NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Tonganoxie, 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 Tonganoxie, Kansas since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 128 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 16 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 128
- EF3 or stronger
- 16
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Tonganoxie
The highest rating among the 128 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 6 times; the most recent, on May 28, 2019, came within 7 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on May 4, 2003, killed 2 people. Of the 128, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 46 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 44. The most recent tornado was on May 19, 2024. Of the 171 Kansas cities on this site, 51% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Tonganoxie. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 226 times since 1960, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Tonganoxie has more hail reports within 10 miles than 64% of the 171 Kansas cities.
Compare Tonganoxie's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Tonganoxie
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s9(1 EF3+)
- 2000s29(1 EF3+)
- 1990s19
- 1980s8(1 EF3+)
- 1970s7(1 EF3+)
- 1960s30(11 EF3+)
- 1950s18(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 4, 2003 | F4 | 14 mi | 21 mi | 2 / 30 |
| Jun 8, 1966 | F4 | 6 mi | 19.9 mi | 1 / 2 |
| May 19, 1960 | F4 | 20 mi | 27.5 mi | 1 / 92 |
| May 28, 2019 | EF4 | 7 mi | 29.07 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 7, 1961 | F4 | 9 mi | 26.2 mi | 0 / 12 |
| May 22, 1952 | F4 | 7 mi | 26.9 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 19, 1981 | F3 | 13 mi | 7.7 mi | 1 / 33 |
| Apr 12, 1964 | F3 | 9 mi | 14 mi | 1 / 22 |
| May 4, 1977 | F3 | 17 mi | 31.6 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 26, 1969 | F3 | 25 mi | 10.1 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 19, 1966 | F3 | 20 mi | 7.7 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 10, 1965 | F3 | 21 mi | 23.2 mi | 0 / 11 |
The strongest 12 of 128, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Tonganoxie
The Storm Prediction Center has 226 hail reports within 10 miles of Tonganoxie since 1960, made on 129 separate days. Of these, 141 were 1 inch across or larger, and 19 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently March 12, 2006. The most recent report is from May 19, 2025. May has the most reports, 50.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Tonganoxie
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lawrence Municipal Airport, KS, 10 miles southwest of Tonganoxie at 832 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 41°F and 18°F. June is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.9 inches; the year adds up to 35.6 inches over 58 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 51 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 123 nights a year. That 35.6 inches is more than at 57 of the 103 Kansas stations used on this site (55%). Basehor, 8 miles east, has its own station (Bonner Springs, KS): 40.5 inches a year, 4.9 more than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41 | 18 | 0.9 | 2 |
| Feb | 46 | 22 | 1.3 | 3 |
| Mar | 58 | 32 | 2.2 | 5 |
| Apr | 68 | 42 | 4.0 | 7 |
| May | 77 | 53 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Jun | 86 | 64 | 4.8 | 7 |
| Jul | 91 | 67 | 3.9 | 5 |
| Aug | 90 | 65 | 4.1 | 6 |
| Sep | 82 | 55 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Oct | 69 | 44 | 2.9 | 5 |
| Nov | 56 | 31 | 1.8 | 3 |
| Dec | 44 | 22 | 1.4 | 2 |
| Year | 67 | 43 | 35.6 | 58 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Lawrence Municipal Airport, KS (832 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 Tonganoxie
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 232 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Tonganoxie: 194 thunderstorm wind reports, 29 flash floods, 8 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $4.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on June 11, 1997. June has had the most flash floods, 9 of 29. Of the 169 Kansas cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 128 have had fewer than Tonganoxie.
June 2, 2008: lightning strike 8 miles from the centre of Tonganoxie — 1 injured.
October 2, 2005: flood 8 miles from the centre of Tonganoxie — $3.1 million damage.
May 24, 2019: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Tonganoxie — $1.0 million 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
Leavenworth County, which includes Tonganoxie, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1967, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 severe storms, 5 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 tornadoes). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 29, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Leavenworth County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $34.5 million a year, the 8th highest of 105 Kansas counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $13.0 million (38%), 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.