NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Pleasant Hope, 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 Pleasant Hope, Missouri since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 121 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 121
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
21 deaths in all
What the records show for Pleasant Hope
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Pleasant Hope; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1902, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 30 miles away. The record near Pleasant Hope begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm 48 miles away. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site, 43% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Pleasant Hope. The strongest of the 121 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on November 29, 1991; its path came within 16 miles, and it killed 2 people. The deadliest, an F3 on May 4, 2003, killed 7 people. Of the 121, 12 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 79 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 37. The most recent tornado was on April 29, 2025. Pleasant Hope has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 71% of the 334 Missouri cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 169 times since 1965, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Pleasant Hope has more hail reports within 10 miles than 77% of the 334 Missouri cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Pleasant Hope
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 30 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 Pleasant Hope: 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 Pleasant Hope
By decade
- 2020s13
- 2010s33
- 2000s33(4 EF3+)
- 1990s13(1 EF3+)
- 1980s9(1 EF3+)
- 1970s4
- 1960s9
- 1950s7
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 29, 1991 | F4 | 16 mi | 10 mi | 2 / 64 |
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 22 mi | 49 mi | 7 / 48 |
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 22 mi | 86 mi | 5 / 47 |
| Jan 7, 2008 | EF3 | 12 mi | 50.39 mi | 3 / 18 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F3 | 25 mi | 42 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Apr 29, 1983 | F3 | 14 mi | 5.5 mi | 1 / 19 |
| Feb 28, 2012 | EF2 | 9 mi | 9.5 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Dec 14, 1971 | F2 | in town | 48.3 mi | 1 / 22 |
| Apr 30, 2019 | EF2 | 19 mi | 10.28 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF2 | 13 mi | 4.25 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 31, 2008 | EF2 | 14 mi | 4.67 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jan 7, 2008 | EF2 | 16 mi | 8.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 121, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Pleasant Hope
The Storm Prediction Center has 169 hail reports within 10 miles of Pleasant Hope since 1965, made on 105 separate days. Of these, 81 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 3 inches (tea cup size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 26, 2024. The most recent report is from August 10, 2025. May has the most reports, 43.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Pleasant Hope
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bolivar 1 NE, MO, 14 miles northwest of Pleasant Hope at 987 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 22°F. May is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 46.5 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 41 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 108 nights a year. That 46.5 inches is more than at 98 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (73%). Fair Grove, 6 miles southeast, has its own station (Marshfield 4 WSW, MO): 45.7 inches a year, 0.8 less than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 22 | 2.3 | 4 |
| Feb | 48 | 25 | 2.3 | 4 |
| Mar | 58 | 34 | 3.6 | 7 |
| Apr | 68 | 44 | 5.0 | 7 |
| May | 76 | 54 | 5.9 | 9 |
| Jun | 84 | 63 | 4.9 | 8 |
| Jul | 89 | 67 | 4.6 | 6 |
| Aug | 88 | 65 | 3.7 | 5 |
| Sep | 81 | 57 | 4.3 | 5 |
| Oct | 70 | 45 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Nov | 57 | 34 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Dec | 46 | 26 | 2.7 | 5 |
| Year | 67 | 45 | 46.5 | 71 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Bolivar 1 NE, MO (987 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 Pleasant Hope
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 309 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Pleasant Hope: 164 thunderstorm wind reports, 93 flash floods, 34 floods, 16 heavy rain events and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 5 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $4.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on August 8, 2015. June has had the most flash floods, 27 of 93. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 314 have had fewer than Pleasant Hope.
December 26, 2015: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Pleasant Hope — 2 killed.
NWS: “A 42 year old man attempted to drive through a flooded low water crossing on Highway CC at Sims Branch. That person was swept away and drowned.”
December 26, 2015: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Pleasant Hope — 1 killed, $500,000 damage.
NWS: “A 56 year old man was swept off of Highway H by flash flooding of the Pomme De Terre River. Nearly all low water crossings across the county were flooded and several suffered damage.”
June 14, 2026: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Pleasant Hope — 1 killed, $50,000 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
Polk County, which includes Pleasant Hope, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 15 severe storms, 3 floods, 3 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 Polk County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, strong wind, 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 $15.5 million a year, the 57th highest of 115 Missouri counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.2 million (47%), 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 Pleasant Hope
- Fair Grove, MO6 mi
- Willard, MO11 mi
- Half Way, MO11 mi
- Strafford, MO14 mi
- Bolivar, MO15 mi
- Walnut Grove, MO15 mi
- Buffalo, MO16 mi
- Springfield, MO17 mi
- Marshfield, MO21 mi
- Ash Grove, MO22 mi
- Battlefield, MO22 mi
- Fair Play, MO23 mi
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