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EF1 tornado in Jackson County, Kansas

Tornado May 18, 2026 · Jackson County, Kansas

EF1

Rating

8.4 mi

Path length

75 yd

Path width

EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 75 yards (0.04 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What EF1 means. On the Enhanced Fujita scale, EF1 is moderate damage: roofs badly stripped, mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned, windows broken, consistent with estimated gusts of 86–110 mph. The rating comes from a survey of the worst damage after the storm, not from a wind measurement, so it says as much about what the tornado hit as about how strong it was.

What the National Weather Service wrote

Storm survey revealed a narrow tornado track formed a few miles west of Holton and moved northeast producing damage mainly to tree limbs. Structural damage was noted near the initial area of the track where windows were broken out of a home and older barns were destroyed.

The wider storm

Supercell thunderstorms developed ahead of a dryline and near a warm front during the afternoon and evening hours of May 18. The storms produced 7 documented tornadoes and eventually evolved into a line of storms that produced damaging winds of 60-80 mph across northeast and east central Kansas. Some areas also received 2-5 inches of rain just two to three hours causing flash flooding in several areas including the city of Manhattan.

Began near Circleville (39.4600, -95.8300).

Other tornadoes from the same storm system

6 more tornadoes the National Weather Service filed under this storm episode.

EF1 Marshall County EF1 Nemaha County EF1 Morris County EFU Cloud County EFU Washington County EFU Clay County

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 1325605. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

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