NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Birch Tree, 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
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Birch Tree, Missouri since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 46 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 46
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
17 deaths in all
What the records show for Birch Tree
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Birch Tree; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 45 mph winds when its centre passed 13 miles away. The record near Birch Tree begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. The busiest decade was the 1900s, with 2 systems. Of the 6 systems, one has come since 2000. Birch Tree has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 95% of the 334 Missouri cities on this site. The highest rating among the 46 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on December 24, 1982, came within 20 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on May 21, 1957, killed 7 people. Of the 46, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 23 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 10. The most recent tornado was on March 14, 2025. Of the 334 Missouri cities, 97% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Birch Tree. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 52 times since 1982, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 334 Missouri cities, 87% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Birch Tree.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Birch Tree
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 17 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 29 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Birch Tree: 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 Birch Tree
By decade
- 2020s7(4 EF3+)
- 2010s3
- 2000s13(1 EF3+)
- 1990s1
- 1980s10(3 EF3+)
- 1970s3(1 EF3+)
- 1960s7
- 1950s2(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 1957 | F4 | 18 mi | 9.1 mi | 7 / 75 |
| Apr 2, 1982 | F4 | 24 mi | 20 mi | 2 / 28 |
| Dec 24, 1982 | F4 | 20 mi | 63 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF3 | 19 mi | 35.52 mi | 3 / 4 |
| Oct 18, 1984 | F3 | 6 mi | 26 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF3 | 17 mi | 23.54 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF3 | 9 mi | 57.24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF3 | 6 mi | 12.42 mi | 0 / 5 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF3 | 23 mi | 2.17 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 19, 1970 | F3 | 18 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Nov 24, 1973 | F2 | 16 mi | 1 mi | 3 / 1 |
| Mar 12, 1961 | F2 | 22 mi | 21.1 mi | 1 / 11 |
The strongest 12 of 46, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Birch Tree
The Storm Prediction Center has 52 hail reports within 10 miles of Birch Tree since 1982, made on 46 separate days. Of these, 25 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on April 3, 2007. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Birch Tree
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Eminence 1 N, MO, 16 miles northeast of Birch Tree at 640 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 21°F. May is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 2.8 inches; the year adds up to 47.4 inches over 67 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 65 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 119 nights a year. Snowfall averages 6.0 inches a year, most of it in January. That 47.4 inches is more than at 111 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (83%). Mountain View, 13 miles west, has its own station (West Plains Municipal Airport, MO): 47.2 inches a year, 0.2 less than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 21 | 2.8 | 5 | 2.3 |
| Feb | 51 | 24 | 2.9 | 5 | 1.9 |
| Mar | 61 | 32 | 4.5 | 7 | 1.3 |
| Apr | 71 | 42 | 5.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| May | 80 | 54 | 5.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 87 | 62 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 92 | 65 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 91 | 64 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 83 | 56 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 73 | 42 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 60 | 32 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 48 | 24 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.4 |
| Year | 70 | 43 | 47.4 | 67 | 6.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Eminence 1 N, MO (640 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 Birch Tree
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 44 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Birch Tree: 26 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 flash floods, 5 floods and 3 heavy rain events. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $146,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on August 19, 2003. April has had the most flash floods, 5 of 10. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 72 have had fewer than Birch Tree.
July 5, 2011: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Birch Tree — 1 killed, $2,000 damage.
NWS: “A Shannon County resident was swept off a low water bridge during the early morning hours of July 5th after isolated thunderstorms produced heavy rainfall causing a small stream to become swollen and overflow its banks.”
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
Shannon County, which includes Birch Tree, has been named in 27 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1976, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 17 severe storms, 3 floods, 3 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 21, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Shannon County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $12.1 million a year, the 69th highest of 115 Missouri counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.6 million (30%), 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 Birch Tree
- Winona, MO11 mi
- Mountain View, MO13 mi
- Alton, MO20 mi
- Willow Springs, MO26 mi
- West Plains, MO27 mi
- Van Buren, MO27 mi
- Thayer, MO29 mi
- Ellington, MO32 mi
- Mammoth Spring, AR36 mi
- Houston, MO36 mi
- Cabool, MO36 mi
- Ellsinore, MO41 mi
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