NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Charleston, 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 Charleston, Missouri since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 131 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 131
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
10 deaths in all
What the records show for Charleston
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Charleston; the strongest was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm with 44 mph winds when its centre passed 13 miles away. The record near Charleston begins with an unnamed storm in 1906; the most recent system was Olga in 2019. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Charleston has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 81% of the 334 Missouri cities on this site. The strongest of the 131 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 22, 1981; its path came within 1 mile, and it killed 1 person. The deadliest, an EF2 on June 4, 2012, killed 3 people. Of the 131, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 70 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 35. The most recent tornado was on May 16, 2025. Charleston has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 79% of the 334 Missouri cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 54 times since 1962, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 334 Missouri cities, 85% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Charleston.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Charleston
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 33 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 29 | 64 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 Charleston: 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 Charleston
By decade
- 2020s19(2 EF3+)
- 2010s32(1 EF3+)
- 2000s19
- 1990s13
- 1980s11(1 EF3+)
- 1970s17(1 EF3+)
- 1960s9
- 1950s11(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 22, 1981 | F4 | 1 mi | 63 mi | 1 / 32 |
| May 16, 2025 | EF3 | 10 mi | 16.1 mi | 2 / 10 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF3 | 7 mi | 19.57 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF3 | 12 mi | 14.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1973 | F3 | 23 mi | 36 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Jun 12, 1958 | F3 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 22, 1955 | F3 | 14 mi | 12.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 20, 1955 | F3 | 8 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 17 |
| Jun 4, 2012 | EF2 | 7 mi | 0.5 mi | 3 / 0 |
| Nov 24, 1973 | F2 | 7 mi | 57.3 mi | 2 / 6 |
| May 15, 1986 | F2 | 20 mi | 4 mi | 1 / 15 |
| Dec 15, 1971 | F2 | 24 mi | 27 mi | 1 / 26 |
The strongest 12 of 131, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Charleston
The Storm Prediction Center has 54 hail reports within 10 miles of Charleston since 1962, made on 45 separate days. Of these, 34 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 23, 2000. The most recent report is from May 8, 2025. May has the most reports, 27.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Charleston
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Sikeston Pwr Stn, MO, 17 miles west of Charleston at 310 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 28°F. April is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 49.8 inches over 76 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 56 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 74 nights a year. Snowfall averages 3.1 inches a year, most of it in February. That 49.8 inches is more than at 125 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (93%). East Prairie, 12 miles south, has its own station (New Madrid, MO): 49.4 inches a year, 0.4 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 28 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.8 |
| Feb | 49 | 31 | 4.3 | 6 | 1.2 |
| Mar | 59 | 39 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.6 |
| Apr | 71 | 49 | 5.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 81 | 59 | 4.7 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 89 | 68 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 91 | 71 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 68 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 84 | 60 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 73 | 49 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 58 | 39 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 48 | 32 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.4 |
| Year | 70 | 49 | 49.8 | 76 | 3.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Sikeston Pwr Stn, MO (310 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 Charleston
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 123 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Charleston: 65 thunderstorm wind reports, 38 floods, 15 heavy rain events, 4 flash floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $205.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 115 mph, on February 18, 2000.
January 17, 1999: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Charleston — 3 injured, $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds overturned a mobile home and blew down a barn. The roof was removed from the Farm Bureau building in Charleston.”
May 2, 2011: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Charleston — $200.0 million damage.
May 1, 2011: flood 9 miles from the centre of Charleston — $1.0 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Charleston's ZIP code 63834 have filed 24 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $567,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Mid-spring storms in 2011: 22 claims (92% of all) and $566,000. 92% 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, 45 have fewer than Charleston.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-spring storms2011 | 22 | $566,000 |
Mississippi County, which includes Charleston, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 19 of them major disasters (by incident: 13 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 May 21, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Mississippi County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, hail and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $15.7 million a year, the 56th highest of 115 Missouri counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.4 million (15%), 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 Charleston
- East Prairie, MO12 mi
- Sikeston, MO15 mi
- Wickliffe, KY16 mi
- Benton, MO18 mi
- Bardwell, KY18 mi
- Oran, MO23 mi
- Scott City, MO24 mi
- Clinton, KY25 mi
- New Madrid, MO25 mi
- Hickman, KY25 mi
- Chaffee, MO28 mi
- Kevil, KY28 mi
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