NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Branson, 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
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Branson, Missouri since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 81 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 81
- EF3 or stronger
- 1
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Branson
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Branson; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 43 mph winds when its centre passed 40 miles away. The record near Branson begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Branson has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 56% of the 334 Missouri cities on this site. The strongest of the 81 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F3 on March 24, 1954; its path came within 24 miles. Of the 81, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 55 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 20. The most recent tornado was on April 20, 2025. Of the 334 Missouri cities, 63% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Branson. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 232 times since 1956, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Branson has more hail reports within 10 miles than 86% of the 334 Missouri cities.
Compare Branson's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Branson
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 1 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 8 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 Branson: 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 Branson
By decade
- 2020s14
- 2010s26
- 2000s15
- 1990s6
- 1980s3
- 1970s5
- 1960s8
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 24, 1954 | F3 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Feb 29, 2012 | EF2 | in town | 24.29 mi | 0 / 47 |
| May 22, 2011 | EF2 | 11 mi | 15.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 30, 1979 | F2 | 21 mi | 24.2 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Mar 13, 1973 | F2 | 7 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Sep 16, 1968 | F2 | 22 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 12, 1961 | F2 | 1 mi | 16.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 12, 1961 | F2 | 15 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 4, 1955 | F2 | 22 mi | 10.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 4, 2022 | EF1 | 19 mi | 8.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF1 | 8 mi | 1.57 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF1 | 8 mi | 0.62 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 81, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Branson
The Storm Prediction Center has 232 hail reports within 10 miles of Branson since 1956, made on 126 separate days. Of these, 141 were 1 inch across or larger, and 15 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently May 3, 2020. The most recent report is from March 30, 2025. May has the most reports, 77.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Branson
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Ozark Beach, MO, 9 miles east of Branson at 834 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 48°F and 24°F. May is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 45.7 inches over 67 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 53 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 103 nights a year. Snowfall averages 6.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 45.7 inches is more than at 91 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (68%). Branson West, 7 miles northwest, has its own station (Galena, MO): 46.6 inches a year, 0.9 more 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 | 48 | 24 | 2.7 | 4 | 2.3 |
| Feb | 53 | 28 | 2.5 | 4 | 1.8 |
| Mar | 62 | 35 | 4.2 | 7 | 1.0 |
| Apr | 72 | 44 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 79 | 54 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 88 | 63 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 92 | 67 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 91 | 65 | 3.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 58 | 4.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 73 | 46 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 61 | 35 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 50 | 28 | 2.8 | 5 | 1.7 |
| Year | 71 | 45 | 45.7 | 67 | 6.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Ozark Beach, MO (834 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 Branson
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 384 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Branson: 246 thunderstorm wind reports, 76 flash floods, 36 heavy rain events, 22 floods and 4 lightning strikes. They killed 24 people and injured 7, and the NWS estimated $36.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on August 26, 2019. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 301 have had fewer than Branson.
July 19, 2018: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Branson — 17 killed.
May 27, 2017: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Branson — 3 killed, $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Highway 165 was closed due flash flooding of Cooper Creek. Numerous swift water rescues were conducted around the Branson area.”
May 1, 2019: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Branson — 2 killed.
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
Flood insurance policyholders in Branson's ZIP code 65616 have filed 180 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1982, and were paid $8.2 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Mid-spring storms in 2011: 41 claims (23% of all) and $3.1 million, then Early winter storms in 2015 with 34 and Late spring severe storms in 2017 with 27. 66% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 172 Missouri cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 130 have fewer than Branson.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-spring storms2011 | 41 | $3.1 million |
| Early winter storms2015 | 34 | $2.3 million |
| Late spring severe storms2017 | 27 | $1.3 million |
Taney County, which includes Branson, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1976, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 13 severe storms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on September 21, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Taney County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $41.2 million a year, the 17th highest of 115 Missouri counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $28.0 million (68%), 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 Branson
- Hollister, MO3 mi
- Branson West, MO7 mi
- Kirbyville, MO9 mi
- Forsyth, MO9 mi
- Kimberling City, MO10 mi
- Omaha, AR15 mi
- Galena, MO15 mi
- Shell Knob, MO19 mi
- Highlandville, MO19 mi
- Green Forest, AR23 mi
- Crane, MO24 mi
- Lead Hill, AR24 mi
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