NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Emporia, 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 Emporia, Kansas since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 97 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 97
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
7 deaths in all
What the records show for Emporia
The strongest of the 97 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 8, 1974; its path came within 1 mile, and it killed 6 people. Of the 97, 11 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 41 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 36. The most recent tornado was on June 28, 2024. Of the 171 Kansas cities on this site, 85% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Emporia. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 176 times since 1955, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 171 Kansas cities, 54% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Emporia.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Emporia
By decade
- 2020s13
- 2010s16(1 EF3+)
- 2000s12
- 1990s15
- 1980s12
- 1970s4(1 EF3+)
- 1960s12
- 1950s13(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 8, 1974 | F4 | 1 mi | 37.5 mi | 6 / 177 |
| May 21, 2011 | EF3 | 12 mi | 10.11 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Apr 2, 1956 | F3 | 19 mi | 127 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 10, 1953 | F3 | 17 mi | 52.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 2023 | EF2 | 12 mi | 5.21 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 2023 | EF2 | 14 mi | 11.59 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 26, 1991 | F2 | 23 mi | 21 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 26, 1991 | F2 | 22 mi | 44 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 1990 | F2 | 1 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 17 |
| May 18, 1987 | F2 | 10 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 13, 1973 | F2 | 6 mi | 9.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 13, 1973 | F2 | 6 mi | 10.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 97, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Emporia
The Storm Prediction Center has 176 hail reports within 10 miles of Emporia since 1955, made on 105 separate days. Of these, 132 were 1 inch across or larger, and 19 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 4 inches (softball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently December 15, 2021. The most recent report is from March 27, 2025. May has the most reports, 48.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Emporia
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Emporia 3 NW, KS, 2 miles northwest of Emporia at 1,238 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 18°F. May is the wettest at 5.4 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.8 inches; the year adds up to 35.9 inches over 56 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 44 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 115 nights a year. That 35.9 inches is more than at 59 of the 103 Kansas stations used on this site (57%). Council Grove, 23 miles northwest, has its own station (Council Grove Lake, KS): 35.0 inches a year, 0.9 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 18 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Feb | 44 | 22 | 1.2 | 3 |
| Mar | 55 | 31 | 2.3 | 5 |
| Apr | 65 | 41 | 3.4 | 6 |
| May | 74 | 52 | 5.4 | 8 |
| Jun | 84 | 62 | 4.8 | 7 |
| Jul | 89 | 67 | 4.6 | 6 |
| Aug | 87 | 65 | 4.1 | 5 |
| Sep | 79 | 56 | 3.2 | 5 |
| Oct | 68 | 44 | 2.9 | 5 |
| Nov | 54 | 32 | 1.8 | 3 |
| Dec | 43 | 22 | 1.4 | 3 |
| Year | 65 | 43 | 35.9 | 56 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Emporia 3 NW, KS (1,238 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 Emporia
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 173 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Emporia: 137 thunderstorm wind reports, 29 flash floods, 6 floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $385,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 93 mph, on August 30, 2019. May has had the most flash floods, 10 of 29. Of the 169 Kansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 128 have had fewer than Emporia.
August 25, 2014: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Emporia — 1 killed.
NWS: “From the Emporia Gazette newspaper: An Emporia man died this morning from injuries resulting from a tree falling on top of him. m.”
May 7, 2007: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Emporia — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Report of water flowing over K-99 north of town. This portion of the road has been barricaded by law enforcement.”
May 7, 2007: flood 2 miles from the centre of Emporia — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “in the immediate reach of the gages on the Cottonwood near Emporia, the Neosho river near Emporia, the Neosho River near Neosho Rapids and near Reading on the Marais Des Cygnes.”
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 Emporia's ZIP code 66801 have filed 59 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1982, and were paid $943,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 1998, with 17. 3% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 65 Kansas cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 32 have fewer than Emporia.
Lyon County, which includes Emporia, has been named in 27 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 23 of them major disasters (by incident: 17 severe storms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on September 11, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lyon County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $17.6 million a year, the 22nd highest of 105 Kansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.5 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).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Emporia
- Council Grove, KS23 mi
- Osage City, KS24 mi
- Burlington, KS28 mi
- Eureka, KS39 mi
- Carbondale, KS40 mi
- Auburn, KS40 mi
- Pomona, KS43 mi
- Herington, KS43 mi
- Overbrook, KS44 mi
- Marion, KS45 mi
- Yates Center, KS45 mi
- Berryton, KS50 mi
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