Udall, causing extreme disaster as it wrecked almost every home in town. 75 of the casualties and all of the injuries involved Udall residents, about 70% of the population.
In 1957, Northeast Kansas was hit by a half-mile wide twister that took the lives of 7 and injured 31. It traveled a long 71 miles during its life, and local pilots reported debris in altitudes as high as 30,000 feet. That's some strong suction!
In 1966, citizens of Topeka has a tornado blow through the center of town, causing around $100 million in damages. (The costliest Kansas tornado, at the time.) Luckily, it missed the capitol building, only stripping paint from its dome.
8. March 13, 1990 – The Hesston Tornado
Killing only one and injuring 60, this tornado was easier to spot and avoid, in the daylight. It started as a simple F1/F2 but after heading towards Hesston, it hit F4/F5 intensity as it made its way through town. Houses were swept from foundations, and debris caused more damages in the area as well. It eventually weakened and merged with a second tornado, killing one more on it’s new path through towards Marion Lake, where it dissipated.
9. April 26, 1991
Starting south of Clearwater, this F3 tornado swept through Haysville and eventually hitting McConnell Air Force Base, avoiding 10 B1 Bombers that cost around $280 million apiece. It then reached F5 intensity as it crossed the Sedgwick/Butler county line, and tearing out an entire mobile home park before heading over El Dorado Lake and dissipating. All in all, it killed 17 and injured 225 during its lifetime.
10. May 4th, 2007 – The Greensburg Tornado
With a maximum width of almost 2 miles, this heavy tornado leveled and/or destroyed 95% of Greensburg, Kansas. Though it only took the lives of 11 and injured 63, the fact that it happened at 9 pm is what made this twister so deadly. It was the first tornado to be rated EF5 on the new scale, with wind speeds over 200 mph in some parts. Though we’ve all heard about all the terrible things that happened to this Kansas town, we know now that they’re rebuilding better (and Greener) after such a disaster.
How many tornadoes have you seen in your lifetime here in Kansas? Tell us about your experiences in the comments!
Born and raised Kansan, Clarisa has lived in both tiny towns and cities during her time here in the Sunflower State, mostly in the south central area. Clarisa is a stay-at-home mother of one crazy kid, two cats, and two geckos, and has been writing anything and everything since she's held a pencil, though Kansas and fantasy novels take up most of her time.
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