2026 has been an active year for the Kansas City forecast area. The Kansas City National Weather Service office said recently that the region, not just the metro, has recorded 39 tornadoes so far this year, a yearly record.
Here are some of the most notable.
April 17 EF1 tornado
Severe thunderstorms moved through the Kansas City area on April 17, producing tornadoes. One was a confirmed EF1 that touched down in Belton, Mo., about 21 miles south of Kansas City.
The tornado touched down on the south side of Belton just before 5:20 p.m. and moved northeast, damaging structures and trees in a neighborhood and across Belton Cemetery. It weakened briefly to an EF0 just past the cemetery, then strengthened back to an EF1 as it entered another neighborhood south of Highway 58 and Mullen Road. It lifted just before Interstate 49/U.S. 71.
The NWS estimated peak winds of 110 mph. The tornado was on the ground for about five minutes and traveled 2.13 miles. No injuries or fatalities were reported.
April 26 – 27 twisters
Two tornadoes touched down around 4:30 p.m. Sunday in eastern Kansas: an EF1 in northwestern Miami County and an EF0 in northwestern Linn County…