NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Seneca, 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 Seneca, Kansas since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 98 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 98
- 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 Seneca
The highest rating among the 98 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 5 times; the most recent, on May 21, 2019, came within 8 miles. The deadliest, an EF2 on June 11, 2008, killed 2 people. Of the 98, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 34 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 31. The most recent tornado was on May 19, 2025. Of the 171 Kansas cities on this site, 83% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Seneca. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 147 times since 1955, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 171 Kansas cities, 72% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Seneca.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Seneca
By decade
- 2020s10
- 2010s12(3 EF3+)
- 2000s12
- 1990s33
- 1980s3
- 1970s4
- 1960s16(1 EF3+)
- 1950s8(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 2019 | EF3 | 8 mi | 5.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 3, 2014 | EF3 | 8 mi | 6.33 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 28, 2013 | EF3 | 12 mi | 4.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 1960 | F3 | 12 mi | 13.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 1959 | F3 | 23 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 11, 2008 | EF2 | 20 mi | 17.28 mi | 2 / 0 |
| May 12, 2023 | EF2 | 23 mi | 1.48 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 13, 1998 | F2 | 15 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 1993 | F2 | 18 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 1993 | F2 | 2 mi | 23 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 1984 | F2 | 18 mi | 18 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 16, 1968 | F2 | 24 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 98, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Seneca
The Storm Prediction Center has 147 hail reports within 10 miles of Seneca since 1955, made on 79 separate days. Of these, 100 were 1 inch across or larger, and 14 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 4 inches (softball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 28, 2013. The most recent report is from April 1, 2025. June has the most reports, 49.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Seneca
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Baileyville, KS, 7 miles west of Seneca at 1,296 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 35°F and 15°F. May is the wettest at 4.4 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.6 inches; the year adds up to 30.6 inches over 56 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 32 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 139 nights a year. That 30.6 inches is more than at 33 of the 103 Kansas stations used on this site (32%). Sabetha, 12 miles east, has its own station (Falls City Brenner Field, NE): 34.6 inches a year, 4.0 more than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 35 | 15 | 0.6 | 2 |
| Feb | 39 | 18 | 1.0 | 3 |
| Mar | 53 | 29 | 2.1 | 4 |
| Apr | 63 | 39 | 3.2 | 5 |
| May | 73 | 52 | 4.4 | 8 |
| Jun | 83 | 62 | 4.0 | 7 |
| Jul | 87 | 65 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Aug | 85 | 63 | 3.4 | 7 |
| Sep | 78 | 53 | 2.5 | 4 |
| Oct | 66 | 41 | 2.6 | 4 |
| Nov | 51 | 29 | 1.8 | 3 |
| Dec | 39 | 20 | 1.3 | 3 |
| Year | 63 | 40 | 30.6 | 56 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Baileyville, KS (1,296 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 Seneca
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 110 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Seneca: 89 thunderstorm wind reports, 19 flash floods and 2 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $171,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 26, 2024. May has had the most flash floods, 7 of 19. Of the 169 Kansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 102 have had fewer than Seneca.
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
Nemaha County, which includes Seneca, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 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 Nemaha County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for inland flooding and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $8.4 million a year, the 48th highest of 105 Kansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.5 million (42%), 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 Seneca
- Sabetha, KS12 mi
- Hiawatha, KS27 mi
- Horton, KS30 mi
- Falls City, NE30 mi
- Holton, KS31 mi
- Marysville, KS31 mi
- Tecumseh, NE38 mi
- Mayetta, KS38 mi
- Auburn, NE39 mi
- Saint Marys, KS44 mi
- Wamego, KS45 mi
- Valley Falls, KS47 mi
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