NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sterling, 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 Sterling, Kansas since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 146 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 17 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 146
- EF3 or stronger
- 17
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Sterling
The highest rating among the 146 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 14, 2012, came within 15 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on September 25, 1973, killed 3 people. Of the 146, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 62 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 66. The most recent tornado was on May 18, 2025. Sterling has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 66% of the 171 Kansas cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 117 times since 1962, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 171 Kansas cities, 83% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Sterling.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Sterling
By decade
- 2020s2(1 EF3+)
- 2010s26(3 EF3+)
- 2000s34
- 1990s18(4 EF3+)
- 1980s6
- 1970s9(1 EF3+)
- 1960s13(4 EF3+)
- 1950s38(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 8, 1950 | F4 | 17 mi | 17.1 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Apr 14, 2012 | EF4 | 15 mi | 50.28 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 26, 1991 | F4 | 14 mi | 13 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Sep 25, 1973 | F3 | 14 mi | 169.7 mi | 3 / 42 |
| May 18, 2025 | EF3 | 8 mi | 32.65 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 2015 | EF3 | 9 mi | 5.32 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 14, 2012 | EF3 | 11 mi | 39.67 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 26, 1991 | F3 | 5 mi | 26 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 24, 1990 | F3 | 21 mi | 60 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 1990 | F3 | 24 mi | 26 mi | 0 / 6 |
| May 25, 1965 | F3 | 21 mi | 25.3 mi | 0 / 8 |
| May 5, 1964 | F3 | 20 mi | 20.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 146, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sterling
The Storm Prediction Center has 117 hail reports within 10 miles of Sterling since 1962, made on 69 separate days. Of these, 83 were 1 inch across or larger, and 8 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on June 7, 1966. The most recent report is from June 17, 2025. May has the most reports, 45.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sterling
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Sterling, KS, 1 mile north of Sterling at 1,636 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 93°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 20°F. May is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.8 inches; the year adds up to 29.1 inches over 47 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 64 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 121 nights a year. Snowfall averages 9.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 29.1 inches is more than at 30 of the 103 Kansas stations used on this site (29%). Hutchinson, 18 miles southeast, has its own station (Hutchinson, KS): 33.0 inches a year, 3.9 more than here, and a July average high of 94°F against 93°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 20 | 0.8 | 2 | 3.3 |
| Feb | 46 | 22 | 1.0 | 2 | 2.6 |
| Mar | 57 | 31 | 2.0 | 4 | 0.7 |
| Apr | 67 | 41 | 2.4 | 5 | 0.2 |
| May | 77 | 53 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 88 | 64 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 93 | 69 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 67 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 58 | 2.0 | 4 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 44 | 2.5 | 4 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 56 | 31 | 1.1 | 2 | 0.6 |
| Dec | 44 | 22 | 1.0 | 2 | 1.8 |
| Year | 67 | 43 | 29.1 | 47 | 9.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Sterling, KS (1,636 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 Sterling
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 91 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sterling: 76 thunderstorm wind reports, 9 floods, 3 flash floods and 3 heavy rain events. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on August 12, 2002.
August 12, 2002: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Sterling — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Speeds ranged from 70-87kts, inflicting widespread tree and power line damage. The following were destroyed: One single-family home, three mobile homes, and a shed that was scattered amongst a grove of trees.”
May 8, 2009: flood 7 miles from the centre of Sterling — $340,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous low water crossings or small bridges were washed out due to high water. Concrete structures were damaged by the raging water with some estimates of 2 to 4 inches of rainfall.”
August 4, 2013: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Sterling — $100,000 damage.
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
Flood insurance policyholders in Sterling's ZIP code 67579 have filed 21 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $192,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 5% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 65 Kansas cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 11 have fewer than Sterling.
Rice County, which includes Sterling, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 22 of them major disasters (by incident: 17 severe storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 fire). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on September 1, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Rice County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail; Relatively Low for tornadoes, 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 $10.4 million a year, the 40th highest of 105 Kansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.0 million (28%), 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 Sterling
- Lyons, KS11 mi
- Hutchinson, KS18 mi
- South Hutchinson, KS19 mi
- Inman, KS22 mi
- Ellinwood, KS22 mi
- Haven, KS30 mi
- Mcpherson, KS31 mi
- Great Bend, KS34 mi
- St John, KS35 mi
- Moundridge, KS37 mi
- Ellsworth, KS38 mi
- Galva, KS38 mi
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