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Tornado History

Cowley Tornado History

This county-level tornado history page focuses on Cowley, Kansas. The records below identify 88 tornadoes from 1953 through 2024, including a highest listed rating of F5 (Incredible damage). NOAA damage estimates in this group total at least $40.0M, with 77 deaths and 290 injuries recorded across the listed events.

Key Tornado Statistics

Total Tornadoes88
Total Deaths77
Total Injuries290
Property Damage$40.0M
Avg Length3.2 mi
Avg Width105 yd

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Key Tornado Facts for Cowley, Kansas

Top local patterns from the historical tornado records in this group.

Average 1.2 tornadoes per year (1.8/yr in last decade)
May is the peak tornado month with 31 recorded events
Deadliest tornado: F5 in Cowley, Kansas with 75 deaths
2018 was the most active year with 9 tornadoes
The 2010s had the most tornado activity (25 events)
Longest tornado: 35.1 miles in Cowley, Kansas
Widest tornado: 1,320.0 yards in Cowley, Kansas
Most tornadoes in one day: 8 on May 14, 2018

Monthly Distribution

Shows tornado frequency across months of the year, highlighting seasonal patterns and peak tornado periods.

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

Summary: In Cowley, Kansas, May is the most active month with 31 tornadoes.

Annual Tornado Trend

Shows year-by-year tornado counts, making active years and quiet stretches easier to spot.

9630

Summary: 2018 was the most active year with 9 recorded tornadoes.

Tornado Intensity Distribution

Shows the breakdown of tornadoes by EF/F rating.

F0
EF0
F1
EF1
F2
EF2
F3
F4
F5
EFU

Summary: F0 tornadoes are the most common in this group, with 31 recorded events.

Property Damage Trends

Visualizes reported property damage over time. Bars use a log-like scale so very large damage years do not flatten the rest of the chart.

$27.8M$2.8M$278K$0

Summary: The highest reported property damage year in this group is 1991 with at least $27.8M in NOAA-listed property damage.

Historical Track Sketch

F5 May 25, 19551955F5 May 25, 19551955F5 May 25, 19551955F4 April 26, 19911991F4 April 2, 19561956F4 March 16, 19651965F3 October 15, 19801980F3 March 26, 19911991F3 March 26, 19911991F2 March 13, 19731973F2 May 17, 19811981EF2 May 14, 20182018EF2 April 27, 20242024EF1 May 10, 20102010EF1 June 12, 2008F1 June 3, 2005F1 November 17, 1958F1 April 29, 1984F1 June 3, 2005EF1 October 6, 2016EF1 October 6, 2016EF1 May 10, 2010F1 August 18, 1959F1 May 17, 1981F1 May 16, 1957F1 May 10, 1953F1 April 30, 1961EF1 May 19, 2013EF1 May 14, 2018EF1 May 14, 2018EF1 April 27, 2024F0 June 8, 1998F0 June 13, 1998EF0 June 15, 2009F0 August 25, 1975EF0 March 23, 2009F0 May 11, 1978F0 August 20, 1989F0 June 8, 1984F0 June 8, 1984F0 June 8, 1984F0 June 8, 1984F0 April 29, 1984F0 May 27, 1955F0 May 27, 1955F0 June 22, 1956F0 June 14, 1976F0 June 29, 1981F0 July 6, 1986F0 June 19, 1992F0 June 19, 1992F0 July 2, 1995F0 May 24, 1998F0 May 24, 1998F0 May 24, 1998F0 May 8, 2002F0 June 12, 2002F0 April 30, 2003F0 June 12, 2004F0 June 12, 2004F0 June 12, 2004F0 August 27, 2004F0 June 4, 2005F0 June 4, 2005EF0 May 13, 2009EF0 March 23, 2009EF0 March 23, 2009EF0 April 25, 2009EF0 September 15, 2010EF0 September 15, 2010EF0 September 15, 2010EF0 April 14, 2011EF0 April 14, 2011EF0 February 27, 2011EF0 May 19, 2013EF0 May 19, 2013EF0 September 1, 2014EF0 October 6, 2016EF0 March 30, 2016EF0 May 14, 2018© OpenStreetMap contributors

Notable Tornado Records

The table highlights the strongest and most damaging records in this page's local dataset. Damage totals are NOAA-reported minimum estimates where available.

DateRatingAreaLengthWidthDeathsInjuriesMin. property damage
May 25, 1955F5Cowley, Kansas2.3 mi1320 yd75270$250K
May 25, 1955F5Cowley, Kansas7.8 mi33 yd00N/A
May 25, 1955F5Cowley, Kansas13.6 mi33 yd00N/A
April 26, 1991F4Cowley, Kansas25 mi500 yd10$25.0M
April 2, 1956F4Cowley, Kansas23.2 mi880 yd16$2.5M
March 16, 1965F4Cowley, Kansas19.7 mi300 yd03$250K
October 15, 1980F3Cowley, Kansas13.3 mi150 yd04$2.5M
March 26, 1991F3Cowley, Kansas15 mi200 yd06$2.5M
March 26, 1991F3Cowley, Kansas7 mi100 yd00$250K
March 13, 1973F2Cowley, Kansas35.1 mi50 yd00$2.5M
May 17, 1981F2Cowley, Kansas0.5 mi100 yd00$2.5M
May 14, 2018EF2Cowley, Kansas0.8 mi75 yd00N/A

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Source And Limits

Data source: NOAA/NCEI. TornadoTrace summarizes historical records for screening and research. Coordinates, damage estimates, narratives, and event details can be approximate, incomplete, revised, or missing. Do not use this page as legal, insurance, engineering, real estate, emergency management, or safety advice.