NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Joplin, 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
2 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Joplin, Missouri since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 151 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 13 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 151
- EF3 or stronger
- 13
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
202 deaths in all
What the records show for Joplin
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Joplin; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1902, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 62 miles away. The record near Joplin begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm 64 miles away. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site, 43% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Joplin. The strongest of the 151 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF5 on May 22, 2011; its path came within 2 miles, and it killed 158 people. Of the 151, 20 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 65 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 50. The most recent tornado was on April 29, 2025. Joplin has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 92% of the 334 Missouri cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 278 times since 1955, with stones up to 4.25 inches. Joplin has more hail reports within 10 miles than 90% of the 334 Missouri cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Joplin
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 62 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 Joplin: 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 Joplin
By decade
- 2020s11
- 2010s28(3 EF3+)
- 2000s26(3 EF3+)
- 1990s18
- 1980s10(1 EF3+)
- 1970s20(3 EF3+)
- 1960s20(1 EF3+)
- 1950s18(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 22, 2011 | EF5 | 2 mi | 21.62 mi | 158 / 1150 |
| May 10, 2008 | EF4 | 11 mi | 75.51 mi | 21 / 350 |
| Apr 24, 1975 | F4 | 15 mi | 11.9 mi | 3 / 22 |
| Apr 3, 1956 | F4 | 1 mi | 41.8 mi | 0 / 59 |
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 20 mi | 49 mi | 7 / 48 |
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 9 mi | 25 mi | 5 / 34 |
| May 22, 2019 | EF3 | 22 mi | 11.29 mi | 3 / 1 |
| Mar 26, 1976 | F3 | 18 mi | 29.1 mi | 1 / 3 |
| May 5, 1971 | F3 | 1 mi | 13.1 mi | 1 / 60 |
| May 22, 2019 | EF3 | 6 mi | 9.22 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 15, 1982 | F3 | 19 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 7, 1960 | F3 | 18 mi | 4.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 151, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Joplin
The Storm Prediction Center has 278 hail reports within 10 miles of Joplin since 1955, made on 162 separate days. Of these, 175 were 1 inch across or larger, and 11 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.25 inches, fell on May 26, 2006. The most recent report is from September 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 80.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Joplin
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Joplin Regional Airport, MO, 5 miles north of Joplin at 980 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 25°F. May is the wettest at 6.6 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.9 inches; the year adds up to 45.7 inches over 67 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 53 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 87 nights a year. That 45.7 inches is more than at 89 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (66%). Diamond, 11 miles southeast, has its own station (Diamond 2W, MO): 46.8 inches a year, 1.1 more than here, and the same July average high, 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 25 | 1.9 | 4 |
| Feb | 50 | 29 | 2.0 | 4 |
| Mar | 60 | 37 | 3.3 | 6 |
| Apr | 69 | 47 | 5.0 | 7 |
| May | 77 | 56 | 6.6 | 9 |
| Jun | 86 | 65 | 5.6 | 7 |
| Jul | 90 | 70 | 4.0 | 5 |
| Aug | 90 | 68 | 3.4 | 5 |
| Sep | 82 | 59 | 4.2 | 5 |
| Oct | 71 | 48 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Nov | 58 | 37 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Dec | 48 | 29 | 2.6 | 4 |
| Year | 69 | 47 | 45.7 | 67 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Joplin Regional Airport, MO (980 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 Joplin
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 388 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Joplin: 227 thunderstorm wind reports, 94 flash floods, 29 floods, 28 heavy rain events and 10 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 13, and the NWS estimated $10.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on July 12, 2011. June has had the most flash floods, 24 of 94. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 315 have had fewer than Joplin.
May 23, 2011: lightning strike in Joplin — 1 killed, 1 injured.
NWS: “Emergency management officials relayed to the NWS that two law enforcement officers were struck by lightning while aiding in the recovery efforts from the EF-5 tornado in Joplin. Both officers were injured and taken to the hospital.”
August 22, 2015: flash flood 1 mile from the centre of Joplin — 1 killed.
NWS: “|In a non flooded drainage culvert, a 50 year old Joplin man drowned while jumping into the ditch to help two children who were playing in the water. This indirect fatality occurred near the 900 block of East 5th Street just north of Ewert Park.”
April 15, 2001: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Joplin — 10 injured, $1.0 million 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 Joplin's 2 ZIP codes have filed 136 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1980, and were paid $3.2 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Early winter storms in 2015: 19 claims (14% of all) and $1.2 million, then Late spring severe storms in 2017 with 16 and Flooding in 1995 with 11. 41% 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, 115 have fewer than Joplin.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Early winter storms2015 | 19 | $1.2 million |
| Late spring severe storms2017 | 16 | $601,000 |
| Flooding1995 | 11 | $33,000 |
Jasper County, which includes Joplin, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 5 floods, 4 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on August 3, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Jasper County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $58.5 million a year, the 12th highest of 115 Missouri counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $26.4 million (45%), 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).
Joplin in the notable storm records: The May 22, 2011 EF5 Tornado in Missouri, near Joplin
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Joplin
- Webb City, MO6 mi
- Carl Junction, MO8 mi
- Galena, KS8 mi
- Diamond, MO11 mi
- Carthage, MO13 mi
- Oronogo, MO13 mi
- Baxter Springs, KS14 mi
- Quapaw, OK15 mi
- Neosho, MO16 mi
- Seneca, MO17 mi
- Granby, MO18 mi
- Jasper, MO21 mi
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