Hansford County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Hansford County: 0.
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.

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. Jan 14, 2017Ice Storm, Hansford$2.8 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Resident count of 2,132 affected with four homes severely damage due to electrical fires and one home was destroyed There were 320 business that also reported economic injuries. Damages and economic impact also resulted from: debris cleanup (downed trees, etc), numerous downed power lines and broken power poles, and damaged to roads and bridges.

2. Apr 10, 2001Tornado$750,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An official storm damage survey was made on the tornado path length and width. The tornado destroyed several grain bins and a grain elevator to Agco facility. Extensive damage also occurred at a local farm...including the home...barns and equipment. Several power poles also were blown down.

3. Feb 24, 2013Blizzard, Hansford$660,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Blizzard conditions reported by the Hansford Emergency Manager in Morse, stranded motorist, and 10.0 inches of storm total snow.

4. Jun 5, 2003Tornado$600,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A damage survey was made on this tornado. Minor damage occurred on a farm home with major damage to several grain elevators and to buildings and other structures on the premises. No injuries were reported from the tornado.

5. Jun 5, 2003Thunderstorm Wind$550,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A damage assessment was made on this event in which it was determined that a combination of straight-line winds and a tornado...which occurred almost simultaneously...resulted in considerable damage across the southern half of Hansford county. There was moderate damage to barns...outbuildings...and farm equipment along with damage to fences...large trees...and irrigation sprinklers. The evidence suggests that most of the significant damage was the result of the straight-line downburst winds rather than from the tornado. No injuries were reported from the straight-line downburst winds.

6. Jun 5, 2003Thunderstorm Wind$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous power poles were reported broken.

7. Jun 6, 2025Tornado$95,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This tornado developed south of W 13th Avenue to the southeast of Spearman, producing its first signs of damage once it crossed CR Y just east of CR 27. EF-1 damage occurred in the area including two small pinyon trees being uprooted with others having branches snapped, as well as metal barns having lost several side and|roofing panels. The tornado continued tracking to the south-southeast, pulling roofing and siding off multiple metal barns near CR AA and CR 28. The strongest damage occurred when it crossed CR 28 to the southeast, snapping several wooden power|poles. This is where the tornado achieved peak intensity and earned the EF-2 rating. In the later stages of its life, the…

8. Apr 10, 2001Thunderstorm Wind$90,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   High winds did considerable damage to a home...barn...and sheds on a local farm.

9. Aug 10, 2020Thunderstorm Wind$61,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Two miles of power poles blown down on County Road 28 around 1/2 mile south of county road 759.

10. May 1, 2024Tornado$50,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    This tornado occurred on the northeast side of Spearman. It initially touched down near Brandt Street and Kenneth Avenue(FM 759 760). Here it snapped some tree branches, lifted some carports and caused minor fence damage. It then traveled north along County Road 25, where it snapped a few power poles and this is where it was given its highest rating. As it neared Highway 15, it collapsed an empty grain silo and caused some minor shingle damage to a few roofs along County Road 25. The tornado|turned east, crossing Highway 15 and caused additional minor roof damage and snapped branches to hardwood trees. It finally lifted just to the east of Highway 15. The maximum estimated wind…

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

110°F3 times, most recently Jul 20, 2022

All-time low

−14°F4 times, most recently Feb 16, 2021

Warmest night

79°FAug 2, 1964

Coldest day

2°FDec 23, 1990

Wettest day

9.72 inJun 13, 2010

Snowiest day

14.0 inJan 29, 2010

Hottest year

2024mean 60.0°F

Coldest year

1997mean 53.6°F

Wettest year

201538.37 in

Driest year

20228.81 in

Snowiest season

42.0 in1982-83

Station Gruver (USC00413787), 3,170 ft elevation, 8.2 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1962 to October 23, 2026; 97.1% 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 USC00413787.
• 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.