NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Poplar Bluff, 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
6 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Poplar Bluff, Missouri since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Olga in 2019. Since 1950, 109 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 6
- Tornadoes
- 109
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
9 deaths in all
What the records show for Poplar Bluff
None of the 6 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Poplar Bluff; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1923, a tropical storm with 46 mph winds when its centre passed 64 miles away. The record near Poplar Bluff begins with an unnamed storm in 1906; the most recent system was Olga in 2019, a tropical storm 70 miles away. Of the 6 systems, 2 have come since 2000. Poplar Bluff has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 95% of the 334 Missouri cities on this site. The highest rating among the 109 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on March 14, 2025, came within 8 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on March 14, 2025, killed 3 people. Of the 109, 16 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 68 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 30. The most recent tornado was on April 2, 2025. Poplar Bluff has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 62% of the 334 Missouri cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 87 times since 1964, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 334 Missouri cities, 60% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Poplar Bluff.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Poplar Bluff
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | OlgaOct 26 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 17 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | overhead | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1906 | Unnamed 1906 stormSep 29 | overhead | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Poplar Bluff: 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 Poplar Bluff
By decade
- 2020s21(3 EF3+)
- 2010s37(2 EF3+)
- 2000s10(1 EF3+)
- 1990s22
- 1980s4(1 EF3+)
- 1970s12(3 EF3+)
- 1960s2
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 22, 1981 | F4 | 10 mi | 63 mi | 1 / 32 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF4 | 8 mi | 115.95 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 24, 2002 | F4 | 4 mi | 40.5 mi | 0 / 16 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF3 | 21 mi | 80.97 mi | 3 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF3 | 3 mi | 17.92 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Feb 29, 2012 | EF3 | 16 mi | 19.96 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Feb 21, 1976 | F3 | in town | 23.7 mi | 1 / 16 |
| May 25, 2011 | EF3 | 21 mi | 47.41 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 7, 1973 | F3 | 4 mi | 36 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Apr 30, 1970 | F3 | 8 mi | 8.2 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Feb 24, 2018 | EF2 | 24 mi | 41.93 mi | 1 / 5 |
| May 16, 1990 | F2 | 18 mi | 15 mi | 1 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 109, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Poplar Bluff
The Storm Prediction Center has 87 hail reports within 10 miles of Poplar Bluff since 1964, made on 72 separate days. Of these, 55 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 3 inches (tea cup size), was reported on 2 days, most recently April 3, 2018. The most recent report is from March 4, 2024. May has the most reports, 22.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Poplar Bluff
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Poplar Bluff, MO, in Poplar Bluff at 370 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 71°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 26°F. April is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and September the driest at 3.3 inches; the year adds up to 52.4 inches over 72 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 58 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 83 nights a year. Snowfall averages 5.4 inches a year, most of it in December. That 52.4 inches is more than at 132 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (99%). Wappapello, 15 miles northeast, has its own station (Wappapello Dam, MO): 51.6 inches a year, 0.8 less than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 26 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.6 |
| Feb | 49 | 30 | 3.6 | 5 | 1.6 |
| Mar | 59 | 38 | 4.8 | 7 | 1.3 |
| Apr | 70 | 47 | 5.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 79 | 58 | 5.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 88 | 67 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 91 | 71 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 69 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 83 | 61 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 72 | 48 | 4.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 58 | 38 | 4.8 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 47 | 29 | 4.3 | 6 | 1.7 |
| Year | 69 | 48 | 52.4 | 72 | 5.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Poplar Bluff, MO (370 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 Poplar Bluff
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 198 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Poplar Bluff: 108 thunderstorm wind reports, 49 floods, 25 flash floods, 15 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 5 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $14.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on April 24, 2007. April has had the most flash floods, 9 of 25. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 204 have had fewer than Poplar Bluff.
May 8, 2009: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Poplar Bluff — 2 killed, $45,000 damage.
NWS: “A moving vehicle along Highway 53 was destroyed by a very large oak tree that fell on it. Both occupants of the vehicle were killed, probably on impact.”
May 1, 2017: flood 1 mile from the centre of Poplar Bluff — 1 killed, $2.6 million damage.
NWS: “Major flooding occurred on the Black River as the month began. 96 feet late on the morning of the 1st.”
August 14, 2016: flood 3 miles from the centre of Poplar Bluff — 1 killed, $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Moderate flooding occurred along the Black River, resulting in one fatality and some flooded homes. Several homes were evacuated, and there was considerable flooding of streets and highways.”
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 Poplar Bluff's ZIP code 63901 have filed 373 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $6.8 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from March storm in 2008: 108 claims (29% of all) and $3.1 million, then Mid-spring storms in 2011 with 95 and Late spring severe storms in 2017 with 48. 74% 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, 153 have fewer than Poplar Bluff.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| March storm2008 | 108 | $3.1 million |
| Mid-spring storms2011 | 95 | $1.8 million |
| Late spring severe storms2017 | 48 | $1.1 million |
Butler County, which includes Poplar Bluff, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 13 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 May 21, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Butler County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and hail. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $45.9 million a year, the 14th highest of 115 Missouri counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $17.2 million (37%), 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 Poplar Bluff
- Wappapello, MO15 mi
- Puxico, MO21 mi
- Ellsinore, MO22 mi
- Bernie, MO24 mi
- Dexter, MO25 mi
- Campbell, MO25 mi
- Corning, AR25 mi
- Doniphan, MO26 mi
- Malden, MO28 mi
- Piggott, AR28 mi
- Bloomfield, MO29 mi
- Piedmont, MO31 mi
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