In 1881, a pair of violent tornadoes, both of which were believed to have been F4s, struck Kansas that afternoon. The first leveled most of the houses in Floral, located in North Central Cowley County. The tornado's track was 17 miles long and around 450 yards wide. The tornado killed three and injured 22. The second struck Osage and Franklin Counties where five were killed and 40 injured. Fifty houses and barns were destroyed along a track that was 25 miles long and around 200 yards wide.