Pottawatomie County tornado history

41 tornadoes touched Pottawatomie County, Kansas between 1950 and 2025 — about 0.5 a year. The strongest was rated F3 (May 31, 1978). Tornadoes here killed 6 and injured 21 people.

41tornadoes since 1950

F3strongest rating

6killed · 21 injured

71.4 milongest path · 1979

(E)F0(E)F1(E)F2(E)F3(E)F4(E)F5· dots = start point only

By rating

(E)F019

(E)F113

(E)F24

(E)F32

(E)F40

(E)F50

unrated3

By month

JFMAMJJASOND

Peak month: May.

By decade

’50’60’70’80’90’00’10’20

Strongest tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
May 31, 1978	F3	37 mi	1,300 yd	1	3
Apr 30, 2024	EF3	2.2 mi	100 yd	4	1
Jun 11, 2008	EF2	17.3 mi	300 yd	0	2
Oct 18, 1979	F2	71.4 mi	400 yd	11	0
Oct 18, 1979	F2	54.1 mi	200 yd	5	0
Jun 21, 1965	F2	0.1 mi	10 yd	0	0
Apr 17, 1976	F1	15.5 mi	280 yd	0	0
Jun 11, 2022	EF1	11.3 mi	50 yd	0	0
Apr 29, 2022	EF1	11.1 mi	100 yd	0	0
May 30, 1951	F1	7.7 mi	10 yd	0	0
May 31, 1980	F1	5.6 mi	10 yd	0	0
May 26, 2016	EF1	5.5 mi	100 yd	0	0

Most recent tornadoes

Date	Rating	Path	Width	Injured	Killed
Apr 28, 2025	EF0	3.6 mi	50 yd	0	0
Aug 14, 2024	unrated	0.5 mi	20 yd	0	0
Aug 14, 2024	unrated	—	15 yd	0	0
Apr 30, 2024	EF3	2.2 mi	100 yd	4	1
Apr 30, 2024	unrated	0.3 mi	20 yd	0	0
Jun 11, 2022	EF1	11.3 mi	50 yd	0	0
Apr 29, 2022	EF1	11.1 mi	100 yd	0	0
Oct 6, 2017	EF1	1.1 mi	40 yd	0	0
Mar 6, 2017	EF0	—	25 yd	0	0
May 26, 2016	EF1	5.5 mi	100 yd	0	0
Jun 11, 2008	EF0	4.6 mi	75 yd	0	0
Jun 11, 2008	EF2	17.3 mi	300 yd	0	2

Deadliest: May 31, 1978, F3, 3 killed.

Nearby counties

Riley County, KS35 Jackson County, KS37 Marshall County, KS40 Wabaunsee County, KS47 Nemaha County, KS43 Geary County, KS22 Shawnee County, KS59 Clay County, KS45

Questions

How many tornadoes has Pottawatomie County, Kansas had?

41 tornadoes touched Pottawatomie County, Kansas between 1950 and 2025 in the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database — about 0.5 per year.

What was the strongest tornado in Pottawatomie County?

The strongest rating recorded was F3 on May 31, 1978, with a 37-mile path and 3 deaths.

When is tornado season in Pottawatomie County?

Most of its tornadoes happened in May (11 of 41). Tornadoes can occur in any month, so keep alerts on year-round.

Right now: live tornado warnings map · alerts for your location. Dates link to that day’s full storm reports where available (2004 onward).