NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Galva, 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 Galva, Kansas since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 106 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 106
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Galva
The highest rating among the 106 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5, reached 2 times; the most recent, on March 13, 1990, came within 16 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on September 25, 1973, killed 3 people. Of the 106, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 33 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 37. The most recent tornado was on April 29, 2022. Of the 171 Kansas cities on this site, 74% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Galva. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 167 times since 1959, with stones up to 3.25 inches. Of the 171 Kansas cities, 60% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Galva.
Compare Galva's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Galva
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s14(1 EF3+)
- 2000s14
- 1990s22(5 EF3+)
- 1980s5
- 1970s14(1 EF3+)
- 1960s11(2 EF3+)
- 1950s21(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 13, 1990 | F5 | 14 mi | 22 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Mar 13, 1990 | F5 | 16 mi | 48 mi | 1 / 60 |
| Jun 8, 1950 | F4 | 5 mi | 17.1 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Jun 15, 1992 | F4 | 4 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Sep 25, 1973 | F3 | 23 mi | 169.7 mi | 3 / 42 |
| May 6, 2015 | EF3 | 21 mi | 16.48 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 24, 1990 | F3 | 9 mi | 60 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 13, 1990 | F3 | 10 mi | 18 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 13, 1965 | F3 | 24 mi | 62.5 mi | 0 / 10 |
| May 24, 1962 | F3 | 23 mi | 18.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 15, 1992 | F2 | 12 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 13, 1974 | F2 | 16 mi | 51.7 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 106, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Galva
The Storm Prediction Center has 167 hail reports within 10 miles of Galva since 1959, made on 93 separate days. Of these, 105 were 1 inch across or larger, and 17 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.25 inches, fell on June 5, 2014. The most recent report is from September 3, 2025. May has the most reports, 62.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Galva
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mcpherson, KS, 4 miles west of Galva at 1,520 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 19°F. May is the wettest at 5.4 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.9 inches; the year adds up to 33.7 inches over 52 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 63 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 126 nights a year. Snowfall averages 14.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 33.7 inches is more than at 44 of the 103 Kansas stations used on this site (43%). Hesston, 17 miles south, has its own station (Newton, KS): 33.9 inches a year, 0.2 more than here, and a July average high of 92°F against 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 19 | 0.9 | 2 | 4.1 |
| Feb | 47 | 22 | 1.2 | 3 | 3.3 |
| Mar | 58 | 31 | 2.4 | 5 | 2.6 |
| Apr | 67 | 41 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.6 |
| May | 77 | 52 | 5.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 88 | 63 | 4.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 93 | 68 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 91 | 66 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 83 | 58 | 3.0 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 71 | 44 | 2.4 | 4 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 56 | 31 | 1.6 | 3 | 0.6 |
| Dec | 44 | 22 | 1.3 | 3 | 2.9 |
| Year | 68 | 43 | 33.7 | 52 | 14.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mcpherson, KS (1,520 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 Galva
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 185 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Galva: 149 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 floods, 14 heavy rain events and 6 flash floods. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $2.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on July 14, 2009. May has had the most flash floods, 4 of 6. Of the 169 Kansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 31 have had fewer than Galva.
June 20, 2009: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Galva — 1 killed, 1 injured, $15,000 damage.
NWS: “The combination of heavy rain and high winds aided in a two-vehicle fatal automobile accident on Highway 56 east of McPherson. There was one fatality and one injury associated with the accident.”
May 7, 2014: thunderstorm wind in Galva — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Extensive damage from wind driven hail occurred in and around the town of Galva, Kansas. The winds were estimated to be between 65 and 75 mph causing damage to numerous houses and downing tress across town.”
May 7, 2014: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Galva — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Damaging wind gusts estimated at 75 mph derailed a train, with 33 rail cars knocked off the tracks. Two drivers were aboard the train, but were unharmed.”
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
McPherson County, which includes Galva, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 fire). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 29, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives McPherson County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for lightning and heat waves; Very Low for inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $20.1 million a year, the 16th highest of 105 Kansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.3 million (31%), 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 Galva
- Mcpherson, KS8 mi
- Moundridge, KS12 mi
- Hesston, KS17 mi
- Lindsborg, KS17 mi
- Hillsboro, KS17 mi
- Inman, KS18 mi
- North Newton, KS23 mi
- Newton, KS25 mi
- Halstead, KS25 mi
- Marion, KS28 mi
- Hutchinson, KS30 mi
- Sedgwick, KS32 mi
All Kansas cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Galva with another place →