Tornado History

Sumner Tornado History

This county-level tornado history page focuses on Sumner, Kansas. The records below identify 89 tornadoes from 1952 through 2026, including a highest listed rating of F5 (Incredible damage). NOAA damage estimates in this group total at least $28.1M, with 5 deaths and 14 injuries recorded across the listed events.

Key Tornado Statistics

Total Tornadoes89
Total Deaths5
Total Injuries14
Property Damage$28.1M
Avg Length5.0 mi
Avg Width143 yd

Key Tornado Facts for Sumner, Kansas

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

Average 1.2 tornadoes per year (0.7/yr in last decade)
May is the peak tornado month with 42 recorded events
Deadliest tornado: F5 in Sumner, Kansas with 5 deaths
2004 was the most active year with 11 tornadoes
The 2000s had the most tornado activity (26 events)
Longest tornado: 42.5 miles in Sumner, Kansas
Widest tornado: 1,700.0 yards in Sumner, Kansas
Most tornadoes in one day: 5 on May 29, 2004

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 Sumner, Kansas, May is the most active month with 42 tornadoes.

Annual Tornado Trend

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

11840

Summary: 2004 was the most active year with 11 recorded tornadoes.

Tornado Intensity Distribution

Shows the breakdown of tornadoes by EF/F rating.

F0
EF0
F1
EF1
F2
EF2
F3
EF3
F4
F5
Unknown
EFU

Summary: F0 tornadoes are the most common in this group, with 39 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.

$20.3M$2.0M$203K$0

Summary: The highest reported property damage year in this group is 2004 with at least $20.3M in NOAA-listed property damage.

Historical Track Sketch

F5 May 25, 19551955F5 May 25, 19551955F4 March 16, 19651965F3 May 29, 20042004F3 March 13, 19901990F3 May 29, 20042004F3 June 12, 20042004F3 May 13, 19651965F3 May 13, 19651965F3 March 26, 19911991EF3 April 14, 20122012F2 May 25, 19971997F2 November 27, 19601960F2 August 27, 20042004F2 June 19, 1952F2 May 10, 1953EF2 March 5, 2026F1 May 3, 1999F1 May 29, 2004F1 May 31, 1969F1 May 3, 1999F1 May 29, 2004EF1 May 10, 2010F1 May 12, 2004F1 August 2, 1953F1 May 10, 1953F1 April 30, 1973F1 May 16, 1991F1 March 18, 1954F1 May 24, 1957EF1 April 14, 2012EF1 March 5, 2026F0 June 29, 1997F0 June 13, 1998F0 May 22, 1968F0 May 2, 1979F0 May 29, 2004F0 April 2, 1984F0 April 26, 1991F0 May 24, 1957F0 July 20, 1961F0 September 20, 1965F0 June 15, 1966F0 June 15, 1966F0 May 16, 1966F0 June 12, 1970F0 May 30, 1974F0 March 13, 1990F0 March 13, 1990F0 May 14, 1990F0 May 14, 1990F0 May 14, 1990F0 May 16, 1991F0 April 26, 1991F0 April 9, 1994F0 May 25, 1997F0 June 8, 1998F0 May 24, 1998F0 September 7, 1999F0 June 5, 2001F0 June 5, 2001F0 June 5, 2001F0 June 5, 2001F0 May 5, 2001F0 May 8, 2002F0 May 8, 2002F0 June 12, 2002F0 June 12, 2002F0 June 12, 2004F0 August 27, 2004F0 August 27, 2004EF0 May 10, 2007EF0 March 2, 2008EF0 May 15, 2009EF0 June 16, 2009EF0 March 23, 2009EF0 April 25, 2009EF0 May 19, 2013EF0 May 19, 2013EF0 May 19, 2013© OpenStreetMap contributors
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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, 1955F5Sumner, Kansas24.7 mi660 yd53$250K
May 25, 1955F5Sumner, Kansas8.8 mi500 yd00$250K
March 16, 1965F4Sumner, Kansas11.5 mi300 yd02$250K
May 29, 2004F3Sumner, Kansas2.5 mi600 yd01$17.8M
March 13, 1990F3Sumner, Kansas18 mi200 yd00$2.5M
May 29, 2004F3Sumner, Kansas2.5 mi500 yd00$1.0M
June 12, 2004F3Sumner, Kansas4 mi75 yd02$500K
May 13, 1965F3Sumner, Kansas18.4 mi100 yd00$250K
May 13, 1965F3Sumner, Kansas5.9 mi100 yd00$250K
March 26, 1991F3Sumner, Kansas16 mi100 yd00$250K
April 14, 2012EF3Sumner, Kansas18.11 mi400 yd00N/A
May 25, 1997F2Sumner, Kansas8 mi1700 yd00$1.9M
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Source And Limits

Data sourced from NOAA Storm Prediction Center and the NCEI Storm Events Database. TornadoTrace summarizes reported weather events for screening and research; it is not a damage assessment, inspection, or insurance determination. Coordinates and records can be approximate, incomplete, revised, or missing. No warranty of completeness or accuracy.

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