NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Dexter, 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 Dexter, Missouri since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 123 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 123
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
12 deaths in all
What the records show for Dexter
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Dexter; the strongest was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm with 45 mph winds when its centre passed 46 miles away. The record near Dexter begins with an unnamed storm in 1906; the most recent system was Olga in 2019. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Dexter has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 81% of the 334 Missouri cities on this site. The highest rating among the 123 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on April 24, 2002, came within 20 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on May 16, 2025, killed 2 people. Of the 123, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 66 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 27. The most recent tornado was on May 16, 2025. Dexter has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 72% of the 334 Missouri cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 60 times since 1965, with stones up to 3.5 inches. Of the 334 Missouri cities, 80% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Dexter.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Dexter
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 21 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 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Dexter: 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 Dexter
By decade
- 2020s19(3 EF3+)
- 2010s32(2 EF3+)
- 2000s15(1 EF3+)
- 1990s20
- 1980s12(1 EF3+)
- 1970s12(2 EF3+)
- 1960s8
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 22, 1981 | F4 | 4 mi | 63 mi | 1 / 32 |
| Apr 24, 2002 | F4 | 20 mi | 40.5 mi | 0 / 16 |
| May 16, 2025 | EF3 | 17 mi | 16.1 mi | 2 / 10 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF3 | 19 mi | 17.92 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Feb 29, 2012 | EF3 | 13 mi | 19.96 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Feb 21, 1976 | F3 | 16 mi | 23.7 mi | 1 / 16 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF3 | 14 mi | 19.57 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF3 | 21 mi | 14.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1973 | F3 | in town | 36 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Nov 13, 1951 | F3 | 17 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Nov 24, 1973 | F2 | 20 mi | 57.3 mi | 2 / 6 |
| Feb 24, 2018 | EF2 | 16 mi | 41.93 mi | 1 / 5 |
The strongest 12 of 123, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Dexter
The Storm Prediction Center has 60 hail reports within 10 miles of Dexter since 1965, made on 53 separate days. Of these, 31 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.5 inches, fell on July 3, 1997. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. April has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Dexter
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Malden Municipal Airport, MO, 13 miles south of Dexter at 290 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 46°F and 27°F. April is the wettest at 5.4 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 3.0 inches; the year adds up to 48.5 inches over 69 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 59 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 77 nights a year. That 48.5 inches is more than at 116 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (87%). Bloomfield, 9 miles north, has its own station (Sikeston Pwr Stn, MO): 49.8 inches a year, 1.3 more than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 92°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46 | 27 | 3.2 | 5 |
| Feb | 51 | 30 | 3.7 | 6 |
| Mar | 61 | 38 | 4.5 | 7 |
| Apr | 71 | 48 | 5.4 | 7 |
| May | 81 | 59 | 5.2 | 7 |
| Jun | 90 | 68 | 3.6 | 5 |
| Jul | 92 | 71 | 4.2 | 5 |
| Aug | 91 | 69 | 3.0 | 5 |
| Sep | 85 | 61 | 3.2 | 5 |
| Oct | 74 | 49 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Nov | 60 | 38 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Dec | 49 | 31 | 4.5 | 6 |
| Year | 71 | 49 | 48.5 | 69 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Malden Municipal Airport, MO (290 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 Dexter
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 100 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Dexter: 77 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 flash floods, 8 heavy rain events, 6 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 2 people and injured 7, and the NWS estimated $3.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on May 21, 2019. May 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 Dexter.
April 2, 2006: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Dexter — 1 killed, 1 injured, $400,000 damage.
NWS: “S. Highway 60 east of Dexter.”
December 24, 2009: flood 7 miles from the centre of Dexter — 1 killed.
NWS: “Near Bernie, a woman drowned when her vehicle hydroplaned off Highway U and into a water-filled drainage ditch. The car drifted downstream over 400 feet until it lodged on a large culvert.”
October 24, 2001: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Dexter — 4 injured, $20,000 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
Stoddard County, which includes Dexter, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 16 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 Stoddard County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, strong wind, 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 $28.9 million a year, the 29th highest of 115 Missouri counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.5 million (16%), 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 Dexter
- Bernie, MO9 mi
- Bloomfield, MO9 mi
- Puxico, MO15 mi
- Malden, MO15 mi
- Campbell, MO20 mi
- Wappapello, MO21 mi
- Advance, MO22 mi
- Sikeston, MO23 mi
- Poplar Bluff, MO25 mi
- Oran, MO26 mi
- New Madrid, MO27 mi
- Portageville, MO29 mi
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