NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Norton, 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 Norton, Kansas since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 80 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 80
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Norton
The strongest of the 80 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on May 10, 1985; its path came within 25 miles. Of the 80, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 40 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 31. The most recent tornado was on October 3, 2023. Of the 171 Kansas cities on this site, 94% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Norton. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 173 times since 1958, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 171 Kansas cities, 56% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Norton.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Norton
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s19(3 EF3+)
- 2000s16
- 1990s8(1 EF3+)
- 1980s14(1 EF3+)
- 1970s4(1 EF3+)
- 1960s5
- 1950s9(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 10, 1985 | F4 | 25 mi | 33 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 20, 2011 | EF3 | 14 mi | 8.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 20, 2011 | EF3 | 10 mi | 3.94 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 20, 2011 | EF3 | 15 mi | 11.87 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 3, 1999 | F3 | 7 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 14, 1970 | F3 | 23 mi | 17.2 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Oct 29, 1956 | F3 | 23 mi | 65.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 20, 2011 | EF2 | 11 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 24, 1993 | F2 | 7 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 12, 1983 | F2 | 19 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 1979 | F2 | 22 mi | 5.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 6, 1970 | F2 | 3 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 80, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Norton
The Storm Prediction Center has 173 hail reports within 10 miles of Norton since 1958, made on 99 separate days. Of these, 121 were 1 inch across or larger, and 15 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 3 inches (tea cup size), was reported on 3 days, most recently July 6, 2025. The most recent report is from July 6, 2025. June has the most reports, 57.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Norton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Norton Dam, KS, in Norton at 2,346 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 14°F. May is the wettest at 4.3 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.4 inches; the year adds up to 26.2 inches over 45 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 60 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 155 nights a year. Snowfall averages 19.6 inches a year, most of it in February. That 26.2 inches is more than at 22 of the 103 Kansas stations used on this site (21%). Phillipsburg, 32 miles east, has its own station (Phillipsburg #2, KS): 25.5 inches a year, 0.7 less than here, and a July average high of 93°F against 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40 | 14 | 0.4 | 1 | 3.5 |
| Feb | 43 | 17 | 0.5 | 2 | 5.4 |
| Mar | 55 | 26 | 1.2 | 3 | 2.6 |
| Apr | 65 | 35 | 2.7 | 5 | 1.1 |
| May | 75 | 47 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.2 |
| Jun | 87 | 58 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 92 | 64 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 61 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 52 | 2.1 | 3 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 67 | 38 | 2.3 | 4 | 0.9 |
| Nov | 53 | 25 | 0.9 | 2 | 1.2 |
| Dec | 41 | 16 | 0.8 | 1 | 4.7 |
| Year | 66 | 38 | 26.2 | 45 | 19.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Norton Dam, KS (2,346 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 Norton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 129 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Norton: 123 thunderstorm wind reports, 3 flash floods, 2 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $1.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 94 mph, on May 24, 2005.
May 30, 2004: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Norton — 3 injured.
NWS: “Blowing dirt reduced visibility causing a three-car accident on highway 36 resulting in three injuries.”
June 14, 2014: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Norton — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Roof and siding damage done to houses, with trees blown onto houses and a grain bin was damaged. Estimated time of report from radar.”
May 22, 2008: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Norton — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Street flooding with water up to 1 foot deep was reported in the city of Norton via the National Spotter Network. Radar also indicated extremely heavy rainfall occurring across much of central Norton county at this time.”
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
Norton County, which includes Norton, has been named in 13 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 2005, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane, 1 snowstorm). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, Straight-Line Winds, Flooding, and Wildfires, on May 21, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Norton County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes; Very Low for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $6.3 million a year, the 73rd highest of 105 Kansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.8 million (28%), is from hail.
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 Norton
- Phillipsburg, KS32 mi
- Oberlin, KS32 mi
- Mc Cook, NE46 mi
- Holdrege, NE52 mi
- Plainville, KS53 mi
- Wakeeney, KS56 mi
- Smith Center, KS60 mi
- Ellis, KS64 mi
- Colby, KS66 mi
- Lexington, NE67 mi
- Oakley, KS69 mi
- Minden, NE71 mi
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