Rice County weather alerts
There are no active weather alerts for Rice County, KS right now.
Since 2016 the National Weather Service has issued about 1,272 alerts that included Rice County, roughly 127 a year. The most common is the severe thunderstorm warning (238 from 2016 to 2025). The last tornado warning was issued on June 11, 2026. 50 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 Rice County at the moment. This page updates automatically when the National Weather Service issues one. Check neighboring Ellsworth County, Stafford County, Reno County, Barton County.
Rice County alert history
Alert events that included Rice County or its forecast zones, from the NWS warning archive.
| Alert type | 2016–2025 | 2026 | Last issued |
|---|---|---|---|
| Severe Thunderstorm Warning | 238 | 29 | October 30, 2026 |
| Wind Advisory | 168 | 9 | September 14, 2026 |
| Severe Thunderstorm Watch | 124 | 11 | October 13, 2026 |
| Flood Warning | 120 | 5 | October 1, 2026 |
| Dense Fog Advisory | 98 | 8 | November 7, 2026 |
| Red Flag Warning | 91 | 8 | April 14, 2026 |
| Winter Weather Advisory | 73 | 1 | January 9, 2026 |
| Fire Weather Watch | 59 | 7 | April 14, 2026 |
| Heat Advisory | 50 | 9 | September 2, 2026 |
| Flood Watch | 34 | 3 | September 30, 2026 |
| Tornado Watch | 29 | 8 | November 2, 2026 |
| Freeze Warning | 25 | 1 | October 17, 2026 |
| High Wind Warning | 24 | 1 | March 15, 2026 |
| Cold Weather Advisory | 20 | 2 | January 31, 2026 |
| Winter Storm Watch | 18 | 1 | January 23, 2026 |
| High Wind Watch | 16 | 1 | March 15, 2026 |
| Frost Advisory | 14 | 1 | May 7, 2026 |
| Tornado Warning | 13 | 4 | June 11, 2026 |
| Freeze Watch | 13 | 1 | October 17, 2026 |
| Extreme Heat Warning | 10 | 2 | August 11, 2026 |
| Winter Storm Warning | 10 | 1 | January 23, 2026 |
| Flash Flood Warning | 7 | 0 | September 8, 2025 |
| Extreme Cold Watch | 5 | 1 | January 23, 2026 |
| Extreme Cold Warning | 4 | 0 | February 18, 2025 |
| Blizzard Warning | 3 | 0 | January 5, 2025 |
| Extreme Heat Watch | 3 | 0 | July 29, 2024 |
| Ice Storm Warning | 1 | 0 | January 13, 2017 |
| Dust Storm Warning | 1 | 0 | April 30, 2022 |
| Snow Squall Warning | 1 | 0 | December 22, 2022 |
Tornado history in Rice County
50 tornadoes have been recorded in Rice County since 1950, killing 1 people and injuring 18. That ranks 39 of 105 counties in Kansas. The most recent was on May 26, 2021 (rated EF0).
Strongest tornadoes in Rice County
| Date | Rating | County | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 8, 1950 | F4 | Rice County | 17.1 mi | 700 yd | 1 | 5 |
| April 14, 2012 | EF4 | Rice County | 50.3 mi | 400 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 24, 1990 | F3 | Rice County | 60 mi | 400 yd | 0 | 0 |
| April 22, 1964 | F3 | Stafford County | 59.7 mi | 880 yd | 0 | 2 |
| April 14, 2012 | EF3 | Stafford County | 39.7 mi | 2,640 yd | 0 | 0 |
Most recent tornadoes
| Date | Rating | County | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 26, 2021 | EF0 | Rice County | 0.3 mi | 70 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 5, 2019 | EF0 | Rice County | 0.5 mi | 75 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 5, 2019 | ? | Rice County | 0.2 mi | 50 yd | 0 | 0 |
| October 6, 2017 | EF0 | Rice County | 0.7 mi | 50 yd | 0 | 0 |
| July 13, 2015 | EF3 | Rice County | 5.3 mi | 350 yd | 0 | 0 |
About Rice County
- Population: 9,284 (2024 estimate)
- State: Kansas
- NOAA Weather Radio SAME code: 020159 (how to use it)