Sumner County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Sumner County: 5.
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.

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.

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

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.

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 county boundary (or inside the county).
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. May 29, 2004Tornado$17.8 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The following were destroyed: 15 farm dwellings and service buildings, 25 pieces of farm machinery and equipment, many miles of transmission line, with most of wheat a total loss. (This portion of narrative courtesy of USDA Flash Situation Report.) In addition, major damage to several homes along highway 49. One modular was completely removed from over a viewout basement. A teenage boy sought refuge under the staircase in the basement only to watch a car thrown overhead. He escaped unharmed. However, one woman wasn't so fortunate; the resident of a mobile home that was completely destroyed. The only recognizable parts were the steel girders that ran along the base of the home. She…

2. Apr 28, 1996Thunderstorm Wind$7.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   AT 12 MILES WEST OF WELLINGTON, 68-CAR FREIGHT TRAIN, 1.2 MILES LONG, BLOWN OFF TRACK CAUSING $6-7 MILLION DAMAGE.

3. Jun 13, 1998Hail$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Wind-driven golfball-sized hail smashed windows, dented siding and caused widespread roof damage.

4. May 8, 2019Flash Flood$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Interstate 35 or the Kansas Turnpike was closed due the Slate Creek reaching record levels and overflowing the highway at mile marker 21. The interstate was closed for hours, as crews waited for the water to recede and repair work to occur. Traffic was diverted at the Wellington exit and had to use an alternate until it reached the Kansas Oklahoma line. The Kansas Turnpike Authority said that closing that long of a stretch of the Turnpike had not occurred in 30 years.

5. May 25, 1997Tornado$1.9 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   TWO (2) FARMSTEADS WERE HEAVILY DAMAGED THAT INCLUDED A 90-YEAR OLD BARN, 2 HOMES, 3 MACHINE SHEDS, A GARAGE AND THE MACHINERY THAT IT HOUSED AS WELL AS NUMEROUS CROPS. A CO-OP LOST A LARGE GRAIN BIN. TREE DAMAGE WAS EXTENSIVE THAT INCLUDED LARGE TREES THAT WERE COMPLETELY UPROOTED.

6. May 29, 2004Tornado$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Considerable damage to two homesteads; the first being a sturdy brick home. All exterior walls ripped from the home, only leaving only the interior. Home owner ran down the stairs as the tornado hit and avoided injury. Further southeast, a modular home was completely removed from above a viewout basement. It was here that an amazing survival occurred. The homeowner sought refuge in a safe room in the basement and was unharmed, despite the fact a propane tank landed in the basement and began to leak. Breathing became difficult as fumes permeated the saferoom. At the same time, the saferoom began to flood, however the rising water levels dissipated the fumes. In addition, a…

7. Jun 13, 1998Hail$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Hail smashed windows to numerous cars and buildings.

8. Nov 1, 1998Flood, Sumner$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Widespread heavy rains of 6-10 inches inundated South-Central and Southeast Kansas from the evening of October 30th thru November 1st while 4-8 inches drenched Central Kansas. As a result, record flooding occurred along the following rivers:Whitewater River: At Towanda: crest: 30.53 feet on 11/01/98. (Old record: 29.73 feet on 06/08/79). At Augusta: crest: 34.95 feet on 11/01/98. (Old record: 32.70 feet on 06/08/79).Arkansas River: At Derby: crest: 16.60 feet on 11/01/98. (Old record: 16.19 feet on 07/15/93). At Arkansas City, 28.89 feet on 11/03/98. (Old record: 27.62 feet on 05/11/93).Walnut River: At Arkansas City: crest: 32.45 feet on 11/03/98. (Old record: 29.22 feet on…

9. Jun 13, 1998Thunderstorm Wind$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Winds of 70 mph combined with 0.75 inch hail to inflict widespread damage to trees, pwoer lines, homes, and blew roofs off barns, sheds and outbuildings.

10. Jul 22, 2013Thunderstorm Wind$900,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Sumner County Emergency Management reported that the roofs were torn off both the Argonia High School and the elementary school. There was also extensive damage to trees, power lines and power poles. The estimated time of when the damage occurred was from 1640 to 1650.

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

120°FJul 18, 1936

All-time low

−20°FFeb 12, 1899

Warmest night

88°F3 times, most recently Aug 14, 1936

Coldest day

0°F3 times, most recently Feb 16, 2021

Wettest day

8.22 inMay 8, 2019

Snowiest day

14.0 inFeb 8, 1980

Hottest year

1954mean 61.9°F

Coldest year

1979mean 54.0°F

Wettest year

201955.52 in

Driest year

195414.94 in

Snowiest season

32.8 in1987-88

Station Wellington (USC00148670), 1,224 ft elevation, 2.6 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1894 to October 25, 2026; 95.7% 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.

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.

Neighbouring counties

• 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 USC00148670.
• 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.