NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ellsinore, 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 Ellsinore, Missouri since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 85 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 85
- EF3 or stronger
- 12
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
16 deaths in all
What the records show for Ellsinore
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Ellsinore; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 45 mph winds when its centre passed 42 miles away. The record near Ellsinore begins with an unnamed storm in 1906; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Ellsinore has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 87% of the 334 Missouri cities on this site. The highest rating among the 85 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on March 14, 2025, came within 20 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on May 21, 1957, killed 7 people. Of the 85, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 46 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 21. The most recent tornado was on May 16, 2025. Of the 334 Missouri cities, 60% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Ellsinore. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 46 times since 1976, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 334 Missouri cities, 92% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Ellsinore.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Ellsinore
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 17 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 29 | 30 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 Ellsinore: 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 Ellsinore
By decade
- 2020s16(5 EF3+)
- 2010s21(1 EF3+)
- 2000s9(1 EF3+)
- 1990s11
- 1980s16(1 EF3+)
- 1970s9(2 EF3+)
- 1960s1(1 EF3+)
- 1950s2(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 1957 | F4 | 16 mi | 9.1 mi | 7 / 75 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF4 | 20 mi | 115.95 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 24, 2002 | F4 | 1 mi | 40.5 mi | 0 / 16 |
| Dec 24, 1982 | F4 | 16 mi | 63 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF3 | 13 mi | 29.85 mi | 3 / 2 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF3 | 7 mi | 30.6 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF3 | 18 mi | 17.92 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Feb 21, 1976 | F3 | 21 mi | 23.7 mi | 1 / 16 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF3 | 17 mi | 57.24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 25, 2011 | EF3 | 1 mi | 47.41 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 30, 1970 | F3 | 23 mi | 8.2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 25, 1964 | F3 | 12 mi | 46 mi | 0 / 26 |
The strongest 12 of 85, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ellsinore
The Storm Prediction Center has 46 hail reports within 10 miles of Ellsinore since 1976, made on 40 separate days. Of these, 31 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on March 5, 1996. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. April has the most reports, 13.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ellsinore
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Clearwater Dam, MO, 14 miles north of Ellsinore at 660 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 23°F. April is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 3.2 inches; the year adds up to 48.7 inches over 70 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 50 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 109 nights a year. That 48.7 inches is more than at 118 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (88%). Poplar Bluff, 22 miles southeast, has its own station (Poplar Bluff, MO): 52.4 inches a year, 3.7 more than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 23 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Feb | 48 | 27 | 3.2 | 5 |
| Mar | 58 | 35 | 4.7 | 7 |
| Apr | 69 | 44 | 5.3 | 7 |
| May | 77 | 54 | 5.1 | 8 |
| Jun | 85 | 63 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Jul | 89 | 68 | 4.6 | 6 |
| Aug | 88 | 66 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Sep | 80 | 57 | 3.8 | 5 |
| Oct | 70 | 45 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Nov | 57 | 35 | 4.6 | 6 |
| Dec | 46 | 27 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Year | 68 | 45 | 48.7 | 70 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Clearwater Dam, MO (660 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 Ellsinore
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 61 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ellsinore: 32 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 floods, 8 flash floods, 4 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $432,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on April 28, 2026. April 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 Ellsinore.
March 9, 2006: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Ellsinore — 1 killed, $25,000 damage.
NWS: “Flash flooding of Ten Mile Creek caused the death of a 57-year-old man. The man drowned when the flat bed truck he was driving was swept off the road as he was attempting to cross the creek.”
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
Carter County, which includes Ellsinore, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1976, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 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 Carter County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $10.7 million a year, the 77th highest of 115 Missouri counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.5 million (52%), 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 Ellsinore
- Van Buren, MO14 mi
- Piedmont, MO15 mi
- Poplar Bluff, MO22 mi
- Doniphan, MO22 mi
- Ellington, MO24 mi
- Wappapello, MO26 mi
- Winona, MO31 mi
- Puxico, MO34 mi
- Corning, AR38 mi
- Alton, MO38 mi
- Birch Tree, MO41 mi
- Dexter, MO44 mi
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