NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Council Grove, 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 Council Grove, Kansas since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 107 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 107
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Council Grove
The strongest of the 107 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 8, 1974; its path came within 21 miles, and it killed 6 people. Of the 107, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 46 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 33. The most recent tornado was on May 19, 2025. Of the 171 Kansas cities on this site, 73% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Council Grove. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 141 times since 1962, with stones up to 3.5 inches. Of the 171 Kansas cities, 74% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Council Grove.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Council Grove
By decade
- 2020s16
- 2010s18
- 2000s12
- 1990s20
- 1980s10(1 EF3+)
- 1970s5(2 EF3+)
- 1960s12
- 1950s14(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 8, 1974 | F4 | 21 mi | 37.5 mi | 6 / 177 |
| Aug 17, 1985 | F3 | 12 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 6, 1971 | F3 | 12 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 1956 | F3 | 4 mi | 127 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 10, 1953 | F3 | 6 mi | 52.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 13, 2024 | EF2 | 15 mi | 8.14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 2023 | EF2 | 10 mi | 5.21 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 2023 | EF2 | 14 mi | 11.59 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 1995 | F2 | 11 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 26, 1991 | F2 | 14 mi | 44 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 1990 | F2 | 21 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 17 |
| Mar 13, 1990 | F2 | 15 mi | 55 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 107, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Council Grove
The Storm Prediction Center has 141 hail reports within 10 miles of Council Grove since 1962, made on 86 separate days. Of these, 96 were 1 inch across or larger, and 13 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.5 inches, fell on June 2, 2008. The most recent report is from September 3, 2025. May has the most reports, 43.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Council Grove
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Council Grove Lake, KS, 2 miles northwest of Council Grove at 1,315 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 20°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 35.0 inches over 57 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 47 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 120 nights a year. Snowfall averages 12.0 inches a year, most of it in January. That 35.0 inches is more than at 56 of the 103 Kansas stations used on this site (54%). Emporia, 23 miles southeast, has its own station (Emporia 3 NW, KS): 35.9 inches a year, 0.9 more than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40 | 20 | 0.8 | 2 | 4.0 |
| Feb | 45 | 23 | 1.3 | 3 | 2.9 |
| Mar | 56 | 33 | 2.2 | 5 | 1.2 |
| Apr | 67 | 44 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.2 |
| May | 75 | 55 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 65 | 4.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 69 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 67 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 58 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 45 | 2.4 | 5 | 0.4 |
| Nov | 55 | 33 | 1.7 | 3 | 0.5 |
| Dec | 44 | 24 | 1.1 | 3 | 2.8 |
| Year | 66 | 45 | 35.0 | 57 | 12.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Council Grove Lake, KS (1,315 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 Council Grove
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 76 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Council Grove: 56 thunderstorm wind reports, 15 flash floods, 3 floods and 2 heavy rain events. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $573,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on July 22, 2017. May has had the most flash floods, 9 of 15. Of the 169 Kansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 88 have had fewer than Council Grove.
June 30, 2005: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Council Grove — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “At least six inches of fast flowing water over highway 59.”
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
Morris County, which includes Council Grove, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 24 of them major disasters (by incident: 21 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 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 Morris County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail and heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $6.7 million a year, the 71st highest of 105 Kansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.4 million (36%), 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 Council Grove
- Emporia, KS23 mi
- Herington, KS23 mi
- Junction City, KS31 mi
- Fort Riley, KS34 mi
- Marion, KS35 mi
- Osage City, KS36 mi
- Manhattan, KS38 mi
- Saint George, KS39 mi
- Auburn, KS40 mi
- Wamego, KS41 mi
- Abilene, KS44 mi
- Hillsboro, KS44 mi
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