Ottawa County weather alerts
There are no active weather alerts for Ottawa County, KS right now.
Since 2016 the National Weather Service has issued about 1,123 alerts that included Ottawa County, roughly 112 a year. The most common is the severe thunderstorm warning (241 from 2016 to 2025). The last tornado warning was issued on May 18, 2026. 35 tornadoes have touched down in the county since 1950.
Updated from the National Weather Service · lists refresh hourly; the live map loads current alerts directly from the NWS
No warnings, watches or advisories include Ottawa County at the moment. This page updates automatically when the National Weather Service issues one. Check neighboring Cloud County, Clay County, Saline County, Mitchell County.
Ottawa County alert history
Alert events that included Ottawa County or its forecast zones, from the NWS warning archive.
| Alert type | 2016–2025 | 2026 | Last issued |
|---|---|---|---|
| Severe Thunderstorm Warning | 241 | 36 | September 19, 2026 |
| Severe Thunderstorm Watch | 105 | 12 | September 19, 2026 |
| Wind Advisory | 95 | 3 | May 17, 2026 |
| Red Flag Warning | 86 | 11 | April 20, 2026 |
| Winter Weather Advisory | 72 | 3 | March 1, 2026 |
| Heat Advisory | 62 | 10 | September 2, 2026 |
| Dense Fog Advisory | 56 | 6 | September 17, 2026 |
| Flood Warning | 52 | 14 | July 24, 2026 |
| Fire Weather Watch | 51 | 5 | March 28, 2026 |
| Flood Advisory | 36 | 8 | July 24, 2026 |
| Freeze Warning | 32 | 1 | October 17, 2026 |
| Flood Watch | 30 | 6 | September 30, 2026 |
| Flash Flood Warning | 25 | 7 | July 24, 2026 |
| Tornado Watch | 23 | 7 | September 30, 2026 |
| Cold Weather Advisory | 21 | 1 | January 23, 2026 |
| Frost Advisory | 20 | 2 | May 2, 2026 |
| Tornado Warning | 18 | 5 | May 18, 2026 |
| Winter Storm Watch | 17 | 1 | January 24, 2026 |
| Winter Storm Warning | 15 | 1 | January 24, 2026 |
| High Wind Warning | 15 | 1 | March 15, 2026 |
| Freeze Watch | 14 | 1 | October 17, 2026 |
| Extreme Heat Warning | 8 | 4 | September 3, 2026 |
| High Wind Watch | 8 | 1 | March 15, 2026 |
| Extreme Heat Watch | 6 | 2 | July 28, 2026 |
| Extreme Cold Watch | 5 | 0 | February 18, 2025 |
| Extreme Cold Warning | 5 | 0 | February 18, 2025 |
| Blizzard Warning | 4 | 0 | March 19, 2025 |
| Ice Storm Warning | 1 | 0 | January 13, 2017 |
Tornado history in Ottawa County
35 tornadoes have been recorded in Ottawa County since 1950, killing 1 people and injuring 26. That ranks 80 of 105 counties in Kansas. The most recent was on May 2, 2018 (rated EF0).
Strongest tornadoes in Ottawa County
| Date | Rating | County | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 25, 2016 | EF4 | Ottawa County | 25.1 mi | 900 yd | 0 | 8 |
| September 25, 1973 | F3 | Ottawa County | 69.9 mi | 67 yd | 0 | 2 |
| May 1, 2018 | EF3 | Saline County | 15.8 mi | 880 yd | 0 | 0 |
| June 15, 1992 | F3 | Ottawa County | 3 mi | 800 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 28, 2013 | EF3 | Ottawa County | 2.3 mi | 1,000 yd | 0 | 0 |
Most recent tornadoes
| Date | Rating | County | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2, 2018 | EF0 | Ottawa County | 0 mi | 20 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 1, 2018 | EF3 | Saline County | 15.8 mi | 880 yd | 0 | 0 |
| April 15, 2017 | EF0 | Ottawa County | 1.7 mi | 25 yd | 0 | 0 |
| October 4, 2016 | EF0 | Ottawa County | 0.1 mi | 40 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 25, 2016 | EF4 | Ottawa County | 25.1 mi | 900 yd | 0 | 8 |
About Ottawa County
- Population: 5,853 (2024 estimate)
- State: Kansas
- NOAA Weather Radio SAME code: 020143 (how to use it)