NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Galena, 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
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Galena, Missouri since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 125 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 125
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
35 deaths in all
What the records show for Galena
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Galena; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 43 mph winds when its centre passed 55 miles away. The record near Galena begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Galena has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 56% of the 334 Missouri cities on this site. The highest rating among the 125 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 10, 2008, came within 17 miles. Of the 125, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 83 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 29. The most recent tornado was on April 29, 2025. Galena has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 73% of the 334 Missouri cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 114 times since 1956, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Galena has more hail reports within 10 miles than 53% of the 334 Missouri cities.
Compare Galena's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Galena
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 7 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 Galena: 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 Galena
By decade
- 2020s18
- 2010s36
- 2000s29(3 EF3+)
- 1990s8(1 EF3+)
- 1980s7
- 1970s11
- 1960s10
- 1950s6(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 10, 2008 | EF4 | 17 mi | 75.51 mi | 21 / 350 |
| Nov 29, 1991 | F4 | 25 mi | 10 mi | 2 / 64 |
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 22 mi | 49 mi | 7 / 48 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F3 | 19 mi | 42 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Mar 24, 1954 | F3 | 11 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Feb 29, 2012 | EF2 | 23 mi | 1.7 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Nov 15, 1988 | F2 | 19 mi | 28 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Dec 14, 1971 | F2 | 18 mi | 48.3 mi | 1 / 22 |
| Feb 29, 2012 | EF2 | 10 mi | 24.29 mi | 0 / 47 |
| May 22, 2011 | EF2 | 4 mi | 15.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 7, 2008 | EF2 | 23 mi | 6.44 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 7, 2008 | EF2 | 21 mi | 12.43 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 125, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Galena
The Storm Prediction Center has 114 hail reports within 10 miles of Galena since 1956, made on 77 separate days. Of these, 71 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 3 inches (tea cup size), was reported on 2 days, most recently July 3, 2024. The most recent report is from March 30, 2025. April has the most reports, 34.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Galena
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Galena, MO, 3 miles north of Galena at 1,027 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 22°F. May is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 46.6 inches over 66 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 47 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 112 nights a year. Snowfall averages 6.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 46.6 inches is more than at 100 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (75%). Branson, 15 miles southeast, has its own station (Ozark Beach, MO): 45.7 inches a year, 0.9 less than here, and a July average high of 92°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 22 | 2.5 | 4 | 3.6 |
| Feb | 50 | 26 | 2.7 | 4 | 1.1 |
| Mar | 59 | 34 | 4.4 | 7 | 1.4 |
| Apr | 69 | 43 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 53 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 63 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 66 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 65 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 56 | 4.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 44 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 58 | 33 | 4.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 47 | 26 | 2.7 | 4 | 0.8 |
| Year | 68 | 44 | 46.6 | 66 | 6.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Galena, MO (1,027 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 Galena
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 167 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Galena: 96 thunderstorm wind reports, 50 flash floods, 12 floods, 5 heavy rain events and 4 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $12.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 99 mph, on July 3, 2024. April has had the most flash floods, 15 of 50. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 269 have had fewer than Galena.
August 13, 2023: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Galena — 3 injured, $150,000 damage.
July 4, 2004: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Galena — 1 injured, $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Stone County experienced significant damage countywide from A derecho that swept through much of southwestern Missouri during the early morning hours of July 4th. Numerous trees and power lines were downed, along with damaged homes and billboard signs.”
April 25, 2011: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Galena — $4.0 million damage.
NWS: “ The total cost estimate for flooding damages for Stone County for this entire episode has been included. This includes roads, bridges, and structures which were affected.”
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 Galena's ZIP code 65656 have filed 29 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 2008, and were paid $951,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Early winter storms in 2015: 11 claims (38% of all) and $210,000. 93% 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, 53 have fewer than Galena.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Early winter storms2015 | 11 | $210,000 |
Stone County, which includes Galena, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 13 severe storms, 4 floods, 3 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Stone County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $30.1 million a year, the 26th highest of 115 Missouri counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $13.1 million (43%), 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.