How bad has Kansas’ tornado season been so far? See the current numbers, history
With one more month left of tornado season, Kansas has already seen more tornadoes this year than all last year. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s been a record-breaking year.
Preliminary data shows the state has seen 59 tornadoes this year, National Weather Service forecaster Vanessa Pearce told The Wichita Eagle. That includes two EF-1 tornadoes that hit Johnson County last month.
“[It’s] preliminary information because there’s a lot of finalizing that happens,” Pearce said.
The total includes a fatal tornado that killed one person in Westmoreland and destroyed least 22 homes and damaged 13 more. Westmoreland is about two hours west of Kansas City.
The state saw a total of 44 tornadoes in all of 2023, so it’s been a more active season in 2024. But when you look at averages since tornadoes started to be recorded in 1950, this year’s number doesn’t seem that high.
From 1950 to 2023, the average tornadoes Kansas saw per year was 61.
“We’re not too far off that, and we’re only through May right now,” Pearce said.
The number seems even lower when you look at the average from the last 30 years, which is 81 tornadoes per year.
When will tornado season end in Kansas?
Tornadoes are typically most active April through June.
“Tornadoes can happen at any point throughout the year,” Pearce said.
Tornado activity usually dwindles after the first half of June, but Pearce said it’s a safe bet to consider the whole month of June part of tornado season.
“It can get a little more active in western Kansas, especially northwest Kansas, for the entire month,” Pearce said.
The Kansas City area has seen a high number of thunderstorm and tornado watches this spring, and more could be coming this weekend.
This story was originally published May 31, 2024 at 4:54 PM with the headline "How bad has Kansas’ tornado season been so far? See the current numbers, history."
