NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit East Prairie, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of East Prairie, 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
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 123
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
74 deaths in all
What the records show for East Prairie
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed East Prairie; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1888, a tropical storm with 60 mph winds when its centre passed 71 miles away. The record near East Prairie begins with an unnamed storm in 1888; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 13 miles away. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. East Prairie has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 87% of the 334 Missouri cities on this site. The highest rating among the 123 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on December 10, 2021, came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an EF4 on December 10, 2021, killed 57 people. Of the 123, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 66 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 29. The most recent tornado was on November 18, 2025. East Prairie has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 72% of the 334 Missouri cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 18 times since 1968, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 334 Missouri cities, 100% have more hail reports within 10 miles than East Prairie.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near East Prairie
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 29 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1888 | Unnamed 1888 stormAug 21 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (60 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in East Prairie: 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 East Prairie
By decade
- 2020s24(4 EF3+)
- 2010s29(1 EF3+)
- 2000s13
- 1990s13
- 1980s7(1 EF3+)
- 1970s16(1 EF3+)
- 1960s8
- 1950s13(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF4 | 22 mi | 168.53 mi | 57 / 515 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF4 | 24 mi | 81.17 mi | 8 / 14 |
| Apr 22, 1981 | F4 | 10 mi | 63 mi | 1 / 32 |
| May 16, 2025 | EF3 | 17 mi | 16.1 mi | 2 / 10 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF3 | 15 mi | 19.57 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 17, 2013 | EF3 | 21 mi | 14.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1973 | F3 | 21 mi | 36 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Apr 22, 1955 | F3 | 3 mi | 12.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 20, 1955 | F3 | in town | 3.6 mi | 0 / 17 |
| Nov 13, 1951 | F3 | 23 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 4, 2012 | EF2 | 16 mi | 0.5 mi | 3 / 0 |
| Nov 24, 1973 | F2 | 2 mi | 57.3 mi | 2 / 6 |
The strongest 12 of 123, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in East Prairie
The Storm Prediction Center has 18 hail reports within 10 miles of East Prairie since 1968. Of these, 9 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 7, 1971. The most recent report is from March 30, 2025. May has the most reports, 6.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in East Prairie
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is New Madrid, MO, 14 miles southwest of East Prairie at 302 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 28°F. May is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and August the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 49.4 inches over 71 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 72 nights a year. That 49.4 inches is more than at 123 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (92%). Charleston, 12 miles north, has its own station (Sikeston Pwr Stn, MO): 49.8 inches a year, 0.4 more than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 28 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Feb | 49 | 31 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Mar | 58 | 39 | 4.4 | 7 |
| Apr | 69 | 49 | 5.1 | 8 |
| May | 79 | 59 | 5.5 | 8 |
| Jun | 87 | 67 | 4.2 | 6 |
| Jul | 90 | 71 | 3.7 | 5 |
| Aug | 89 | 68 | 2.6 | 4 |
| Sep | 82 | 60 | 3.9 | 5 |
| Oct | 72 | 49 | 4.0 | 5 |
| Nov | 58 | 38 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Dec | 47 | 31 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Year | 69 | 49 | 49.4 | 71 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at New Madrid, MO (302 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 East Prairie
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 50 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of East Prairie: 40 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 floods, 3 heavy rain events, 2 lightning strikes and 1 flash flood. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $1.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 120 mph, on April 24, 2010.
April 24, 2010: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of East Prairie — 1 injured, $250,000 damage.
NWS: “A macroburst approximately eight miles long and three miles wide struck the East Prairie area with winds up to 120 mph. The origins of the macroburst were in New Madrid County, but the vast majority of the event occurred in Mississippi County.”
April 3, 2008: lightning strike 3 miles from the centre of East Prairie — 1 injured.
NWS: “A man was struck by lightning while walking home with an umbrella. He received burns and was taken to a St.”
April 30, 1997: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of East Prairie — $200,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in East Prairie's ZIP code 63845 have filed 182 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $3.9 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Mid-spring storms in 2011: 95 claims (52% of all) and $3.6 million. 54% 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, 131 have fewer than East Prairie.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-spring storms2011 | 95 | $3.6 million |
Mississippi County, which includes East Prairie, 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 East Prairie
- Charleston, MO12 mi
- New Madrid, MO14 mi
- Hickman, KY16 mi
- Sikeston, MO16 mi
- Tiptonville, TN18 mi
- Clinton, KY22 mi
- Bardwell, KY23 mi
- Wickliffe, KY24 mi
- Benton, MO26 mi
- Union City, TN27 mi
- Portageville, MO28 mi
- Troy, TN29 mi
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