NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Buffalo, 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
2 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Buffalo, Missouri since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1923. Since 1950, 86 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 86
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
14 deaths in all
What the records show for Buffalo
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Buffalo; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1902, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 33 miles away. The record near Buffalo begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1923, a tropical storm 74 miles away. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site, 43% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Buffalo. The highest rating among the 86 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on January 7, 2008, came within 18 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 4, 2003, killed 5 people. Of the 86, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 58 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 33. The most recent tornado was on April 29, 2025. Of the 334 Missouri cities, 59% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Buffalo. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 115 times since 1980, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Buffalo has more hail reports within 10 miles than 54% of the 334 Missouri cities.
Compare Buffalo's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Buffalo
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 17 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 33 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 Buffalo: 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 Buffalo
By decade
- 2020s11
- 2010s23
- 2000s24(4 EF3+)
- 1990s10
- 1980s3
- 1970s2
- 1960s9
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 10 mi | 86 mi | 5 / 47 |
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 24 mi | 14 mi | 4 / 27 |
| Jan 7, 2008 | EF3 | 18 mi | 50.39 mi | 3 / 18 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F3 | 22 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 19 |
| Feb 28, 2012 | EF2 | 2 mi | 9.5 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Dec 14, 1971 | F2 | in town | 48.3 mi | 1 / 22 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF2 | 7 mi | 4.25 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 31, 2008 | EF2 | 24 mi | 1.79 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2008 | EF2 | in town | 4.67 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jan 7, 2008 | EF2 | 17 mi | 5.44 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 7, 2008 | EF2 | 22 mi | 8.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 10, 1995 | F2 | 18 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 86, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Buffalo
The Storm Prediction Center has 115 hail reports within 10 miles of Buffalo since 1980, made on 83 separate days. Of these, 63 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 15, 2008. The most recent report is from April 4, 2025. April has the most reports, 33.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Buffalo
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Buffalo 2N, MO, 3 miles north of Buffalo at 1,071 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 20°F. May is the wettest at 5.8 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.2 inches; the year adds up to 45.2 inches over 72 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 34 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 108 nights a year. Snowfall averages 9.0 inches a year, most of it in January. That 45.2 inches is more than at 84 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (63%). Half Way, 8 miles southwest, has its own station (Bolivar 1 NE, MO): 46.5 inches a year, 1.3 more than here, and the same July average high, 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 20 | 2.4 | 4 | 4.1 |
| Feb | 48 | 24 | 2.2 | 4 | 1.7 |
| Mar | 58 | 33 | 3.5 | 7 | 1.2 |
| Apr | 68 | 42 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 76 | 52 | 5.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 61 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 66 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 64 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 55 | 4.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 43 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 57 | 33 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.5 |
| Dec | 46 | 24 | 2.5 | 5 | 1.5 |
| Year | 67 | 43 | 45.2 | 72 | 9.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Buffalo 2N, MO (1,071 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 Buffalo
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 213 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Buffalo: 96 thunderstorm wind reports, 68 flash floods, 35 floods, 12 heavy rain events and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 14, and the NWS estimated $4.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 101 mph, on May 23, 1998. June has had the most flash floods, 21 of 68. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 291 have had fewer than Buffalo.
December 26, 2015: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Buffalo — 1 killed.
NWS: “A 48 year old male was swept off of Bannon Road due to flash flooding along Opossum Creek.”
May 8, 2025: flood 6 miles from the centre of Buffalo — 1 killed.
NWS: “A fatality occurred when a moped was driven into a low water crossing on Mathis Road and was swept into Lindley Creek. 75 inches had fallen.”
October 31, 2008: lightning strike in Buffalo — 14 injured.
NWS: “Fourteen Buffalo High School students were injured from a large tree limb falling to the ground. This tree limb fell due to lightning striking the tree.”
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
Dallas County, which includes Buffalo, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 14 severe storms, 4 floods, 3 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding, on July 9, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Dallas County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for lightning; Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $10.4 million a year, the 79th highest of 115 Missouri counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.6 million (34%), 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.