NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Fort Scott, 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 Fort Scott, Kansas since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 79 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 79
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
11 deaths in all
What the records show for Fort Scott
The strongest of the 79 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on May 4, 2003; its path came within 20 miles, and it killed 4 people. The deadliest, an F3 on May 4, 2003, killed 5 people. Of the 79, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 29 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 26. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Of the 171 Kansas cities on this site, 95% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Fort Scott. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 85 times since 1962, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 171 Kansas cities, 96% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Fort Scott.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Fort Scott
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s6
- 2000s19(2 EF3+)
- 1990s6(1 EF3+)
- 1980s12(2 EF3+)
- 1970s7
- 1960s12
- 1950s13(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 4, 2003 | F4 | 20 mi | 33 mi | 4 / 30 |
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 21 mi | 86 mi | 5 / 47 |
| Mar 15, 1982 | F3 | 16 mi | 70 mi | 2 / 8 |
| May 17, 1995 | F3 | 14 mi | 14 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Mar 26, 1983 | F3 | 19 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Nov 17, 1958 | F3 | 15 mi | 30.2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 20, 1956 | F3 | 16 mi | 69.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF2 | 14 mi | 6.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2014 | EF2 | 7 mi | 16.13 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 2000 | F2 | 13 mi | 25 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 27, 1984 | F2 | 24 mi | 8.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 15, 1982 | F2 | 24 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 79, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Fort Scott
The Storm Prediction Center has 85 hail reports within 10 miles of Fort Scott since 1962, made on 61 separate days. Of these, 50 were 1 inch across or larger, and 9 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on June 19, 1981. The most recent report is from June 8, 2025. May has the most reports, 21.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Fort Scott
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Fort Scott, KS, 2 miles east of Fort Scott at 884 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 22°F. May is the wettest at 6.2 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.4 inches; the year adds up to 44.5 inches over 60 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 53 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 101 nights a year. Snowfall averages 8.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 44.5 inches is more than at 95 of the 103 Kansas stations used on this site (92%). Nevada, MO, 21 miles east, has its own station (Nevada Wtp, MO): 46.6 inches a year, 2.1 more than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 22 | 1.4 | 3 | 3.9 |
| Feb | 48 | 26 | 1.8 | 3 | 1.0 |
| Mar | 58 | 35 | 2.9 | 5 | 0.7 |
| Apr | 68 | 45 | 4.9 | 6 | 0.1 |
| May | 77 | 56 | 6.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 65 | 5.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 91 | 70 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 68 | 4.0 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 59 | 4.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 47 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 57 | 36 | 2.8 | 4 | 0.4 |
| Dec | 46 | 27 | 2.1 | 4 | 2.3 |
| Year | 68 | 46 | 44.5 | 60 | 8.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Fort Scott, KS (884 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 Fort Scott
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 141 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Fort Scott: 88 thunderstorm wind reports, 34 flash floods, 10 heavy rain events, 5 lightning strikes and 4 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $2.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on March 6, 2017. August has had the most flash floods, 7 of 34. Of the 169 Kansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 136 have had fewer than Fort Scott.
April 4, 2023: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Fort Scott — $350,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous reports of significant wind damage to homes and outbuildings were received. At least one barn suffered structural failure and roof decking and shingles were removed from multiple homes and businesses.”
June 28, 1998: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Fort Scott — $300,000 damage.
March 8, 2009: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Fort Scott — $300,000 damage.
NWS: “A National Weather Service storm survey revealed that straight line winds damaged rural areas north of Fort Scott. Damage included a two story home moved off of its foundation, two recreational vehicles overturned, a destroyed carport, tree damage, and several hay bales were flipped over.”
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 Fort Scott's ZIP code 66701 have filed 62 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1985, and were paid $2.4 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 1998, with 19. 16% 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, 33 have fewer than Fort Scott.
Bourbon County, which includes Fort Scott, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on July 22, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Bourbon County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $10.2 million a year, the 42nd highest of 105 Kansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.4 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 Fort Scott
- Nevada, MO21 mi
- Girard, KS23 mi
- Pleasanton, KS25 mi
- Frontenac, KS25 mi
- Rich Hill, MO26 mi
- Pittsburg, KS29 mi
- Lamar, MO33 mi
- La Cygne, KS36 mi
- Iola, KS37 mi
- Butler, MO38 mi
- Humboldt, KS38 mi
- El Dorado Springs, MO40 mi
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