NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Benton, 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
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Benton, Missouri since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 153 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 153
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
16 deaths in all
What the records show for Benton
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Benton; the strongest was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm with 44 mph winds when its centre passed 29 miles away. The record near Benton begins with an unnamed storm in 1906; the most recent system was Olga in 2019. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Benton has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 81% of the 334 Missouri cities on this site. The strongest of the 153 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 22, 1981; its path came within 16 miles, and it killed 1 person. The deadliest, an EF2 on June 4, 2012, killed 3 people. Of the 153, 13 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 81 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 38. The most recent tornado was on June 7, 2025. Benton has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 93% of the 334 Missouri cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 73 times since 1955, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 334 Missouri cities, 70% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Benton.
Compare Benton's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Benton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 29 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Benton: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Benton
By decade
- 2020s22(2 EF3+)
- 2010s30(2 EF3+)
- 2000s29(2 EF3+)
- 1990s19
- 1980s15(1 EF3+)
- 1970s19(1 EF3+)
- 1960s10
- 1950s9(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 22, 1981 | F4 | 16 mi | 63 mi | 1 / 32 |
| May 16, 2025 | EF3 | 9 mi | 16.1 mi | 2 / 10 |
| Feb 29, 2012 | EF3 | 19 mi | 19.96 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Apr 28, 2002 | F3 | 22 mi | 19.3 mi | 1 / 10 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF3 | 11 mi | 19.57 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF3 | 4 mi | 14.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 6, 2003 | F3 | 21 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 7, 1973 | F3 | 21 mi | 36 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Mar 20, 1955 | F3 | 23 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 17 |
| Jun 4, 2012 | EF2 | 10 mi | 0.5 mi | 3 / 0 |
| Dec 18, 1957 | F2 | 9 mi | 0.5 mi | 3 / 1 |
| Nov 24, 1973 | F2 | 24 mi | 57.3 mi | 2 / 6 |
The strongest 12 of 153, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Benton
The Storm Prediction Center has 73 hail reports within 10 miles of Benton since 1955, made on 57 separate days. Of these, 42 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 4, 2012. The most recent report is from November 18, 2025. May has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Benton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport, MO, 9 miles north of Benton at 336 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 26°F. May is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 48.0 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 47 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 90 nights a year. That 48.0 inches is more than at 115 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (86%). Sikeston, 14 miles south, has its own station (Sikeston Pwr Stn, MO): 49.8 inches a year, 1.8 more than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 26 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Feb | 48 | 30 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Mar | 58 | 37 | 4.7 | 7 |
| Apr | 69 | 47 | 5.2 | 8 |
| May | 78 | 58 | 5.3 | 8 |
| Jun | 87 | 66 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Jul | 89 | 69 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Aug | 88 | 66 | 3.2 | 5 |
| Sep | 82 | 58 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Oct | 71 | 46 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Nov | 57 | 37 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Dec | 46 | 30 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Year | 68 | 47 | 48.0 | 75 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport, MO (336 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 Benton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 186 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Benton: 89 floods, 81 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 flash floods, 6 heavy rain events and 2 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $10.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on June 4, 2012. August has had the most flash floods, 4 of 8. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 46 have had fewer than Benton.
June 1, 2019: flood 10 miles from the centre of Benton — $2.2 million damage.
July 1, 2015: flood 6 miles from the centre of Benton — $2.0 million damage.
May 1, 2011: flood 6 miles from the centre of Benton — $1.5 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
Scott County, which includes Benton, has been named in 31 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 24 of them major disasters (by incident: 18 severe storms, 5 floods, 3 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on August 3, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Scott County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail and inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $37.1 million a year, the 18th highest of 115 Missouri counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.2 million (17%), is from tornadoes.
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.