With one month left of tornado season, Kansas has already seen more tornadoes this year than last. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s been a record year.
Preliminary data shows the state has seen 59 tornadoes this year, National Weather Service forecaster Vanessa Pearce told The Wichita Eagle. There have been no reports in Sedgwick County.
“[It’s] preliminary information as there is a lot of finalization taking place,” Pearce said.
The total includes a fatal tornado that killed one person in Westmoreland, destroyed at least 22 homes and damaged another 13. Westmoreland is about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Wichita.
The state saw a total of 44 tornadoes in all of 2023, so it was a more active season in 2024. But if you look at the averages since tornadoes started being recorded in 1950, the number doesn’t seem as high this year.
From 1950 to 2023, the average number of tornadoes Kansas saw per year was 61.
“We’re not that far away from that, and we’re only in May now,” Pearce said.
The number seems even lower when you look at the average of the past 30 years, which is 81 tornadoes per year.
When does tornado season end in Kansas?
Tornadoes are typically most active from April through June.
“Tornadoes can happen at any time of the year,” Pearce said.
Tornado activity usually decreases after the first half of June, but Pearce said it’s a safe bet to consider the entire month of June as part of tornado season.
“It could become a little more active throughout the month in western Kansas, especially northwest Kansas,” Pearce said.
The Wichita area has seen its fair share of thunderstorms and tornado watches over the past month, and the area could see some chance of storms this week.
“There will be scattered chances of thunderstorms throughout Wednesday,” Pearce said. “That doesn’t mean everyone will get a thunderstorm.”
Weather forecasts in Wichita
Here’s a look at the National Weather Service’s forecast for Wichita over the next week:
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Saturday: 20% chance of thunder before 7 a.m., high around 83 and low around 65. There is a 30% chance of thunder after 1 a.m.
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Sunday: A 30% chance of thunderstorms before 1 p.m., with a high around 83 and a low around 67. There is a 40% chance of thunder in the evening.
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Monday: A 40% chance of thunderstorms during the day with a high around 83. We see a 50% chance of thunderstorms in the evening and a low around 68.
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Tuesday: Sunny during the day with a high near 90. The evening will bring a 40% chance of thunderstorms with a low around 67.
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Wednesday: A 20% chance of thunderstorms during the day and a high of around 86. At night it will be mostly clear with a low of 63.
