NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Lexington, 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 Lexington, Missouri since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 94 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 94
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Lexington
The highest rating among the 94 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 4, 1977, came within 22 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on January 24, 1967, killed 2 people. Of the 94, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 39 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 39. The most recent tornado was on June 3, 2025. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site, 49% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Lexington. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 82 times since 1955, with stones up to 4.25 inches. Of the 334 Missouri cities, 63% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Lexington.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Lexington
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s17(1 EF3+)
- 2000s16
- 1990s5
- 1980s4
- 1970s11(3 EF3+)
- 1960s25(3 EF3+)
- 1950s10
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 4, 1977 | F4 | 11 mi | 48.6 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 4, 1977 | F4 | 22 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jan 24, 1967 | F3 | 11 mi | 14.5 mi | 2 / 18 |
| May 4, 1977 | F3 | 9 mi | 26.2 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Apr 12, 1964 | F3 | 23 mi | 19.5 mi | 1 / 10 |
| Mar 6, 2017 | EF3 | 12 mi | 17.74 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Apr 21, 1967 | F3 | 21 mi | 14.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 8, 2022 | EF2 | 15 mi | 9.56 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 28, 2019 | EF2 | 24 mi | 5.85 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 16, 2015 | EF2 | 17 mi | 10.03 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 10, 2014 | EF2 | 7 mi | 12.63 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 9, 2003 | F2 | 15 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 94, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Lexington
The Storm Prediction Center has 82 hail reports within 10 miles of Lexington since 1955, made on 57 separate days. Of these, 49 were 1 inch across or larger, and 9 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.25 inches, fell on June 30, 2023. The most recent report is from May 21, 2024. May has the most reports, 23.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Lexington
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lexington 3E, MO, in Lexington at 825 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 38°F and 20°F. May is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.8 inches; the year adds up to 43.3 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 37 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 118 nights a year. Snowfall averages 13.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 43.3 inches is more than at 60 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (45%). Richmond, 11 miles northwest, has its own station (Richmond 3S, MO): 42.0 inches a year, 1.3 less than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 38 | 20 | 1.8 | 4 | 4.7 |
| Feb | 44 | 23 | 2.0 | 4 | 3.2 |
| Mar | 55 | 33 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.8 |
| Apr | 65 | 44 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.2 |
| May | 75 | 54 | 5.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 64 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 68 | 5.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 66 | 4.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 57 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 45 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 54 | 34 | 2.4 | 4 | 0.8 |
| Dec | 43 | 25 | 1.9 | 4 | 4.1 |
| Year | 65 | 44 | 43.3 | 68 | 13.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Lexington 3E, MO (825 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 Lexington
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 75 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Lexington: 65 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 flash floods, 2 floods and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $361,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on September 7, 2001. July has had the most flash floods, 4 of 7. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 40 have had fewer than Lexington.
September 11, 2000: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Lexington — $200,000 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
Lafayette County, which includes Lexington, 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 Lexington
- Richmond, MO11 mi
- Higginsville, MO11 mi
- Odessa, MO14 mi
- Bates City, MO18 mi
- Buckner, MO19 mi
- Oak Grove, MO19 mi
- Concordia, MO20 mi
- Grain Valley, MO22 mi
- Excelsior Springs, MO22 mi
- Carrollton, MO24 mi
- Lawson, MO25 mi
- Blue Springs, MO25 mi
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