NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Galena, 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
2 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Galena, Kansas since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 167 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 15 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 167
- EF3 or stronger
- 15
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
192 deaths in all
What the records show for Galena
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Galena; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1902, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 68 miles away. The record near Galena begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm 70 miles away. Galena is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 171 Kansas cities on this site. The strongest of the 167 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF5 on May 22, 2011; its path came within 4 miles, and it killed 158 people. Of the 167, 12 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 70 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 57. The most recent tornado was on April 20, 2025. Galena has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 83% of the 171 Kansas cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 245 times since 1955, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Galena has more hail reports within 10 miles than 71% of the 171 Kansas cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Galena
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Galena: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Galena
By decade
- 2020s11
- 2010s26(2 EF3+)
- 2000s33(2 EF3+)
- 1990s17
- 1980s16(3 EF3+)
- 1970s21(3 EF3+)
- 1960s23(2 EF3+)
- 1950s20(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 22, 2011 | EF5 | 4 mi | 21.62 mi | 158 / 1150 |
| May 10, 2008 | EF4 | 11 mi | 75.51 mi | 21 / 350 |
| Apr 24, 1975 | F4 | 19 mi | 11.9 mi | 3 / 22 |
| Sep 27, 1959 | F4 | 25 mi | 20.4 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Apr 3, 1956 | F4 | 5 mi | 41.8 mi | 0 / 59 |
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 5 mi | 25 mi | 5 / 34 |
| Mar 15, 1982 | F3 | 18 mi | 30 mi | 1 / 6 |
| May 5, 1971 | F3 | 5 mi | 13.1 mi | 1 / 60 |
| May 22, 2019 | EF3 | 2 mi | 9.22 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 26, 1983 | F3 | 24 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Mar 15, 1982 | F3 | 16 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 24, 1973 | F3 | 20 mi | 20.8 mi | 0 / 14 |
The strongest 12 of 167, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Galena
The Storm Prediction Center has 245 hail reports within 10 miles of Galena since 1955, made on 143 separate days. Of these, 155 were 1 inch across or larger, and 8 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently May 4, 2020. The most recent report is from September 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 78.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Galena
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Joplin Regional Airport, MO, 9 miles northeast of Galena at 980 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 25°F. May is the wettest at 6.6 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.9 inches; the year adds up to 45.7 inches over 67 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 53 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 87 nights a year. That 45.7 inches is more than at 99 of the 103 Kansas stations used on this site (96%). Baxter Springs, 7 miles southwest, has its own station (Columbus, KS): 46.2 inches a year, 0.5 more than here, and the same July average high, 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 25 | 1.9 | 4 |
| Feb | 50 | 29 | 2.0 | 4 |
| Mar | 60 | 37 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Apr | 69 | 47 | 5.0 | 7 |
| May | 77 | 56 | 6.6 | 9 |
| Jun | 86 | 65 | 5.6 | 7 |
| Jul | 90 | 70 | 4.0 | 5 |
| Aug | 90 | 68 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Sep | 82 | 59 | 4.2 | 5 |
| Oct | 71 | 48 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Nov | 58 | 37 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Dec | 48 | 29 | 2.6 | 4 |
| Year | 69 | 47 | 45.7 | 67 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Joplin Regional Airport, MO (980 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 Galena
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 356 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Galena: 202 thunderstorm wind reports, 87 flash floods, 32 floods, 29 heavy rain events and 6 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 13, and the NWS estimated $16.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on June 13, 2026. June has had the most flash floods, 20 of 87. Of the 169 Kansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 164 have had fewer than Galena.
May 23, 2011: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Galena — 1 killed, 1 injured.
August 22, 2015: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Galena — 1 killed.
April 15, 2001: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Galena — 10 injured, $1.0 million damage.
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 Galena's ZIP code 66739 have filed 43 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1986, and were paid $857,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 1994, with 10. Of the 65 Kansas cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 27 have fewer than Galena.
Cherokee County, which includes Galena, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 24 of them major disasters (by incident: 19 severe storms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 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 Cherokee County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $17.0 million a year, the 24th highest of 105 Kansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.3 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).
Galena in the notable storm records: The May 22, 2011 EF5 Tornado in Missouri, near Joplin
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Galena
- Baxter Springs, KS7 mi
- Carl Junction, MO8 mi
- Joplin, MO8 mi
- Quapaw, OK11 mi
- Webb City, MO11 mi
- Columbus, KS14 mi
- Oronogo, MO15 mi
- Commerce, OK16 mi
- Seneca, MO18 mi
- Miami, OK19 mi
- Diamond, MO19 mi
- Carthage, MO20 mi
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