NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Baxter Springs, KS
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
2 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Baxter Springs, Kansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 170 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 14 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 170
- EF3 or stronger
- 14
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
192 deaths in all
What the records show for Baxter Springs
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Baxter Springs; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1902, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 69 miles away. The record near Baxter Springs begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm 69 miles away. Baxter Springs is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 171 Kansas cities on this site. The strongest of the 170 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF5 on May 22, 2011; its path came within 9 miles, and it killed 158 people. Of the 170, 11 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 76 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 62. The most recent tornado was on April 20, 2025. Baxter Springs has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 86% of the 171 Kansas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 157 times since 1955, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 171 Kansas cities, 65% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Baxter Springs.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Baxter Springs
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Baxter Springs: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Baxter Springs
By decade
- 2020s15
- 2010s30(2 EF3+)
- 2000s31(2 EF3+)
- 1990s18
- 1980s13(3 EF3+)
- 1970s19(3 EF3+)
- 1960s25(2 EF3+)
- 1950s19(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 22, 2011 | EF5 | 9 mi | 21.62 mi | 158 / 1150 |
| May 10, 2008 | EF4 | 5 mi | 75.51 mi | 21 / 350 |
| Apr 24, 1975 | F4 | 16 mi | 11.9 mi | 3 / 22 |
| Sep 27, 1959 | F4 | 20 mi | 20.4 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Apr 3, 1956 | F4 | 5 mi | 41.8 mi | 0 / 59 |
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 7 mi | 25 mi | 5 / 34 |
| Mar 15, 1982 | F3 | 16 mi | 30 mi | 1 / 6 |
| May 5, 1971 | F3 | 11 mi | 13.1 mi | 1 / 60 |
| May 22, 2019 | EF3 | 9 mi | 9.22 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 15, 1982 | F3 | 21 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 7, 1980 | F3 | 25 mi | 24.8 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Sep 24, 1973 | F3 | 14 mi | 20.8 mi | 0 / 14 |
The strongest 12 of 170, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Baxter Springs
The Storm Prediction Center has 157 hail reports within 10 miles of Baxter Springs since 1955, made on 102 separate days. Of these, 92 were 1 inch across or larger, and 8 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently May 4, 2020. The most recent report is from September 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 47.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Baxter Springs
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Columbus, KS, 12 miles northwest of Baxter Springs at 893 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 23°F. May is the wettest at 7.1 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.7 inches; the year adds up to 46.2 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 46 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 95 nights a year. Snowfall averages 7.2 inches a year, most of it in January and December. That 46.2 inches is more than at 101 of the 103 Kansas stations used on this site (98%). Galena, 7 miles northeast, has its own station (Joplin Regional Airport, MO): 45.7 inches a year, 0.5 less than here, and the same July average high, 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 23 | 1.7 | 4 | 2.3 |
| Feb | 49 | 27 | 2.0 | 4 | 1.1 |
| Mar | 58 | 36 | 3.4 | 6 | 1.3 |
| Apr | 68 | 46 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 76 | 56 | 7.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 65 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 69 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 68 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 59 | 4.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 48 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 58 | 36 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 47 | 28 | 2.4 | 4 | 2.3 |
| Year | 68 | 47 | 46.2 | 68 | 7.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Columbus, KS (893 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Baxter Springs
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 173 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Baxter Springs: 105 thunderstorm wind reports, 39 flash floods, 23 floods and 6 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $32.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 107 mph, on April 28, 1996. June has had the most flash floods, 9 of 39. Of the 169 Kansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 142 have had fewer than Baxter Springs.
July 23, 2014: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Baxter Springs — 1 injured, $1,000 damage.
NWS: “A cargo truck was blown over with one minor injury to the driver.”
May 24, 2011: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Baxter Springs — 1 injured.
July 1, 2007: flood 9 miles from the centre of Baxter Springs — $20.0 million damage.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Flood insurance policyholders in Baxter Springs's ZIP code 66713 have filed 31 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1985, and were paid $586,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2015, with 10. Of the 65 Kansas cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 22 have fewer than Baxter Springs.
Cherokee County, which includes Baxter Springs, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 24 of them major disasters (by incident: 19 severe storms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on September 1, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Cherokee County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $17.0 million a year, the 24th highest of 105 Kansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.3 million (43%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Baxter Springs in the notable storm records: The May 22, 2011 EF5 Tornado in Missouri, near Joplin
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Baxter Springs
- Quapaw, OK6 mi
- Galena, KS7 mi
- Commerce, OK9 mi
- Miami, OK12 mi
- Columbus, KS12 mi
- Joplin, MO14 mi
- Carl Junction, MO15 mi
- Seneca, MO16 mi
- Wyandotte, OK17 mi
- Webb City, MO18 mi
- Fairland, OK20 mi
- Oronogo, MO22 mi
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