Lyons, KS tornado history
25 tornadoes have passed within 10 miles of the center of Lyons, KS from 1950 through 2025, according to the NOAA Storm Prediction Center, ranking 54th of 99 Kansas cities with a tornado on record. 4 were rated F3/EF3 or stronger by the National Weather Service. The most recent was on May 26, 2021 (EF0, 0.3-mile path); the strongest, on April 14, 2012, was rated EF4. The deadliest, on September 25, 1973, killed 3 along its path.
Dashed circle: 10 miles from the city's Census center point. A tornado counts when its recorded path passes inside the circle. Paths run straight from start to end point, as SPC records them.
Source: National Storms (nationalstorms.com), CC BY 4.0, data from NOAA Storm Prediction Center storm reports.
Every tornado within 10 miles of the center of Lyons, KS
| Date | Rating | Path length | Deaths / injuries | Started in | Closest to center |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 26, 2021 | EF0 | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 | Rice County, KS | 9.1 mi |
| Oct 6, 2017 | EF0 | 0.7 mi | 0 / 0 | Rice County, KS | 9.0 mi |
| May 11, 2014 | EF0 | 1.0 mi | 0 / 0 | Rice County, KS | 7.4 mi |
| Apr 14, 2012 | EF3 | 39.7 mi | 0 / 0 | Stafford County, KS | 7.8 mi |
| Apr 14, 2012 | EF4 | 50.3 mi | 0 / 0 | Rice County, KS | 5.0 mi |
| May 5, 2007 | EF0 | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 | Rice County, KS | 8.1 mi |
| Aug 19, 2005 | F0 | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 | Rice County, KS | 9.2 mi |
| Jul 9, 2003 | F0 | 1.0 mi | 0 / 0 | Rice County, KS | 8.8 mi |
| Mar 11, 1990 | F1 | 14.0 mi | 0 / 0 | Rice County, KS | 1.1 mi |
| May 2, 1988 | F0 | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 | Rice County, KS | 2.0 mi |
| Jun 8, 1974 | F0 | 5.2 mi | 0 / 0 | Rice County, KS | 0.8 mi |
| Apr 20, 1974 | F1 | 14.0 mi | 0 / 3 | Reno County, KS | 2.7 mi |
| Sep 25, 1973 | F3 | 169.7 mi | 3 / 42 | Rice County, KS → NE | 9.9 mi |
| Jun 10, 1964 | F0 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Rice County, KS | 8.1 mi |
| Jun 10, 1964 | F0 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Rice County, KS | 9.0 mi |
| Oct 20, 1963 | F0 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Rice County, KS | 1.8 mi |
| Nov 27, 1960 | F1 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Rice County, KS | 7.9 mi |
| May 26, 1959 | F0 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Rice County, KS | 1.9 mi |
| May 26, 1959 | F0 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Rice County, KS | 9.5 mi |
| May 26, 1959 | F0 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Rice County, KS | 9.5 mi |
| May 9, 1957 | F1 | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 | Rice County, KS | 3.6 mi |
| Jun 4, 1955 | F3 | 5.9 mi | 0 / 0 | Rice County, KS | 7.8 mi |
| Jun 4, 1955 | F1 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Rice County, KS | 1.4 mi |
| Jun 4, 1955 | F1 | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 | Rice County, KS | 1.4 mi |
| Aug 5, 1954 | F1 | 73.0 mi | 0 / 0 | Kiowa County, KS | 7.9 mi |
More: Rice County tornadoes · Kansas tornado history · Lyons hail history · Kansas damaging wind
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center (SPC) Severe Weather Database (SVRGIS) tornado file, 1950–2025, and SPC preliminary storm reports for 2026 (data through November 6, 2026). Ratings are the ones the National Weather Service assigned: Fujita (F) scale before Feb 1, 2007, Enhanced Fujita (EF) after. Paths are drawn as straight lines from the start to the end point SPC records; real paths curve. City and county boundaries: US Census Bureau.
NWS Damage Survey Paths Near Lyons
The National Weather Service mapped the path of 1 tornado within 10 miles of Lyons in damage surveys (1 EF0). On the map, those paths follow the survey, colored by the EF rating of each stretch, instead of a straight line from start to end.
| Date | Rating | Peak wind | Path length | Max width | Deaths / injuries | On the ground | Surveyed by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 26, 2021 | EF0 | 85 mph | 0.2 mi | 70 yd | 0 / 0 | 23:49–23:51 UTC | NWS Wichita |
Source: NOAA National Weather Service Damage Assessment Toolkit (DAT): the tornado paths and EF-rating zones NWS survey teams mapped after each storm. Survey data are preliminary and can be revised; NOAA's official record is Storm Data (NCEI). Paths are simplified to about 30 m. Times are when the tornado was on the ground, in UTC.