Great Bend

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Every large fire

1. Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Flood insurance figures are for Barton County, the county that contains Great Bend.

Claims by ZIP code

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

River crests

River gauges in Barton County, the county that contains Great Bend.

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

The drought index is for Barton County, the county that contains Great Bend.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the city centre.
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Apr 21, 2001Tornado$43.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Initial touchdown occurred 1 mile southwest of Hoisington. The tornado rapidly achieved F3 intensity as it entered the west side of town. Moving northeast around 20 mph, the tornado intensified to F4 within 2-3 minutes. While crossing northwest Hoisington, the tornado inflicted a path about 2 miles long and about 2 blocks wide of almost complete destruction. Damage summary: 182 homes destroyed, 52 homes with major damage, 180 homes with minor to moderate damage, 12 businesses destroyed, tore the roof off the hospital, and severed power to most (if not all) areas on the northwest and north sides of town. As the tornado exited through the north side of town it weakened rapidly,…

2. May 5, 2007Flash Flood$30.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Flash flooding was reported throughout the county. Highway 96 9 miles west of Great Bend was closed as water started flowing over the road. An observer in the area reported 3.22 inches of rain in just 3 hours. Highway 56 in Pawnee Rock was closed due to flood water. In Hoisington the intersection of 3rd Street and Main was closed due to high water. An observer reported approximately 3 inches of rain in 3 hours in that part of Barton County. 70 to 80 homes were flooded on the north side of Ellinwood. According to Barton County Emergency Management, the county documented roughly 30 million dollars in damage. This includes damages to private property including crop damage, damage to…

3. Jun 29, 2000Hail$20.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The baseball-sized hail caused widespread damage to approximately 8,000 residences, 400 businesses and 2,500 vehicles. Damage included smashed windows, roofs, siding and air conditioners. Among the vehicles damaged were those of the Barton County Sheriff's Department in which nearly all of the windows were smashed. Crop damage was major to alfalfa, sorghum, corn and soybeans with 18 to 20 percent of these crops destroyed. All reported injuries were minor. Area newspapers contributed to this report.

4. Dec 10, 2007Ice Storm, Barton$9.8 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   One to two inches of ice accumulated across Barton County during the ice storm. This resulted in approximately 500 downed power poles and 2000 downed lines. Damage to the electrical infrastructure is estimated at $9.8 million. There was also widespread damage to trees but the cost of the damage is unknown. The Great Bend Tribune contributed to this report.

5. Aug 19, 2005Thunderstorm Wind$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Extensive damage throughout Great Bend! Ten buildings sustained major roof or structural damage. One such casualty was the Travelodge, where the roof was peeled and twisted off part of the motel resulting in water damage to an unspecified number of upstairs guest rooms. In a few instances, the structures were completely unroofed. Numerous vehicles sustained broken windows. Twelve people suffered minor injuries, all of which required treatment at Central Kansas Medical Center. One such injury occurred when the driver of a 2003 Acura had parked his car in the Travelodge parking lot shortly before part of it's roof struck the vehicle. The car's roof and windshield were smashed,…

6. May 5, 2007Tornado$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado damaged large trees at several locations along its path. Two barns were destroyed and several outbuildings were also severely damaged. Five 100,000 bushel grain bins were also destroyed with two of them flung onto the local Dillon's grocery store causing damage to that structure. Damage to a church steeple and out building also occurred at the beginning of the tornado path. Tornado was probably descending down directly onto the church.

7. Jul 16, 2010Heat, Barton$1.8 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The oppressive heat and humidity killed an estimated 500 to 600 cattle in feedlots across Barton County. A Great Bend facility alone lost over 400 cattle. Monetary loss estimates include cattle deaths along with the 40 to 70 pounds of average weight loss most heads of cattle incurred.

8. May 5, 2007Tornado$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado caused some tree damage and damaged several center pivot irrigation devices. The tornado also damaged a gasoline pipeline terminal and specialized trailer company near the intersection of U.S. 56 and K-156.

9. May 16, 2017Tornado$658,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This long track tornado moved in from Pawnee County. Law Enforcement reported the tornado just south of the county line near Pawnee Rock and then followed it as it moved to the NE. The tornado moved through the west side of Pawnee Rock causing sporadic EF1 and isolated EF2 damage to several homes and one school type facility. The tornado continued to move to the NNE causing EF2 damage to a couple of homes on West Barton County Road. One residence was a mobile home that lost the far east side of the structure and all roofing material. One injury was noted at that location as they did not seek shelter. The home just to the west lost the east half of structure with the occupants…

10. Aug 19, 2005Tornado$500,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Significant damage at Great Bend Airport. Hangars were unroofed and an unspecified number of aircraft were overturned. This proved to be an anxious moment for Great Bend! After causing extensive damage to the airport, the tornado was moving toward the city when it lifted. The funnel passed directly over the city at tree-top level. The funnel subsequently touched down east of Great Bend, striking two farmsteads five miles east of Barton County Community College. (See 1544 CST entry for details.) (Narrative courtesy Great Bend Tribune.)

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

112°FJul 28, 2026

All-time low

−21°FDec 22, 1989

Warmest night

83°FJul 14, 1977

Coldest day

−5°FJan 12, 1963

Wettest day

6.40 inJun 15, 1981

Snowiest day

13.1 inJan 28, 2001

Hottest year

2012mean 60.0°F

Coldest year

1951mean 53.0°F

Wettest year

197343.46 in

Driest year

198813.81 in

Snowiest season

42.2 in1992-93

Station Great Bend 3WNW (USC00143218), 1,864 ft elevation, 1.3 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1948 to October 26, 2026; 93.9% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

Declarations for Barton County.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USC00143218.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.