NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Colby, 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 Colby, Kansas since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 112 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 112
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Colby
The highest rating among the 112 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 3 times; the most recent, on October 17, 1971, came within 22 miles. Of the 112, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 58 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 30. The most recent tornado was on July 6, 2024. Of the 171 Kansas cities on this site, 68% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Colby. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 247 times since 1956, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Colby has more hail reports within 10 miles than 72% of the 171 Kansas cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Colby
By decade
- 2020s15
- 2010s17
- 2000s26
- 1990s21
- 1980s10
- 1970s5(1 EF3+)
- 1960s9(2 EF3+)
- 1950s9
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 17, 1971 | F3 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 4, 1965 | F3 | 22 mi | 5.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 4, 1960 | F3 | 20 mi | 7.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 9, 2015 | EF2 | 23 mi | 18.75 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 28, 2007 | EF2 | 25 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 12, 1995 | F2 | 2 mi | 18 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 29, 1956 | F2 | 11 mi | 7.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 29, 1956 | F2 | 12 mi | 7.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 14, 1951 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 2021 | EF1 | 24 mi | 5.87 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 6, 2011 | EF1 | 16 mi | 7.09 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 22, 2008 | EF1 | 24 mi | 17.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 112, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Colby
The Storm Prediction Center has 247 hail reports within 10 miles of Colby since 1956, made on 135 separate days. Of these, 154 were 1 inch across or larger, and 25 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 3 inches (tea cup size), was reported on 4 days, most recently June 14, 2014. The most recent report is from July 19, 2025. May has the most reports, 61.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Colby
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Colby 1SW, KS, 1 mile west of Colby at 3,170 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 15°F. July is the wettest at 3.8 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.4 inches; the year adds up to 20.3 inches over 40 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 58 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 164 nights a year. Snowfall averages 27.2 inches a year, most of it in February. That 20.3 inches is more than at 8 of the 103 Kansas stations used on this site (8%). Oakley, 22 miles southeast, has its own station (Oakley 4W, KS): 20.8 inches a year, 0.5 more than here, and a July average high of 92°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 15 | 0.4 | 1 | 5.1 |
| Feb | 46 | 17 | 0.6 | 2 | 5.8 |
| Mar | 56 | 26 | 0.9 | 2 | 4.2 |
| Apr | 65 | 34 | 2.0 | 4 | 2.2 |
| May | 74 | 46 | 2.9 | 5 | 0.7 |
| Jun | 86 | 57 | 2.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 91 | 62 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 60 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 50 | 1.4 | 3 | 0.2 |
| Oct | 68 | 36 | 1.6 | 3 | 1.6 |
| Nov | 54 | 25 | 0.6 | 2 | 3.5 |
| Dec | 44 | 16 | 0.5 | 1 | 3.9 |
| Year | 66 | 37 | 20.3 | 40 | 27.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Colby 1SW, KS (3,170 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 Colby
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 211 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Colby: 192 thunderstorm wind reports, 14 flash floods, 3 floods and 2 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $726,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on June 13, 2001. May has had the most flash floods, 6 of 14. Of the 169 Kansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 82 have had fewer than Colby.
March 26, 1998: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Colby — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Power poles snapped. Two center pivot irrigation rigs destroyed.”
July 1, 2024: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Colby — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “A tin shed that was unanchored was blown apart with one tree uprooted, several tree limbs down, and a portion of a rear windshield blown out of a truck.”
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
Thomas County, which includes Colby, has been named in 13 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1993, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 flood, 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 Thomas County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail; Relatively Low for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $6.8 million a year, the 69th highest of 105 Kansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.6 million (23%), is from hail.
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 Colby
- Oakley, KS22 mi
- Goodland, KS38 mi
- Oberlin, KS40 mi
- Mc Cook, NE61 mi
- Scott City, KS63 mi
- Leoti, KS64 mi
- Burlington, CO65 mi
- Norton, KS66 mi
- Wakeeney, KS67 mi
- Wray, CO77 mi
- Ellis, KS84 mi
- Imperial, NE85 mi
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