Manhattan, KS Tornado History — 108 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Manhattan, KS had?
Manhattan has had 108 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 6 violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near Manhattan?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Manhattan was an EF0 on May 19, 2025.
When is tornado season in Manhattan?
May is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Manhattan, with 31 on record. Spring through early summer (April–June) generally sees the highest activity across most of the central and southern United States.
At a Glance
Recent Tornado Activity Near Manhattan
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 36 total, averaging 1.8 per year over this window.
Preliminary tornado reports near Manhattan since December 29, 2025
These are 2 preliminary reports, not confirmed tornadoes. They have not yet been through an NWS damage survey, and are not counted in the confirmed totals above.
Preliminary reports are revised, merged, and sometimes withdrawn — historically about 23% are consolidated downward once surveys complete. Ratings are omitted until a survey assigns one.
Confirmed records above are complete through December 29, 2025. NOAA publishes the confirmed archive annually, so tornadoes after that date appear here first and move into the totals above once finalized.
Within 25 miles of Manhattan. Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center preliminary storm reports, updated daily.
Tornadoes by Decade
Tornadoes by Enhanced Fujita Rating
F0–F5 ratings (pre-2007) are grouped with their EF equivalents. The Enhanced Fujita scale replaced the original Fujita scale in February 2007.
Tornadoes by Month
Casualties on Record Near Manhattan
5 fatalities have been recorded within 25 miles of Manhattan since 1950, across 3 events. 90 injuries have been reported across all events. 1978 was the deadliest year on record.
The deadliest single event was a F3 on May 31, 1978, which caused 3 fatalities along a 37.0-mile track.
Notable Tornadoes Near Manhattan
About Tornadoes in Manhattan
This overview was written August 10, 2026. The tornado counts and notable-event figures elsewhere on this page reflect the latest data and may differ from this summary.
Tornado weather comes to Manhattan, Kansas on a seasonal timetable: the threat stirs with late-winter fronts, swells through spring, crests as spring hands off to summer, and can return briefly in autumn. The city's history follows that beat. An F1 touched down on May 9, 1950. An F4 swept a 20.6-mile path on May 19, 1960, injuring 12 people. An F2 ran a 108.4-mile track on March 8, 1974, striking well ahead of the classic season. An F3 killed 3 people on May 31, 1978, and an F2 injured 11 on October 18, 1979, in autumn's brief encore of storm weather. On June 12, 2008, the area absorbed a paired blow: an EF3 that killed 1 person and an EF4 that caused roughly 66 million dollars in damage. An EF3 on April 30, 2024 killed 1 person, and an EF0 brushed the area on May 19, 2025.
That rhythm has a physical basis. Warm, humid air from the Gulf of Mexico streams north across the plains each spring, meeting the dryline that sharpens over western Kansas while a vigorous jet stream still arcs overhead; where those ingredients overlap near the Flint Hills, rotating storms can follow. The events described here come from the NOAA Storm Prediction Center database, which also underlies the counts and lists shown elsewhere on this page.