NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hillsboro, 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 Hillsboro, Kansas since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 124 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 124
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Hillsboro
The highest rating among the 124 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5, reached 2 times; the most recent, on March 13, 1990, came within 14 miles. The deadliest, an F5 on March 13, 1990, killed 1 person. Of the 124, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 38 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 44. The most recent tornado was on May 19, 2024. Of the 171 Kansas cities on this site, 58% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Hillsboro. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 101 times since 1957, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 171 Kansas cities, 94% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Hillsboro.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Hillsboro
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s13
- 2000s18
- 1990s28(5 EF3+)
- 1980s7
- 1970s9
- 1960s17(1 EF3+)
- 1950s25(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 13, 1990 | F5 | 1 mi | 22 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Mar 13, 1990 | F5 | 14 mi | 48 mi | 1 / 60 |
| Jun 8, 1950 | F4 | 21 mi | 17.1 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Jun 15, 1992 | F4 | 19 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 10 |
| May 24, 1990 | F3 | 11 mi | 60 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 13, 1990 | F3 | 18 mi | 18 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 1962 | F3 | 21 mi | 18.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 1956 | F3 | 20 mi | 127 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 18, 1950 | F3 | 21 mi | 14.9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 15, 1992 | F2 | 16 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 13, 1990 | F2 | 11 mi | 55 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 13, 1974 | F2 | 12 mi | 51.7 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 124, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Hillsboro
The Storm Prediction Center has 101 hail reports within 10 miles of Hillsboro since 1957, made on 65 separate days. Of these, 59 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on March 13, 1990. The most recent report is from April 19, 2023. May has the most reports, 33.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Hillsboro
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Marion Rsvr, KS, 8 miles east of Hillsboro at 1,369 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 41°F and 21°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 34.0 inches over 52 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 58 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 119 nights a year. That 34.0 inches is more than at 47 of the 103 Kansas stations used on this site (46%). Galva, 17 miles west, has its own station (Mcpherson, KS): 33.7 inches a year, 0.3 less than here, and a July average high of 93°F against 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41 | 21 | 0.8 | 2 |
| Feb | 46 | 25 | 1.2 | 3 |
| Mar | 57 | 35 | 2.2 | 4 |
| Apr | 67 | 45 | 3.1 | 5 |
| May | 77 | 56 | 5.2 | 7 |
| Jun | 87 | 66 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Jul | 92 | 70 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Aug | 91 | 68 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Sep | 83 | 59 | 3.5 | 4 |
| Oct | 70 | 47 | 2.6 | 4 |
| Nov | 56 | 34 | 1.4 | 2 |
| Dec | 44 | 25 | 1.2 | 2 |
| Year | 67 | 46 | 34.0 | 52 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Marion Rsvr, KS (1,369 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 Hillsboro
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 100 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hillsboro: 75 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 heavy rain events, 8 flash floods and 7 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 10, and the NWS estimated $675,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on April 26, 2009. July has had the most flash floods, 3 of 8. Of the 169 Kansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 45 have had fewer than Hillsboro.
August 13, 2010: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Hillsboro — 10 injured, $40,000 damage.
April 26, 2009: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Hillsboro — $300,000 damage.
NWS: “The strong winds moved a house off its foundation near the intersection of 140th and Mustang. Several residences sustained roof damage across the area, and there was some barn and outbuilding damage in the Aulne area.”
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
Marion County, which includes Hillsboro, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 19 of them major disasters (by incident: 13 severe storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on April 28, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Marion County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $12.2 million a year, the 31st highest of 105 Kansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.4 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 Hillsboro
- Marion, KS11 mi
- Galva, KS17 mi
- Hesston, KS18 mi
- Moundridge, KS20 mi
- North Newton, KS20 mi
- Newton, KS21 mi
- Mcpherson, KS25 mi
- Herington, KS28 mi
- Halstead, KS29 mi
- Lindsborg, KS30 mi
- Sedgwick, KS32 mi
- Inman, KS33 mi
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