NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Marion, 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 Marion, Kansas since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 114 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 114
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Marion
The highest rating among the 114 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5, reached 2 times; the most recent, on March 13, 1990, came within 23 miles. The deadliest, an F5 on March 13, 1990, killed 1 person. Of the 114, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 38 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 37. The most recent tornado was on May 19, 2024. Of the 171 Kansas cities on this site, 67% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Marion. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 103 times since 1962, with stones up to 3.25 inches. Of the 171 Kansas cities, 92% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Marion.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Marion
By decade
- 2020s12
- 2010s8
- 2000s18
- 1990s31(3 EF3+)
- 1980s5
- 1970s8
- 1960s9
- 1950s23(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 13, 1990 | F5 | 9 mi | 22 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Mar 13, 1990 | F5 | 23 mi | 48 mi | 1 / 60 |
| May 24, 1990 | F3 | 10 mi | 60 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 1956 | F3 | 11 mi | 127 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 10, 1953 | F3 | 19 mi | 52.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 1950 | F3 | 11 mi | 14.9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 19, 2023 | EF2 | 21 mi | 11.59 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 1995 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 15, 1992 | F2 | 22 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 13, 1990 | F2 | 8 mi | 55 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 13, 1974 | F2 | 12 mi | 51.7 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 13, 1974 | F2 | 16 mi | 49.8 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 114, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Marion
The Storm Prediction Center has 103 hail reports within 10 miles of Marion since 1962, made on 71 separate days. Of these, 69 were 1 inch across or larger, and 12 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.25 inches, fell on May 31, 2022. The most recent report is from August 16, 2024. May has the most reports, 34.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Marion
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Marion Rsvr, KS, 3 miles west of Marion 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%). Herington, 23 miles north, has its own station (Herington, KS): 34.3 inches a year, 0.3 more than here, and a July average high of 90°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 Marion
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 87 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Marion: 64 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 floods, 6 flash floods and 6 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 10, and the NWS estimated $653,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on June 8, 2026. June has had the most flash floods, 3 of 6. Of the 169 Kansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 31 have had fewer than Marion.
August 13, 2010: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Marion — 10 injured, $40,000 damage.
NWS: “Extensive damage occurred at the Cottonwoon Point campground at Marion Lake. Three recreational vehicles were flipped over trapping a family of five and injuring 10 people overall.”
April 26, 2009: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Marion — $300,000 damage.
May 15, 1998: thunderstorm wind in Marion — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Minor damage sustained to boats and docks at Glen Elder Lake Marina, widespread tree damage, power lines downed.”
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 Marion, 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 Marion
- Hillsboro, KS11 mi
- Herington, KS23 mi
- North Newton, KS27 mi
- Newton, KS27 mi
- Hesston, KS27 mi
- Galva, KS28 mi
- Moundridge, KS30 mi
- Council Grove, KS35 mi
- Mcpherson, KS36 mi
- Halstead, KS36 mi
- Benton, KS38 mi
- El Dorado, KS38 mi
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