NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Oswego, 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 Oswego, Kansas since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 126 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 126
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
34 deaths in all
What the records show for Oswego
The highest rating among the 126 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on May 10, 2008, came within 13 miles. Of the 126, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 61 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 48. The most recent tornado was on May 6, 2024. Of the 171 Kansas cities on this site, 53% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Oswego. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 103 times since 1959, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Of the 171 Kansas cities, 92% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Oswego.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Oswego
By decade
- 2020s2
- 2010s22
- 2000s37(5 EF3+)
- 1990s7
- 1980s16(1 EF3+)
- 1970s13
- 1960s16(1 EF3+)
- 1950s13(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 10, 2008 | EF4 | 13 mi | 75.51 mi | 21 / 350 |
| May 4, 2003 | F4 | 17 mi | 33 mi | 4 / 30 |
| Sep 27, 1959 | F4 | 5 mi | 20.4 mi | 1 / 1 |
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 13 mi | 25 mi | 5 / 34 |
| Mar 15, 1982 | F3 | 4 mi | 30 mi | 1 / 6 |
| Apr 21, 2005 | F3 | 19 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 2000 | F3 | 11 mi | 34 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 7, 1960 | F3 | 24 mi | 4.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 1958 | F3 | 6 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 27, 2014 | EF2 | 25 mi | 11.37 mi | 1 / 37 |
| Jun 11, 1970 | F2 | 25 mi | 15.4 mi | 1 / 1 |
| May 1, 2012 | EF2 | 20 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 126, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Oswego
The Storm Prediction Center has 103 hail reports within 10 miles of Oswego since 1959, made on 69 separate days. Of these, 69 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on April 19, 2003. The most recent report is from May 22, 2025. May has the most reports, 31.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Oswego
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Parsons 2 NW, KS, 15 miles northwest of Oswego at 910 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 22°F. May is the wettest at 6.8 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.4 inches; the year adds up to 44.8 inches over 67 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 47 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 104 nights a year. Snowfall averages 7.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 44.8 inches is more than at 96 of the 103 Kansas stations used on this site (93%). Columbus, 14 miles east, has its own station (Columbus, KS): 46.2 inches a year, 1.4 more than here, and the same July average high, 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 22 | 1.4 | 3 | 2.5 |
| Feb | 48 | 26 | 1.7 | 4 | 0.8 |
| Mar | 58 | 35 | 3.0 | 6 | 1.2 |
| Apr | 67 | 44 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 76 | 55 | 6.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 65 | 5.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 69 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 67 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 58 | 4.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 46 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 57 | 35 | 2.8 | 5 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 46 | 26 | 2.0 | 4 | 2.4 |
| Year | 68 | 46 | 44.8 | 67 | 7.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Parsons 2 NW, KS (910 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 Oswego
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 117 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Oswego: 73 thunderstorm wind reports, 20 flash floods, 12 heavy rain events, 11 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $7.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 110 mph, on February 28, 2012. May has had the most flash floods, 7 of 20. Of the 169 Kansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 108 have had fewer than Oswego.
February 28, 2012: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Oswego — 3 injured, $250,000 damage.
May 8, 2009: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Oswego — $5.5 million damage.
NWS: “A National Weather Service storm survey revealed that damaging winds impacted nearly all of Cherokee County. Widespread damage occurred in the form of downed power poles, uprooted trees, damaged structures, and damaged crops.”
July 5, 2004: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Oswego — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Barn sustained minor roof damage with trees uprooted in it's immediate vicinity. ) Approximately 180 homes damaged, the magnitude ranging from minor to a few that were considered "totaled" by insurance adjustors.”
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
Labette County, which includes Oswego, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 29, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Labette County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $18.2 million a year, the 19th highest of 105 Kansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.9 million (49%), 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 Oswego
- Parsons, KS13 mi
- Columbus, KS14 mi
- Commerce, OK23 mi
- Cherryvale, KS24 mi
- Baxter Springs, KS24 mi
- Miami, OK25 mi
- Girard, KS27 mi
- Galena, KS27 mi
- Quapaw, OK28 mi
- Coffeyville, KS28 mi
- Pittsburg, KS28 mi
- Frontenac, KS31 mi
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