NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Potosi, 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
5 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Potosi, Missouri since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 65 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 5
- Tornadoes
- 65
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
18 deaths in all
What the records show for Potosi
None of the 5 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Potosi; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 47 mph winds when its centre passed 11 miles away. The record near Potosi begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 5 systems, one has come since 2000. Potosi has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 87% of the 334 Missouri cities on this site. The highest rating among the 65 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on June 22, 1969, came within 5 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 21, 1957, killed 8 people. Of the 65, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 36 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on June 7, 2025. Of the 334 Missouri cities, 85% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Potosi. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 111 times since 1957, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Potosi has more hail reports within 10 miles than 52% of the 334 Missouri cities.
Compare Potosi's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Potosi
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1941 | Unnamed 1941 stormSep 25 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 17 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1915 | Unnamed 1915 stormAug 20 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 24 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 Potosi: 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 Potosi
By decade
- 2020s9(1 EF3+)
- 2010s8
- 2000s19
- 1990s5
- 1980s3
- 1970s6
- 1960s11(4 EF3+)
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 22, 1969 | F4 | 22 mi | 15.1 mi | 4 / 14 |
| Dec 21, 1967 | F4 | 3 mi | 27.9 mi | 3 / 52 |
| Jun 22, 1969 | F4 | 5 mi | 20.2 mi | 2 / 22 |
| May 21, 1957 | F3 | 9 mi | 22.2 mi | 8 / 50 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF3 | 5 mi | 21.95 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 8, 1966 | F3 | 7 mi | 1.3 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Nov 9, 1984 | F2 | 4 mi | 3 mi | 1 / 15 |
| May 11, 2016 | EF2 | 23 mi | 4.43 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 19, 2011 | EF2 | 24 mi | 2.77 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Sep 22, 2006 | F2 | 20 mi | 4.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 22, 2006 | F2 | 22 mi | 25.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 14, 1974 | F2 | 11 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 65, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Potosi
The Storm Prediction Center has 111 hail reports within 10 miles of Potosi since 1957, made on 73 separate days. Of these, 67 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently April 2, 2015. The most recent report is from March 30, 2025. May has the most reports, 35.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Potosi
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Potosi 4 SW, MO, 2 miles southeast of Potosi at 1,105 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 21°F. May is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 45.5 inches over 73 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 23 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 103 nights a year. Snowfall averages 11.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 45.5 inches is more than at 87 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (65%). Bonne Terre, 17 miles east, has its own station (Farmington, MO): 45.4 inches a year, 0.1 less than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40 | 21 | 2.8 | 5 | 3.6 |
| Feb | 45 | 25 | 2.7 | 5 | 2.9 |
| Mar | 55 | 34 | 4.1 | 8 | 1.9 |
| Apr | 66 | 44 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 74 | 54 | 5.3 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 82 | 63 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 67 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 65 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 78 | 57 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 68 | 46 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 54 | 35 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.7 |
| Dec | 43 | 26 | 3.0 | 5 | 2.4 |
| Year | 65 | 45 | 45.5 | 73 | 11.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Potosi 4 SW, MO (1,105 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 Potosi
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 65 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Potosi: 55 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 flash floods, 1 flood and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $11,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 19, 2006. April has had the most flash floods, 4 of 8. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 46 have had fewer than Potosi.
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 Potosi's ZIP code 63664 have filed 33 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $222,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 27% 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, 58 have fewer than Potosi.
Washington County, which includes Potosi, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 17 severe storms, 5 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding, on September 1, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Washington County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $19.9 million a year, the 45th highest of 115 Missouri counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.5 million (28%), 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 Potosi
- Mineral Point, MO8 mi
- Cadet, MO10 mi
- Bonne Terre, MO17 mi
- Bismarck, MO17 mi
- Park Hills, MO19 mi
- Steelville, MO21 mi
- De Soto, MO22 mi
- Lonedell, MO23 mi
- Bourbon, MO24 mi
- Ironton, MO24 mi
- Sullivan, MO25 mi
- Farmington, MO26 mi
All Missouri cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Potosi with another place →