NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Pierce City, 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 Pierce City, Missouri since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 115 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 115
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
198 deaths in all
What the records show for Pierce City
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Pierce City; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1902, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 37 miles away. The record near Pierce City begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm 42 miles away. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site, 43% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Pierce City. The strongest of the 115 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF5 on May 22, 2011; its path came within 11 miles, and it killed 158 people. Of the 115, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 71 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 31. The most recent tornado was on June 6, 2025. Pierce City has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 67% of the 334 Missouri cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 181 times since 1961, with stones up to 5.25 inches. Pierce City has more hail reports within 10 miles than 79% of the 334 Missouri cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Pierce City
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 37 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 Pierce City: 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 Pierce City
By decade
- 2020s11
- 2010s31(1 EF3+)
- 2000s29(3 EF3+)
- 1990s5
- 1980s4
- 1970s20(3 EF3+)
- 1960s8
- 1950s7
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 22, 2011 | EF5 | 11 mi | 21.62 mi | 158 / 1150 |
| May 10, 2008 | EF4 | 7 mi | 75.51 mi | 21 / 350 |
| Apr 24, 1975 | F4 | 20 mi | 11.9 mi | 3 / 22 |
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | in town | 49 mi | 7 / 48 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F3 | 12 mi | 42 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Mar 26, 1976 | F3 | 9 mi | 29.1 mi | 1 / 3 |
| May 5, 1971 | F3 | 20 mi | 13.1 mi | 1 / 60 |
| Dec 17, 2002 | F2 | 16 mi | 4 mi | 2 / 17 |
| Feb 29, 2012 | EF2 | 19 mi | 1.7 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Nov 15, 1988 | F2 | 18 mi | 28 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Apr 4, 2017 | EF2 | 14 mi | 16.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 22, 2011 | EF2 | 2 mi | 14.13 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 115, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Pierce City
The Storm Prediction Center has 181 hail reports within 10 miles of Pierce City since 1961, made on 112 separate days. Of these, 107 were 1 inch across or larger, and 8 reached 2 inches. The largest, 5.25 inches, fell on April 26, 1994. The most recent report is from April 20, 2025. May has the most reports, 49.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Pierce City
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Monett 4SW, MO, 7 miles southeast of Pierce City at 1,420 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 24°F. May is the wettest at 6.0 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.2 inches; the year adds up to 46.5 inches over 72 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 34 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 89 nights a year. Snowfall averages 6.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 46.5 inches is more than at 98 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (73%). Sarcoxie, 11 miles northwest, has its own station (Mt Vernon Univ Mo - SW Ctr, MO): 45.6 inches a year, 0.9 less than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 24 | 2.5 | 4 | 2.4 |
| Feb | 49 | 28 | 2.2 | 5 | 1.1 |
| Mar | 58 | 36 | 3.8 | 7 | 1.9 |
| Apr | 67 | 45 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 75 | 55 | 6.0 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 64 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 68 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 66 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 58 | 4.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 47 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 57 | 36 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 47 | 28 | 2.9 | 5 | 1.1 |
| Year | 67 | 46 | 46.5 | 72 | 6.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Monett 4SW, MO (1,420 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 Pierce City
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 246 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Pierce City: 171 thunderstorm wind reports, 49 flash floods, 16 floods, 9 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $8.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on May 8, 2009. May has had the most flash floods, 11 of 49. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 266 have had fewer than Pierce City.
May 8, 2009: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Pierce City — $4.0 million damage.
April 28, 1996: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Pierce City — $1.0 million damage.
April 10, 2008: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Pierce City — $750,000 damage.
NWS: “Two to four inches of rain fell over Barry County. Any areas that typically flood during periods of excessive rainfall were 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
Lawrence County, which includes Pierce City, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 4 floods, 3 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 9, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lawrence County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail and inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $22.0 million a year, the 41st highest of 115 Missouri counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $10.1 million (46%), 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).
Pierce City 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 Pierce City
- Monett, MO6 mi
- Sarcoxie, MO11 mi
- Purdy, MO12 mi
- Granby, MO13 mi
- Verona, MO13 mi
- Mount Vernon, MO15 mi
- Diamond, MO17 mi
- Aurora, MO17 mi
- Exeter, MO19 mi
- Miller, MO21 mi
- Cassville, MO21 mi
- Neosho, MO21 mi
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