NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Leavenworth, 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 Leavenworth, Kansas since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 107 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 14 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 107
- EF3 or stronger
- 14
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Leavenworth
The highest rating among the 107 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 6 times; the most recent, on May 28, 2019, came within 15 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on May 4, 2003, killed 2 people. Of the 107, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 44 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 38. The most recent tornado was on May 19, 2024. Of the 171 Kansas cities on this site, 73% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Leavenworth. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 222 times since 1962, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Leavenworth has more hail reports within 10 miles than 61% of the 171 Kansas cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Leavenworth
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s5(1 EF3+)
- 2000s31(4 EF3+)
- 1990s10
- 1980s9
- 1970s5
- 1960s27(8 EF3+)
- 1950s12(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 4, 2003 | F4 | 16 mi | 21 mi | 2 / 30 |
| Jun 8, 1966 | F4 | 4 mi | 19.9 mi | 1 / 2 |
| May 28, 2019 | EF4 | 15 mi | 29.07 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 4, 2003 | F4 | 25 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 13 |
| May 7, 1961 | F4 | 9 mi | 26.2 mi | 0 / 12 |
| May 22, 1952 | F4 | 18 mi | 26.9 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 12, 1964 | F3 | in town | 14 mi | 1 / 22 |
| May 2, 2008 | EF3 | 24 mi | 0.92 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 29, 2004 | F3 | 15 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 26, 1969 | F3 | 18 mi | 10.1 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 10, 1965 | F3 | 13 mi | 23.2 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Apr 12, 1964 | F3 | 17 mi | 33.8 mi | 0 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 107, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Leavenworth
The Storm Prediction Center has 222 hail reports within 10 miles of Leavenworth since 1962, made on 134 separate days. Of these, 131 were 1 inch across or larger, and 10 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on August 19, 2011. The most recent report is from October 18, 2025. May has the most reports, 59.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Leavenworth
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Leavenworth, KS, 2 miles northeast of Leavenworth at 870 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 21°F. June is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.1 inches; the year adds up to 41.4 inches over 63 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 46 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 105 nights a year. Snowfall averages 18.8 inches a year, most of it in February. That 41.4 inches is more than at 89 of the 103 Kansas stations used on this site (86%). Platte City, MO, 9 miles northeast, has its own station (Kansas City International Airport, MO): 39.5 inches a year, 1.9 less than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 21 | 1.1 | 3 | 4.8 |
| Feb | 45 | 24 | 1.6 | 3 | 5.6 |
| Mar | 57 | 34 | 2.4 | 5 | 1.5 |
| Apr | 67 | 44 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 55 | 5.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 65 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 91 | 69 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 68 | 5.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 58 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 68 | 46 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.4 |
| Nov | 54 | 34 | 2.0 | 4 | 1.0 |
| Dec | 43 | 25 | 1.7 | 3 | 5.5 |
| Year | 66 | 45 | 41.4 | 63 | 18.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Leavenworth, KS (870 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 Leavenworth
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 228 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Leavenworth: 164 thunderstorm wind reports, 46 flash floods and 18 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $4.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 19, 2010. July has had the most flash floods, 14 of 46. Of the 169 Kansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 147 have had fewer than Leavenworth.
October 2, 2005: flood 7 miles from the centre of Leavenworth — $3.1 million damage.
October 2, 2005: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Leavenworth — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Flash flooding reported in Leavenworth with 130 buildings having suffered minor damage. 20 buildings reported major damage.”
November 27, 2005: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Leavenworth — $200,000 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 Leavenworth's ZIP code 66048 have filed 85 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $1.0 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2005, with 13. 8% 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, 38 have fewer than Leavenworth.
Leavenworth County, which includes Leavenworth, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 severe storms, 5 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 29, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Leavenworth County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $34.5 million a year, the 8th highest of 105 Kansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $13.0 million (38%), 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 Leavenworth
- Lansing, KS3 mi
- Fort Leavenworth, KS3 mi
- Platte City, MO9 mi
- Weston, MO10 mi
- Basehor, KS11 mi
- Parkville, MO14 mi
- Tonganoxie, KS15 mi
- Mc Louth, KS16 mi
- Bonner Springs, KS16 mi
- Kansas City, KS18 mi
- Riverside, MO19 mi
- Atchison, KS21 mi
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