NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Memphis, 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
1 tropical system has passed within 75 miles of Memphis, Missouri since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 67 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 67
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Memphis
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Memphis; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 44 mph winds when its centre passed 66 miles away. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site, 62% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Memphis. The strongest of the 67 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on January 24, 1967; its path came within 11 miles. The deadliest, an EF2 on May 13, 2009, killed 2 people. Of the 67, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 30 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on August 10, 2025. Of the 334 Missouri cities, 83% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Memphis. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 74 times since 1961, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 334 Missouri cities, 69% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Memphis.
Compare Memphis's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Memphis
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Memphis: 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 Memphis
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s11(1 EF3+)
- 2000s14
- 1990s11(1 EF3+)
- 1980s6
- 1970s10(2 EF3+)
- 1960s8(2 EF3+)
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 1967 | F4 | 11 mi | 25.7 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 1, 1973 | F3 | 24 mi | 3.6 mi | 2 / 20 |
| Apr 16, 1967 | F3 | 17 mi | 19.4 mi | 2 / 16 |
| May 27, 2019 | EF3 | 17 mi | 7.27 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 1999 | F3 | 23 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 20, 1973 | F3 | 7 mi | 9.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 13, 2009 | EF2 | 24 mi | 5.8 mi | 2 / 6 |
| Aug 4, 2023 | EF2 | 15 mi | 1.64 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 10, 2008 | EF2 | 18 mi | 1.83 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 2, 2006 | F2 | 22 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 10, 2003 | F2 | 14 mi | 22.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 13, 1995 | F2 | 8 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 67, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Memphis
The Storm Prediction Center has 74 hail reports within 10 miles of Memphis since 1961, made on 55 separate days. Of these, 38 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on September 10, 1984. The most recent report is from June 13, 2024. May has the most reports, 21.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Memphis
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Memphis, MO, in Memphis at 770 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 14°F. May is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 1.5 inches; the year adds up to 37.6 inches over 60 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 25 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 130 nights a year. Snowfall averages 19.3 inches a year, most of it in February. That 37.6 inches is more than at 3 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (2%). Edina, 21 miles south, has its own station (Steffenville, MO): 39.5 inches a year, 1.9 more than here, and the same July average high, 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 14 | 1.5 | 3 | 6.6 |
| Feb | 38 | 18 | 1.5 | 4 | 6.8 |
| Mar | 50 | 29 | 2.2 | 5 | 1.2 |
| Apr | 62 | 39 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.4 |
| May | 72 | 51 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 60 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 64 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 62 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 53 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 65 | 42 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 50 | 29 | 2.2 | 4 | 0.7 |
| Dec | 38 | 20 | 1.6 | 3 | 3.4 |
| Year | 61 | 40 | 37.6 | 60 | 19.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Memphis, MO (770 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 Memphis
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 93 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Memphis: 69 thunderstorm wind reports, 19 flash floods, 2 heavy rain events, 2 lightning strikes and 1 flood. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $596,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on April 2, 2006. June has had the most flash floods, 11 of 19. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 165 have had fewer than Memphis.
June 28, 2018: thunderstorm wind in Memphis — 1 injured.
NWS: “WGEM TV reported a tree blown down. A woman was injured.”
May 15, 2009: lightning strike 10 miles from the centre of Memphis — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “5 miles north northeast of Arbela, MO around 4 am May 15. Damage was reported to be extensive.”
May 12, 2010: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Memphis — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rains of about 4 inches in 2 hours resulted in flash flooding about 3 miles north northeast of Downing, MO during the late evening of May 12. The spotter's basement was flooded.”
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
Scotland County, which includes Memphis, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 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 September 21, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Scotland County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $6.2 million a year, the 106th highest of 115 Missouri counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.8 million (44%), is from heat waves.
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 Memphis
- Edina, MO21 mi
- Bloomfield, IA23 mi
- Kahoka, MO25 mi
- Kirksville, MO29 mi
- Donnellson, IA35 mi
- La Plata, MO35 mi
- Canton, MO38 mi
- Fairfield, IA40 mi
- Ottumwa, IA40 mi
- West Point, IA41 mi
- Keokuk, IA41 mi
- Centerville, IA41 mi
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