Hurricane History Map

Hurricanes that hit Kansas: hurricane history

9 storms have passed within 50 km of Kansas from 1886 to 2012, drawn on the map and coloured by intensity.

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Years1842 to 2026
Ocean basin

Choosing a minimum category hides storms with no wind speed in the record. To see which storms have passed near you, search a town or ZIP code, or tap the map.

Key
  • Tropical depression Winds below 34 knots (39 mph)
  • Tropical storm 34 to 63 knots (39 to 73 mph)
  • Category 1 64 to 82 knots (74 to 95 mph)
  • Category 2 83 to 95 knots (96 to 110 mph)
  • Category 3 96 to 112 knots (111 to 129 mph), major
  • Category 4 113 to 136 knots (130 to 156 mph), major
  • Category 5 137 knots (157 mph) or more, major
  • Unknown intensity No wind speed in the record
  • Post-tropical Storm has become post-tropical (dashed line)

How to read the lines. Each line is the track of one storm, drawn through its six-hourly positions and coloured by its intensity at each point (the Saffir-Simpson scale), so a line changes colour as the storm strengthens or weakens. Tap a line for its details, or tap anywhere else to see which storms have passed nearby. Weaker storms appear as you zoom in. Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are the same kind of storm with different names in different oceans.

Storms near Kansas

The record holds 9 tropical cyclones whose tracks passed within 50 km of Kansas between 1886 and 2012. The busiest month is September, with 5 of them. The strongest, measured where each came closest to the place, reached tropical storm strength. 1 of the storms have no wind speed in the record.

  • 9storms within 50 km
  • 0major (category 3 to 5) near here
  • 0at category 1 strength or more

A storm counts once, however many times it came close. The category is the storm's strongest point within 50 km, which can be weaker than its peak elsewhere.

How strong were the storms near Kansas?

Category near hereStormsShare
Tropical depression778%
Tropical storm111%
Category 100%
Category 200%
Category 300%
Category 400%
Category 500%
Unknown intensity111%

The agency behind most of the intensity figures here is the NOAA National Hurricane Center (HURDAT2, Atlantic).

Kansas storms over time

Storms by decade
Bar chart of storms by period. The most is 2 in 1920s.1880s11900s11920s21960s11970s11980s12010s2

The 2010s only run to 2012, so that bar is for a shorter period. This place's record starts in 1886, and records before the satellite era (about the 1960s) are far less complete.

Show the numbers
PeriodCount
1880s1
1900s1
1920s2
1960s1
1970s1
1980s1
2010s2

Earlier decades hold fewer storms partly because they were harder to see. Before weather satellites (about the 1960s) many storms that stayed at sea went unrecorded, so compare decades with care.

Storms by month
Bar chart of storms by period. The most is 5 in Sep.Jan0Feb0Mar0Apr0May0Jun2Jul1Aug1Sep5Oct0Nov0Dec0
Show the numbers
PeriodCount
Jan0
Feb0
Mar0
Apr0
May0
Jun2
Jul1
Aug1
Sep5
Oct0
Nov0
Dec0

Strongest storms near Kansas

  • Unnamed storm of August 1900 (North Atlantic)27 August 1900 to 15 September 1900, Tropical storm (35 kt) near here, peak Category 4 (125 kt), 936 hPa

Most recent storms near Kansas

  • Isaac (2012)20 August 2012 to 1 September 2012, Tropical depression (20 kt) near here, peak Category 1 (70 kt), 966 hPa
  • Hermine (2010)3 September 2010 to 10 September 2010, Tropical depression (20 kt) near here, peak Tropical storm (55 kt), 990 hPa
  • Gilbert (1988)8 September 1988 to 20 September 1988, Tropical depression (25 kt) near here, peak Category 5 (160 kt), 888 hPa
  • Claudette (1979)15 July 1979 to 29 July 1979, Tropical depression (15 kt) near here, peak Tropical storm (45 kt), 997 hPa
  • Candy (1968)22 June 1968 to 26 June 1968, Tropical depression (25 kt) near here, peak Tropical storm (60 kt), 995 hPa

Many of these storms killed people and destroyed homes. The figures are the official record's, and this page says nothing about their human cost.

Notable storms near Kansas with their own pages

  • Gilbert (1988)8 September 1988 to 20 September 1988, peak Category 5 (160 kt), 888 hPa
  • Isaac (2012)20 August 2012 to 1 September 2012, peak Category 1 (70 kt), 966 hPa

Kansas counties

Every county that a storm has come near is listed, most storms first. 9 of them have at least 3 storms and their own page.

CountyStormsStrongest near the county
Cherokee County8Tropical depression
Labette County5Tropical depression
Neosho County5Tropical depression
Crawford County4Tropical depression
Allen County3Tropical depression
Bourbon County3Tropical depression
Linn County3Tropical depression
Miami County3Tropical depression
Montgomery County3Tropical depression
Anderson County2Tropical depression
Atchison County2Tropical depression
Brown County2Tropical depression
Chautauqua County2Tropical depression
Doniphan County2Tropical depression
Franklin County2Tropical depression
Jackson County2Tropical depression
Jefferson County2Tropical depression
Leavenworth County2Tropical depression
Shawnee County2Tropical depression
Wilson County2Tropical depression
Butler County1Tropical storm
Chase County1Tropical depression
Cowley County1Tropical storm
Dickinson County1Tropical depression
Douglas County1Tropical depression
Geary County1Tropical depression
Greenwood County1Tropical depression
Harper County1Tropical storm
Harvey County1Tropical depression
Johnson County1Tropical depression
Kingman County1Tropical storm
Lyon County1Tropical depression
Marion County1Tropical depression
Marshall County1Tropical depression
McPherson County1Tropical depression
Morris County1Tropical depression
Nemaha County1Tropical depression
Osage County1Tropical depression
Pottawatomie County1Tropical depression
Reno County1Tropical depression
Riley County1Tropical depression
Sedgwick County1Tropical storm
Sumner County1Tropical storm
Wabaunsee County1Tropical depression
Wyandotte County1Tropical depression

Other states

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