NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Whiteman Afb, MO
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 Whiteman Afb, Missouri since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 89 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 89
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Whiteman Afb
The strongest of the 89 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 19, 1973; its path came within 14 miles. The deadliest, an F1 on March 30, 2006, killed 1 person. Of the 89, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 43 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 33. The most recent tornado was on May 19, 2025. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site, 56% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Whiteman Afb. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 101 times since 1956, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 334 Missouri cities, 53% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Whiteman Afb.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Whiteman Afb
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s10
- 2000s28
- 1990s4
- 1980s17(1 EF3+)
- 1970s11(5 EF3+)
- 1960s12
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 19, 1973 | F4 | 14 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 5 |
| May 12, 1980 | F3 | 9 mi | 15.8 mi | 0 / 23 |
| May 4, 1977 | F3 | 11 mi | 11.2 mi | 0 / 24 |
| Apr 20, 1973 | F3 | 16 mi | 10.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 20, 1973 | F3 | 24 mi | 19.4 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 20, 1973 | F3 | 23 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F2 | 23 mi | 26 mi | 1 / 13 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F2 | 17 mi | 11.2 mi | 1 / 6 |
| Apr 12, 1964 | F2 | 5 mi | 10.7 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Aug 21, 1952 | F2 | 16 mi | 1.3 mi | 1 / 13 |
| May 25, 2011 | EF2 | 18 mi | 2.11 mi | 0 / 20 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F2 | 2 mi | 12.8 mi | 0 / 4 |
The strongest 12 of 89, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Whiteman Afb
The Storm Prediction Center has 101 hail reports within 10 miles of Whiteman Afb since 1956, made on 66 separate days. Of these, 71 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on August 17, 2004. The most recent report is from March 12, 2024. March has the most reports, 22.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Whiteman Afb
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Sweet Springs, MO, 18 miles northeast of Whiteman Afb at 675 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 38°F and 17°F. May and July are the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.5 inches; the year adds up to 42.8 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 37 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 112 nights a year. Snowfall averages 12.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 42.8 inches is more than at 52 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (39%). Warrensburg, 10 miles west, has its own station (Elm, MO): 42.9 inches a year, the same as here, and a July average high of 88°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38 | 17 | 1.5 | 4 | 4.7 |
| Feb | 44 | 22 | 2.0 | 4 | 2.3 |
| Mar | 56 | 32 | 2.9 | 6 | 1.5 |
| Apr | 66 | 42 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.3 |
| May | 76 | 53 | 5.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 63 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 67 | 5.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 65 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 56 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 43 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 55 | 32 | 2.6 | 4 | 0.4 |
| Dec | 43 | 23 | 2.1 | 4 | 2.9 |
| Year | 66 | 43 | 42.8 | 68 | 12.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Sweet Springs, MO (675 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 Whiteman Afb
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 92 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Whiteman Afb: 79 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods and 2 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $249,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 104 mph, on May 8, 2003. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 88 have had fewer than Whiteman Afb.
November 22, 1999: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Whiteman Afb — $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
Johnson County, which includes Whiteman Afb, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 4 floods, 3 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Johnson County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $24.3 million a year, the 34th highest of 115 Missouri counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $11.9 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 Whiteman Afb
- Knob Noster, MO2 mi
- Warrensburg, MO10 mi
- Green Ridge, MO11 mi
- Windsor, MO14 mi
- Centerview, MO17 mi
- Concordia, MO17 mi
- Sedalia, MO18 mi
- Sweet Springs, MO19 mi
- Holden, MO23 mi
- Higginsville, MO24 mi
- Cole Camp, MO28 mi
- Clinton, MO28 mi
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