BlockFrom the record
1 National Register listing published here.
Sources: the National Register database, National Park Service
Seward County, Kansas
15 topographic sheets cover 4 settlements here, and 1 property is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Research this county
What the record shows
- 36 topographic sheet readings cover the county's settlements.
- 1 property here is on the National Register of Historic Places, listed as a building.
- The Geographic Names Information System records 4 populated places in this county; 4 are covered by at least one topographic sheet.
Places on the National Register
1Every property in this county listed on the National Register of Historic Places, with the year it was listed and the federal nomination document.
| Photograph | Property | Type | Listed | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| J E George Building | building | 2025 | 100012146 |
Wildfire, 2005 to 2020
145 firesEvery wildfire the federal occurrence database records inside this county: 145 of them, burning about 18,134 acres. 6 started naturally and 17 were recorded as arson. Each settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 26 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 17 |
| Debris and open burning | 14 |
| Smoking | 8 |
| Natural | 6 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 5 |
| Other causes | 3 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 2 |
| Fireworks | 2 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 1 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 1 |
The five largest, by the area the report gives. None of them was recorded as arson.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 June 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7,500 acres | Kansas Counties | SEWARD |
| 6 March 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,126 acres | Seward County | BLACK MONDAY |
| 12 April 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,725 acres | Seward County | BLACK |
| 23 March 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,500 acres | Seward County | ARKALON |
| 10 September 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 960 acres | Seward County | STALK |
| 14 June 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 523 acres | Seward County | 51 |
| 4 April 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 acres | Seward County | ROCK |
| 5 September 2015 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 140 acres | Kansas Forest Service | 173 |
Every settlement page carries the fires within five miles of it - see the settlement index below.
Storms, 1951 to 2025
60 of 713 shownThe NOAA Storm Events Database holds 713 reports for this county, causing no deaths, 19 injuries and about $28,109,630 in recorded property damage. Each settlement page carries the reports that name it.
| Kind of event | Reports |
|---|---|
| Hail | 407 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 222 |
| Tornado | 39 |
| Heavy Rain | 28 |
| Flash Flood | 10 |
| Flood | 3 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 |
| Lightning | 1 |
The most serious of them, by death, then injury, then recorded damage. The accounts are quoted exactly as the forecast office filed them.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 1994 | Tornado (F2) | Kismet | 8 hurt, $50,000 | A tornado touched down 3.5 WSW of Kismet at 1535 CST and moved ENE across Highway 54 and east into Meade County where it ended at 1610 CST at a point one southeast of Meade. Speed of movement was 35 mph with total path length of 26 miles. In Seward County the tornado struck a car and mobile home 2 E of Kismet at 1540 CST. Two adults were in the car and one adult and five children were in the mobile home. All eight sustained minor injuries and the mobile home was demolished. The tornado had a maximum path width of 1,000 yards in Seward County, but expanded to a maximum width of a mile southeast of Plains in Meade County. |
| June 1988 | Thunderstorm Wind | not stated | 7 hurt | no account filed |
| March 2000 | Tornado (F1) | Liberal | 2 hurt, $250,000 | Tornado began at 3rd and Pennsylvania and traveled north-northwest to just past the Southwest Medical Center. The small circulation was evidently wrapped into the RFD as it traversed around the southeast section of the Meso. Several trees were uprooted, the awing at a gas station was damaged, signs were blown down. sheds destroyed, KDOT tower was blown down and 1/3 of the hospital roof was removed. |
| June 1974 | Tornado (F3) | not stated | 2 hurt, $25,000 | no account filed |
| June 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Liberal | $8,000,000 | A tremendous storm rolled in from the east (HP supercell). The combination of the 80 to 100 mph wind and hail bigger than golf balls produced at least eight million dollars in damage. This occurred six weeks after another devastating storm that produced around $20 million in damage. |
| May 2003 | Tornado (F2) | Liberal | $8,000,000 | The second tornado stayed mainly in town. It destroyed several buildings and caused significant roof and tree damage. |
| May 2003 | Tornado (F2) | Liberal | $6,000,000 | The tornado began 1 mile west of town and first tore through the northwest part of Liberal destroying several mobile homes and throwing a pickup into the debris. Other homes in the area received heavy roof damage. |
| May 2003 | Hail | Kismet | $2,000,000 | A tremendous hail storm pounded Kismet, lasting for more than 30 minutes. Every structure in the town received significant damage. Trees were stripped bare of leaves, even cedar trees! Nearly all windows were broken in vehicles and homes. |
| October 1998 | Flash Flood | Liberal | $1,000,000 | Heavy rain fell across the liberal area for 24 hours with the heaviest rain falling between 8 AM and 5 PM CDT. Five to eight inches were reported with one unofficial report indicating 10 inches! Streets were flooded that had never flooded before. A local disaster was declared. |
| May 2015 | Tornado (EF1) | Kismet | $250,000 | This tornado appeared much stronger and wider than it actually was due to very low cloud bases. Irrigation pivots were damaged. The tornado moved into Meade county at 20:49 LST. |
| August 1982 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| August 1980 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| April 1976 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $250,000 | no account filed |
| July 2020 | Tornado (EF1) | Kismet | $200,000 | A detailed storm survey was done on this tall and very visible tornado. Pivot irrigation sprinklers, power poles and crops were impacted. |
| May 1996 | Tornado (F2) | Liberal | $200,000 | no account filed |
| May 2003 | Tornado (F2) | Liberal | $150,000 | The tornado began 15 miles north and 1.5 miles west of the center of Liberal and ended 18 miles north and 2 miles east. One home received minor roof damage and broken windows. The second home was destroyed with debris from the home traveling 1/4 of a mile. |
| July 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Liberal | $150,000 | Radio tower blown down. |
| May 1996 | Tornado (F1) | Woods | $150,000 | no account filed |
| July 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | Kismet | $120,000 | The high wind was also accompanied by golf ball sized hail. Crops were destroyed by the wind and hail and several pivot irrigation sprinklers were overturned. |
| May 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Liberal | $100,000 | Several pivot irrigation sprinklers overturned; road signs blown down; power poles blown over. |
| June 1995 | Hail | Liberal | $100,000 | no account filed |
| July 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | (Lbl)Liberal Arpt | $75,000 | A pivot irrigation sprinkler was flipped over by the high wind. |
| April 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hayne | $75,000 | Extensive damage to a mobile home. Power pole down. Pivot sprinkler overturned. |
| October 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Liberal | $50,000 | A pivot irrigation sprinkler overturned. |
| August 2003 | Lightning | Liberal | $50,000 | Lightning struck the roof and caught the house of fire. |
| June 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Liberal | $50,000 | Five trailer houses blown off their foundation with one losing a roof. |
| June 1994 | Hail | Liberal | $50,000 | no account filed |
| April 1993 | Hail | S of Lib | $50,000 | no account filed |
| March 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Liberal | $45,000 | Truck blown over, power poles blown down and bleachers at the football field heavily damaged. |
| June 1989 | Tornado (F3) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| March 1982 | Tornado (F2) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 1953 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $25,000 | no account filed |
| May 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | Liberal | $15,000 | Part of a wall was blown out at the Southwest Medical Center. |
| June 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Liberal | $15,000 | A roof was blown off a house and trees were damaged. |
| June 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hayne | $15,000 | Mobile home blown over onto a truck. |
| October 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | Liberal | $10,000 | A semi truck was blown over on highway 83. |
| June 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Liberal | $9,000 | A carport was demolished by the high wind. |
| August 2009 | Tornado (EF1) | Kismet | $5,000 | This narrow tornado moved out of Haskell county at 853 PM. It damaged two small grain bins and caused some roof damage to a home. Also, corn was destroyed as the vortex moved through the fields. |
| May 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Kismet | $5,000 | A building lost a roof. |
| July 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | Liberal | $5,000 | Ten power poles blown down. |
| July 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Liberal | $5,000 | no account filed |
| July 1981 | Tornado (F1) | not stated | $2,500 | no account filed |
| October 1954 | Tornado | not stated | $2,500 | no account filed |
| June 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | Liberal | $2,000 | Power lines were blown down. |
| May 1996 | Tornado (F0) | Sublette | $2,000 | no account filed |
| June 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | Liberal | $1,000 | Large tree uprooted. |
| May 2010 | Hail | Kismet | $600 | Three windows were broken by the hail. There was also strong wind with the hail. |
| May 1982 | Tornado (F0) | not stated | $30 | no account filed |
| June 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | (Lbl)Liberal Arpt | - | The emergency manager reported a 70 mph wind gust. |
| June 2025 | Hail | Liberal | - | A video was sent in through social media. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Kismet | - | Heat burst winds at Mesonet station UR350 Kismws recorded a 61 mph wind gust. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Kismet | - | A mesonet site recorded a 65 mph wind gust. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hayne | - | A mesonet site UP350 recorded a wind gust of 65 mph. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Liberal | - | A heat burst winds Mesonet station UP352 2.7 SW Liberal (UPR) recorded a 57 mph wind gust. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | (Lbl)Liberal Arpt | - | Heat burst winds at AWOS station KLBL Liberal recorded a 74 mph wind gust. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Kismet | - | Mesonet in Satanta recorded a 64 mph wind gust. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hayne | - | Mesonet station UP407 0.6 SW Hayne (UPR) recorded a 63 mph wind gust. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Kismet | - | The Emergency Manager estimated a 60 mph wind gust and a semi blown down from thunderstorm wind. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hayne | - | The Emergency Manager reported a tin roof being peeled back on an outbuilding and a light post leaning. |
| August 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | Hayne | - | The Mesonet site UP407 recorded a 68 mph wind gust. |
Every populated place in the county
4Named settlements recorded in the Geographic Names Information System, each with the topographic sheets covering it. Villages, hamlets and abandoned places alike. Each is shown with the nearest named watercourse or landform and the survey quadrangle it falls on.
Provenance
- Topographic sheets. USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection, county index, measured from the bulk metadata.
- Fire insurance maps. Library of Congress Sanborn collection, faceted to this county.
- Photographs. Each place queried individually against the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs search.
- Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
- Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
- Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.