10 Deadly Tornadoes That Have Gone Down In Kansas History

Though Texas ranks #1 for the highest number of tornadoes per year, that doesn’t mean Kansas doesn’t get some really big (really bad) 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 tornadoes in Kansas made history for all the scariest reasons. Let’s take a look at the 10 worst tornadoes in Kansas history:

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This Kiowa county twister, almost a mile wide at its largest, didn't injure or kill anyone because its winds were relatively low. In its path of destruction, it reportedly carried three mules a couple miles from home (just for fun, we guess).

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Just Northwest of Cheney, an aggressive, mile-wide tornado touched down and began its path of terror, 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.

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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.

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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, instead sweeping the east side and continuing north instead.

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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.

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In 1957, Northeast Kansas was hit by a half-mile wide twister that took the lives of seven and injured 31. It traveled 71 miles during its life, and local pilots reported debris at altitudes as high as 30,000 feet. That's some strong wind!

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In 1966, citizens of Topeka had a tornado blow through the center of town, causing around $100 million in damages. It was 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 flying debris caused significant damage in the area as well. It eventually weakened and merged with a second tornado, killing one more on its new path through towards Marion Lake, where it eventually dissipated.

9. April 26, 1991

Starting south of Clearwater, this F3 tornado swept through Haysville and eventually hit McConnell Air Force Base, narrowly avoiding ten B1 Bombers that cost around $280 million apiece. It then reached F5 intensity as it crossed the Sedgwick-Butler county line, tearing apart an entire mobile home park before heading over El Dorado Lake and dissipating. All in all, it killed 17 and injured 225.

10. May 4th, 2007 – The Greensburg Tornado

With a maximum width of almost two miles, this monster 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 p.m. is what made this twister so deadly and frightening. It was the first tornado to be rated EF5 on the new Enhanced Fujita scale, with wind speeds over 200 mph in some areas. Though we’ve all heard about all the terrible things that happened to this Kansas town, we know now that they’ve rebuilt better (and greener!) after such a disaster.

How many tornadoes in Kansas have you witnessed? Did you survive any of the worst tornadoes in Kansas history? Tell us about your experiences in the comments!