NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Kansas, OK
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 Kansas, Oklahoma since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 159 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 159
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Kansas
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Kansas; the strongest was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 23 miles away. The record near Kansas begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Carla in 1961. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site, 36% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Kansas. The highest rating among the 159 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 11 times; the most recent, on May 25, 2024, came within 13 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on December 31, 2010, killed 4 people. Of the 159, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 97 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 69. The most recent tornado was on June 18, 2025. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities, 50% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Kansas. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 86 times since 1965, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 216 Oklahoma cities, 93% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Kansas.
Compare Kansas's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Kansas
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 31 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 Kansas: 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 Kansas
By decade
- 2020s31(1 EF3+)
- 2010s57(2 EF3+)
- 2000s9(2 EF3+)
- 1990s24
- 1980s11(2 EF3+)
- 1970s16(2 EF3+)
- 1960s6(1 EF3+)
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 31, 2010 | EF3 | 19 mi | 21.1 mi | 4 / 10 |
| May 25, 2024 | EF3 | 13 mi | 7.9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 22, 2011 | EF3 | 21 mi | 17.93 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F3 | 9 mi | 25 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F3 | 2 mi | 29 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Nov 22, 1983 | F3 | 17 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 1981 | F3 | 23 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 8, 1974 | F3 | 13 mi | 2.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 8, 1970 | F3 | 13 mi | 6.9 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 10, 1964 | F3 | 24 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 9, 1959 | F3 | 23 mi | 23.2 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 10, 2011 | EF2 | 15 mi | 5 mi | 1 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 159, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Kansas
The Storm Prediction Center has 86 hail reports within 10 miles of Kansas since 1965, made on 61 separate days. Of these, 43 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on March 25, 2015. The most recent report is from May 18, 2025. April has the most reports, 25.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Kansas
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Tahlequah, OK, 20 miles southwest of Kansas at 850 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 51°F and 28°F. May is the wettest at 6.3 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 51.0 inches over 67 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 52 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 74 nights a year. Snowfall averages 4.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 51.0 inches is more than at 78 of the 82 Oklahoma stations used on this site (95%). Colcord, 7 miles east, has its own station (Gravette, AR): 48.7 inches a year, 2.3 less than here, and the same July average high, 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 51 | 28 | 2.5 | 4 | 1.7 |
| Feb | 56 | 32 | 3.0 | 4 | 1.5 |
| Mar | 65 | 40 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.5 |
| Apr | 74 | 48 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 80 | 57 | 6.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 88 | 65 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 93 | 69 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 92 | 68 | 4.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 85 | 61 | 4.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 75 | 49 | 4.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 63 | 39 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Dec | 53 | 31 | 2.8 | 4 | 0.3 |
| Year | 73 | 49 | 51.0 | 67 | 4.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Tahlequah, OK (850 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 Kansas
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 93 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Kansas: 64 thunderstorm wind reports, 17 floods and 12 flash floods. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $722,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on June 18, 2023. March has had the most flash floods, 3 of 12. Of the 216 Oklahoma cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 85 have had fewer than Kansas.
March 30, 2025: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Kansas — 1 killed, 1 injured, $30,000 damage.
NWS: “Strong thunderstorm wind blew down a tree onto a camper on the east side of the Illinois River. Two occupants of the trailer were trapped.”
June 18, 2023: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Kansas — $340,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm wind resulted in at least $340,000 in debris removal and damage to the utility infrastructure across the county during this severe thunderstorm.”
May 25, 2024: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Kansas — $100,000 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 Kansas's ZIP code 74347 have filed 35 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1990, and were paid $460,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2011, with 18. Of the 92 Oklahoma cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 46 have fewer than Kansas.
Delaware County, which includes Kansas, has been named in 33 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 26 of them major disasters (by incident: 18 severe storms, 7 ice storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 14, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Delaware County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $29.9 million a year, the 19th highest of 77 Oklahoma counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $17.3 million (58%), 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 Kansas
- Colcord, OK7 mi
- Watts, OK10 mi
- Siloam Springs, AR16 mi
- Westville, OK17 mi
- Eucha, OK17 mi
- Jay, OK18 mi
- Salina, OK19 mi
- Gentry, AR19 mi
- Tahlequah, OK21 mi
- Locust Grove, OK21 mi
- Decatur, AR21 mi
- Gravette, AR25 mi
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