NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Higginsville, 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
No tropical storm or hurricane has passed within 75 miles of Higginsville, Missouri since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 97 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 97
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Higginsville
The strongest of the 97 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on May 4, 1977; its path came within 20 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on January 24, 1967, killed 2 people. Of the 97, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 42 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 39. The most recent tornado was on May 6, 2024. Higginsville has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 53% of the 334 Missouri cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 59 times since 1958, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 334 Missouri cities, 81% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Higginsville.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Higginsville
By decade
- 2020s4
- 2010s14(1 EF3+)
- 2000s24
- 1990s6
- 1980s7
- 1970s9(2 EF3+)
- 1960s26(2 EF3+)
- 1950s7
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 4, 1977 | F4 | 20 mi | 48.6 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jan 24, 1967 | F3 | 22 mi | 14.5 mi | 2 / 18 |
| May 4, 1977 | F3 | 2 mi | 26.2 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Apr 12, 1964 | F3 | 23 mi | 19.5 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Mar 6, 2017 | EF3 | 11 mi | 17.74 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Jun 8, 2022 | EF2 | 22 mi | 9.56 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 10, 2014 | EF2 | 17 mi | 12.63 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F2 | 18 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 6 |
| May 9, 2003 | F2 | 6 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 4, 2003 | F2 | 23 mi | 22 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 12, 1980 | F2 | 14 mi | 27 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 1, 1973 | F2 | 8 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 97, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Higginsville
The Storm Prediction Center has 59 hail reports within 10 miles of Higginsville since 1958, made on 42 separate days. Of these, 35 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on June 13, 1958. The most recent report is from September 23, 2023. May has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Higginsville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Higginsville, MO, 2 miles northeast of Higginsville at 836 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 36°F and 18°F. May is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.4 inches; the year adds up to 40.8 inches over 66 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 27 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 115 nights a year. Snowfall averages 13.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 40.8 inches is more than at 26 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (19%). Concordia, 10 miles southeast, has its own station (Sweet Springs, MO): 42.8 inches a year, 2.0 more than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36 | 18 | 1.4 | 3 | 4.8 |
| Feb | 42 | 23 | 1.8 | 4 | 3.1 |
| Mar | 53 | 33 | 2.8 | 6 | 1.4 |
| Apr | 64 | 43 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.2 |
| May | 74 | 55 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 64 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 68 | 5.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 86 | 65 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 57 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 67 | 45 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 52 | 33 | 2.5 | 4 | 1.0 |
| Dec | 41 | 23 | 1.8 | 4 | 3.0 |
| Year | 63 | 44 | 40.8 | 66 | 13.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Higginsville, MO (836 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 Higginsville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 55 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Higginsville: 48 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 flash floods and 2 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $65,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on August 7, 2011. July has had the most flash floods, 3 of 5. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 25 have had fewer than Higginsville.
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
Lafayette County, which includes Higginsville, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 7 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 Lafayette County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $20.2 million a year, the 43rd highest of 115 Missouri counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.5 million (32%), 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 Higginsville
- Concordia, MO10 mi
- Lexington, MO11 mi
- Odessa, MO13 mi
- Sweet Springs, MO18 mi
- Bates City, MO19 mi
- Warrensburg, MO20 mi
- Richmond, MO22 mi
- Centerview, MO22 mi
- Knob Noster, MO22 mi
- Oak Grove, MO22 mi
- Whiteman Afb, MO24 mi
- Carrollton, MO25 mi
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