Wichita, KS Live Doppler Radar

Watch storms move over Wichita in real time — every NWS radar combined, storm tracks, official warnings, and the closest radar's full 250 m detail.

Open live radar for Wichita What TALON shows

Which radars cover Wichita?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar to Wichita, KS is KICT (Wichita), about 7 miles to the west-southwest. Radar beams climb as they travel because the Earth curves away underneath them, so the height of the lowest scan over a city decides how much of a storm's base the radar can see.

Radar	Distance	Lowest beam over Wichita	View of low-level rotation
KICT Wichita, KS	7 mi west-southwest	300 ft	Excellent — the lowest scan is close to the ground, where tornadoes form
KVNX Vance AFB, OK	79 mi southwest	6,700 ft	Fair — the lowest scan is already well above the ground
KTWX Topeka, KS	108 mi north-northeast	10,900 ft	Fair — the lowest scan is already well above the ground

Beam height is the center of the 0.5° scan above the radar, using standard atmospheric refraction. Hills and buildings near the radar can block it further.

On TALON you get Wichita's live radar loop, storm tracks with arrival times and NWS warnings free; close-up radar and rotation detection are part of TALON Pro.

Tornado & hail history near Wichita

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 171 tornadoes within 25 miles of Wichita, 34 of them rated EF2/F2 or stronger. They have been most common in May and April. The strongest was an F5 on April 26, 1991, which passed about 6 miles southeast of the city and caused 17 deaths. The most recent was a tornado of unknown strength on April 30, 2024, which touched down about 19 miles east of the city.

Hail: 1,413 reports of hail 1 inch or larger within 25 miles of Wichita since 1955, 157 of them 2 inches or larger. The largest was 7.75-inch hail (grapefruit size) on September 15, 2010.

Tornadoes since 1950	171
EF2/F2 or stronger	34
Strongest tornado	F5 · Apr 1991
Busiest tornado month	May
Largest hail	7.75 in · Sep 2010

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database — tornadoes 1950–2025, hail 1955–2025 (the latest year is preliminary). Distances are to each tornado's recorded track; ratings before February 2007 use the original Fujita (F) scale.

Wichita radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to Wichita?

KICT near Wichita, KS, about 7 miles away. A second radar, KVNX (Vance AFB), is 79 miles away and also covers the area.

Can radar see a tornado over Wichita?

Radar can't see the tornado itself, but it can see the rotating storm and, once a tornado is lofting debris, a debris signature. Over Wichita the lowest scan from KICT is roughly 300 ft up. Excellent — the lowest scan is close to the ground, where tornadoes form. TALON combines that with NOAA's ProbSevere model to flag storms most likely to produce tornadoes.

How often do tornadoes hit Wichita?

NOAA records show 171 tornadoes within 25 miles of Wichita since 1950 — about 2.2 a year on average, most often in May and April. Most were weak, but 34 were EF2/F2 or stronger.

Should I rely on radar for my safety?

No app replaces official warnings. When the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning for Wichita, take shelter right away — see watch vs. warning.