NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Houston, 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 Houston, Missouri since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 57 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 57
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Houston
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Houston; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 45 mph winds when its centre passed 23 miles away. The record near Houston begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Houston has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 56% of the 334 Missouri cities on this site. The strongest of the 57 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on March 25, 1954; its path came within 11 miles, and it killed 2 people. Of the 57, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 32 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 16. The most recent tornado was on May 16, 2025. Of the 334 Missouri cities, 92% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Houston. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 69 times since 1962, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Of the 334 Missouri cities, 72% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Houston.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Houston
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 17 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 27 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 Houston: 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 Houston
By decade
- 2020s8(1 EF3+)
- 2010s14
- 2000s10
- 1990s2
- 1980s7
- 1970s5(1 EF3+)
- 1960s8
- 1950s3(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 25, 1954 | F4 | 11 mi | 12.1 mi | 2 / 0 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF3 | 23 mi | 12.42 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 11, 1979 | F3 | in town | 35.4 mi | 0 / 9 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF2 | 23 mi | 27.89 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 27, 2002 | F2 | 20 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 24, 1988 | F2 | 2 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Dec 2, 1982 | F2 | 13 mi | 23 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Sep 11, 1975 | F2 | 1 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 13, 1974 | F2 | 3 mi | 7.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 13, 1974 | F2 | 24 mi | 9.2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 24, 1968 | F2 | 5 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 3, 1968 | F2 | 13 mi | 11.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 57, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Houston
The Storm Prediction Center has 69 hail reports within 10 miles of Houston since 1962, made on 54 separate days. Of these, 39 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on March 27, 2020. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 21.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Houston
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Houston, MO, in Houston at 1,224 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 24°F. May is the wettest at 5.4 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 46.8 inches over 69 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 29 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 108 nights a year. Snowfall averages 3.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 46.8 inches is more than at 103 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (77%). Licking, 13 miles north, has its own station (Licking 4N, MO): 46.4 inches a year, 0.4 less than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 24 | 2.7 | 5 | 1.6 |
| Feb | 48 | 28 | 2.5 | 5 | 0.6 |
| Mar | 57 | 36 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.5 |
| Apr | 68 | 45 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 75 | 54 | 5.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 63 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 87 | 67 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 86 | 65 | 4.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 57 | 4.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 45 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 56 | 36 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.3 |
| Dec | 46 | 28 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.7 |
| Year | 66 | 46 | 46.8 | 69 | 3.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Houston, MO (1,224 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 Houston
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 111 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Houston: 65 thunderstorm wind reports, 33 flash floods, 7 floods and 6 heavy rain events. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $13.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on June 10, 2003. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 233 have had fewer than Houston.
April 30, 2017: flash flood in Houston — $8.0 million damage.
NWS: “Numerous homes and business sustained severe flood damage across Texas County. Numerous roads and bridges were severely damaged or washed away across the county.”
August 6, 2013: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Houston — $2.5 million damage.
NWS: “This storm report will include the total estimated damages due to the flooding event. Numerous roadways and low water crossings were flooded and damaged due to the flood waters across the county.”
April 25, 2011: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Houston — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “ The total cost estimate for flooding damages for Texas 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
Texas County, which includes Houston, has been named in 27 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1976, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 14 severe storms, 4 floods, 4 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 Texas County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes and inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $16.5 million a year, the 54th highest of 115 Missouri counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.7 million (28%), 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 Houston
- Licking, MO13 mi
- Cabool, MO15 mi
- Plato, MO20 mi
- Mountain Grove, MO20 mi
- Willow Springs, MO22 mi
- Mountain View, MO26 mi
- Norwood, MO30 mi
- Hartville, MO30 mi
- Fort Leonard Wood, MO31 mi
- Salem, MO33 mi
- Birch Tree, MO36 mi
- Saint Robert, MO37 mi
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