NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Carbondale, 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
No tropical storm or hurricane has passed within 75 miles of Carbondale, Kansas since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 148 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 15 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 148
- EF3 or stronger
- 15
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
43 deaths in all
What the records show for Carbondale
The strongest of the 148 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on June 8, 1966; its path came within 12 miles, and it killed 16 people. The deadliest, an F1 on June 17, 1978, killed 16 people. Of the 148, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 52 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 57. The most recent tornado was on June 28, 2024. Carbondale has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 69% of the 171 Kansas cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 273 times since 1958, with stones up to 5 inches. Carbondale has more hail reports within 10 miles than 77% of the 171 Kansas cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Carbondale
By decade
- 2020s9
- 2010s23(2 EF3+)
- 2000s20(1 EF3+)
- 1990s28
- 1980s18(2 EF3+)
- 1970s10(2 EF3+)
- 1960s20(6 EF3+)
- 1950s20(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 8, 1966 | F5 | 12 mi | 21.1 mi | 16 / 450 |
| Jun 8, 1974 | F4 | 11 mi | 37.5 mi | 6 / 177 |
| May 28, 2019 | EF4 | 17 mi | 29.07 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 21, 2011 | EF3 | 19 mi | 10.11 mi | 1 / 5 |
| May 6, 1983 | F3 | 10 mi | 19 mi | 1 / 25 |
| Jun 19, 1981 | F3 | 25 mi | 7.7 mi | 1 / 33 |
| May 8, 2003 | F3 | 11 mi | 25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 4, 1977 | F3 | 17 mi | 31.6 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 11, 1967 | F3 | 24 mi | 43.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 1966 | F3 | 25 mi | 9.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 12, 1964 | F3 | 12 mi | 33.8 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 6, 1962 | F3 | 24 mi | 4.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 148, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Carbondale
The Storm Prediction Center has 273 hail reports within 10 miles of Carbondale since 1958, made on 141 separate days. Of these, 193 were 1 inch across or larger, and 30 reached 2 inches. The largest, 5 inches, fell on July 4, 1992. The most recent report is from April 4, 2023. May has the most reports, 86.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Carbondale
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Topeka Forbes Field, KS, 9 miles north of Carbondale at 1,067 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 41°F and 19°F. May is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.8 inches; the year adds up to 36.7 inches over 59 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 52 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 117 nights a year. That 36.7 inches is more than at 62 of the 103 Kansas stations used on this site (60%). Overbrook, 9 miles east, has its own station (Pomona Lake, KS): 38.8 inches a year, 2.1 more than here, and the same July average high, 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41 | 19 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Feb | 46 | 23 | 1.2 | 3 |
| Mar | 57 | 33 | 2.3 | 5 |
| Apr | 67 | 43 | 3.9 | 7 |
| May | 76 | 54 | 5.2 | 8 |
| Jun | 86 | 64 | 4.7 | 7 |
| Jul | 91 | 69 | 4.6 | 6 |
| Aug | 90 | 66 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Sep | 81 | 57 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Oct | 69 | 45 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Nov | 55 | 33 | 1.8 | 3 |
| Dec | 44 | 23 | 1.4 | 3 |
| Year | 67 | 44 | 36.7 | 59 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Topeka Forbes Field, KS (1,067 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 Carbondale
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 198 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Carbondale: 171 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 flash floods and 11 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $4.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 83 mph, on August 16, 2007. May has had the most flash floods, 7 of 16. Of the 169 Kansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 93 have had fewer than Carbondale.
May 7, 2007: flood 4 miles from the centre of Carbondale — $2.0 million damage.
NWS: “Most homes in the town of Wakarusa inundated with flood waters from the Wakarusa River. Water rescues of 22 residents stranded on their rooftops were conducted by the fire department.”
May 6, 2007: flood 9 miles from the centre of Carbondale — $750,000 damage.
NWS: “Nearly all streets heading both into and out of Burlingame are water covered and impassable. Several water rescues were performed.”
May 6, 2007: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Carbondale — $600,000 damage.
NWS: “Bridge was reported washed out on a country road near Burlingame.”
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
Osage County, which includes Carbondale, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 22 of them major disasters (by incident: 16 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on September 1, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Osage County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes and heat waves; Very Low for inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $10.8 million a year, the 37th highest of 105 Kansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.4 million (31%), 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).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Carbondale
- Overbrook, KS9 mi
- Berryton, KS10 mi
- Auburn, KS11 mi
- Topeka, KS15 mi
- Tecumseh, KS15 mi
- Osage City, KS17 mi
- Pomona, KS20 mi
- Silver Lake, KS23 mi
- Perry, KS24 mi
- Lawrence, KS24 mi
- Baldwin City, KS26 mi
- Ottawa, KS27 mi
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