NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Medicine Lodge, 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 Medicine Lodge, Kansas since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 102 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 102
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Medicine Lodge
The strongest of the 102 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 17, 1976; its path came within 10 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on May 23, 2008, killed 2 people. Of the 102, 11 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 58 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 53. The most recent tornado was on June 7, 2025. Of the 171 Kansas cities on this site, 78% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Medicine Lodge. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 140 times since 1968, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Of the 171 Kansas cities, 75% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Medicine Lodge.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Medicine Lodge
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s24(2 EF3+)
- 2000s31(1 EF3+)
- 1990s13
- 1980s3
- 1970s6(1 EF3+)
- 1960s10(1 EF3+)
- 1950s12
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 17, 1976 | F4 | 10 mi | 19.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 23, 2008 | EF3 | 14 mi | 21.9 mi | 2 / 2 |
| May 19, 2012 | EF3 | 21 mi | 9.68 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 19, 2012 | EF3 | 21 mi | 9.72 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 1964 | F3 | 12 mi | 33 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 25, 2024 | EF2 | 24 mi | 6.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 23, 2008 | EF2 | 10 mi | 6.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 12, 2004 | F2 | 21 mi | 1.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 2002 | F2 | 21 mi | 22 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 14, 2001 | F2 | 20 mi | 7.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 10, 1974 | F2 | 23 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 21, 1968 | F2 | 14 mi | 30.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 102, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Medicine Lodge
The Storm Prediction Center has 140 hail reports within 10 miles of Medicine Lodge since 1968, made on 84 separate days. Of these, 85 were 1 inch across or larger, and 16 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on June 12, 2002. The most recent report is from April 22, 2025. June has the most reports, 45.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Medicine Lodge
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Medicine Lodge, KS, 3 miles east of Medicine Lodge at 1,535 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 94°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 46°F and 22°F. June is the wettest at 3.9 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.8 inches; the year adds up to 27.6 inches over 44 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 79 days a year, almost all from April to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 110 nights a year. Snowfall averages 9.4 inches a year, most of it in February. That 27.6 inches is more than at 25 of the 103 Kansas stations used on this site (24%). Pratt, 26 miles north, has its own station (Pratt 3NW, KS): 27.7 inches a year, the same as here, and a July average high of 92°F against 94°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46 | 22 | 0.8 | 2 | 2.1 |
| Feb | 50 | 26 | 1.0 | 2 | 4.0 |
| Mar | 60 | 35 | 2.0 | 4 | 0.8 |
| Apr | 70 | 44 | 2.4 | 4 | 0.1 |
| May | 79 | 55 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 90 | 65 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 94 | 70 | 3.1 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 92 | 68 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 59 | 2.6 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 72 | 45 | 2.4 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 58 | 33 | 1.1 | 2 | 0.3 |
| Dec | 47 | 24 | 1.1 | 2 | 2.1 |
| Year | 70 | 45 | 27.6 | 44 | 9.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Medicine Lodge, KS (1,535 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 Medicine Lodge
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 81 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Medicine Lodge: 67 thunderstorm wind reports, 6 heavy rain events, 4 floods, 2 flash floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $730,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on June 20, 2001.
July 27, 2009: lightning strike 3 miles from the centre of Medicine Lodge — 1 injured.
NWS: “A 14 year old male was struck and severely injured by a lightning bolt. He was going outside where some tents were pitch.”
May 24, 1998: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Medicine Lodge — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Rear Flank Downdraft caused extensive damage to roofs, trees, power lines and sheds.”
September 27, 1998: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Medicine Lodge — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Microburst caused extensive damage to the Lake Arrowhead resort area. Several boat docks were destroyed.”
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
Barber County, which includes Medicine Lodge, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 fire, 1 flood). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on September 11, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Barber County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail; Relatively Low for tornadoes and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $14.1 million a year, the 30th highest of 105 Kansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.6 million (11%), 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 Medicine Lodge
- Pratt, KS26 mi
- Anthony, KS33 mi
- Alva, OK34 mi
- Kingman, KS36 mi
- Cheney, KS51 mi
- St John, KS51 mi
- Conway Springs, KS53 mi
- Garden Plain, KS57 mi
- Haven, KS61 mi
- Goddard, KS62 mi
- South Hutchinson, KS63 mi
- Clearwater, KS63 mi
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