NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Minneapolis, 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 Minneapolis, Kansas since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 125 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 13 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 125
- EF3 or stronger
- 13
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Minneapolis
The highest rating among the 125 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on May 25, 2016, came within 17 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on September 25, 1973, killed 3 people. Of the 125, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 57 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 49. The most recent tornado was on May 9, 2023. Of the 171 Kansas cities on this site, 54% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Minneapolis. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 173 times since 1959, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 171 Kansas cities, 56% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Minneapolis.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Minneapolis
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s30(5 EF3+)
- 2000s24(1 EF3+)
- 1990s22(1 EF3+)
- 1980s11
- 1970s12(2 EF3+)
- 1960s7(2 EF3+)
- 1950s16(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 25, 2016 | EF4 | 17 mi | 25.09 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Apr 14, 2012 | EF4 | 13 mi | 50.28 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 20, 1957 | F4 | 17 mi | 44.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 25, 1973 | F3 | 11 mi | 169.7 mi | 3 / 42 |
| May 1, 2018 | EF3 | 3 mi | 15.78 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 6, 2016 | EF3 | 25 mi | 6.48 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 28, 2013 | EF3 | 7 mi | 2.33 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 11, 2008 | EF3 | 24 mi | 16.45 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 15, 1992 | F3 | 11 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 25, 1973 | F3 | 9 mi | 69.9 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 21, 1969 | F3 | 22 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 60 |
| Jun 21, 1964 | F3 | 22 mi | 8.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 125, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Minneapolis
The Storm Prediction Center has 173 hail reports within 10 miles of Minneapolis since 1959, made on 104 separate days. Of these, 112 were 1 inch across or larger, and 15 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on May 1, 2018. 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 Minneapolis
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Minneapolis, KS, in Minneapolis at 1,306 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 18°F. May is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.9 inches; the year adds up to 31.8 inches over 54 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 69 days a year, almost all from May to October. Lows fall below freezing on about 120 nights a year. Snowfall averages 17.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 31.8 inches is more than at 37 of the 103 Kansas stations used on this site (36%). Salina, 22 miles south, has its own station (Salina Municipal Airport, KS): 29.7 inches a year, 2.1 less than here, and the same July average high, 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40 | 18 | 0.9 | 2 | 4.7 |
| Feb | 46 | 21 | 1.2 | 3 | 3.4 |
| Mar | 57 | 31 | 1.9 | 4 | 2.2 |
| Apr | 67 | 41 | 2.4 | 5 | 0.9 |
| May | 77 | 53 | 5.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 88 | 63 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 93 | 68 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 91 | 66 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 83 | 57 | 2.7 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 43 | 2.4 | 4 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 55 | 31 | 1.2 | 3 | 1.6 |
| Dec | 43 | 21 | 1.3 | 3 | 4.5 |
| Year | 67 | 43 | 31.8 | 54 | 17.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Minneapolis, KS (1,306 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 Minneapolis
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 105 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Minneapolis: 86 thunderstorm wind reports, 14 flash floods and 5 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $221,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on July 28, 2022. May has had the most flash floods, 7 of 14. Of the 169 Kansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 82 have had fewer than Minneapolis.
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
Ottawa County, which includes Minneapolis, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on September 1, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Ottawa 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 inland flooding, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $6.8 million a year, the 70th highest of 105 Kansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.0 million (44%), 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 Minneapolis
- Salina, KS22 mi
- Beloit, KS29 mi
- Abilene, KS29 mi
- Concordia, KS30 mi
- Clay Center, KS33 mi
- Lindsborg, KS37 mi
- Ellsworth, KS39 mi
- Junction City, KS47 mi
- Belleville, KS48 mi
- Fort Riley, KS48 mi
- Herington, KS53 mi
- Mcpherson, KS53 mi
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