NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Princeton, 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 Princeton, Missouri since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 65 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 65
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Princeton
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Princeton; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 39 mph winds when its centre passed 31 miles away. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site, 62% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Princeton. The highest rating among the 65 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on May 24, 1989, came within 22 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on June 7, 1984, killed 3 people. Of the 65, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 30 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 17. The most recent tornado was on April 27, 2024. Of the 334 Missouri cities, 85% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Princeton. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 89 times since 1969, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 334 Missouri cities, 58% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Princeton.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Princeton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Princeton: 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 Princeton
By decade
- 2020s6
- 2010s11
- 2000s13
- 1990s3
- 1980s8(3 EF3+)
- 1970s4(1 EF3+)
- 1960s13(1 EF3+)
- 1950s7
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 7, 1984 | F4 | 15 mi | 134 mi | 3 / 64 |
| May 24, 1989 | F4 | 22 mi | 49 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1980 | F4 | 14 mi | 31.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 21, 1973 | F4 | 4 mi | 14.6 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 16, 1960 | F3 | 18 mi | 27 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Mar 5, 2022 | EF2 | 23 mi | 9.87 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 26, 1991 | F2 | 23 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 26, 1991 | F2 | 24 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 24, 1989 | F2 | 10 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 1988 | F2 | 21 mi | 47 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1980 | F2 | 20 mi | 4.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 29, 1970 | F2 | 12 mi | 29.3 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 Princeton
The Storm Prediction Center has 89 hail reports within 10 miles of Princeton since 1969, made on 58 separate days. Of these, 51 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 5, 1971. The most recent report is from May 26, 2024. June has the most reports, 24.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Princeton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Princeton, MO, in Princeton at 980 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 34°F and 15°F. June is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.1 inches; the year adds up to 38.0 inches over 64 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 24 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 127 nights a year. That 38.0 inches is more than at 5 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (4%). Trenton, 22 miles south, has its own station (Trenton, MO): 40.1 inches a year, 2.1 more than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 34 | 15 | 1.1 | 3 |
| Feb | 39 | 18 | 1.2 | 3 |
| Mar | 51 | 29 | 2.2 | 5 |
| Apr | 63 | 39 | 4.2 | 7 |
| May | 72 | 50 | 5.1 | 8 |
| Jun | 81 | 61 | 5.6 | 8 |
| Jul | 86 | 65 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Aug | 84 | 63 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Sep | 77 | 54 | 3.8 | 6 |
| Oct | 65 | 42 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Nov | 51 | 30 | 1.9 | 4 |
| Dec | 38 | 20 | 1.4 | 3 |
| Year | 62 | 41 | 38.0 | 64 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Princeton, MO (980 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 Princeton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 64 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Princeton: 52 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods and 1 flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $66,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on July 3, 2001. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 88 have had fewer than Princeton.
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
Mercer County, which includes Princeton, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 3 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on August 3, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Mercer County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, inland flooding and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $4.0 million a year, the 113th highest of 115 Missouri counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.6 million (41%), 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 Princeton
- Trenton, MO22 mi
- Bethany, MO25 mi
- Leon, IA25 mi
- Lamoni, IA25 mi
- Milan, MO28 mi
- Corydon, IA29 mi
- Jamesport, MO31 mi
- Unionville, MO33 mi
- Gallatin, MO39 mi
- Mount Ayr, IA40 mi
- Albany, MO41 mi
- Chillicothe, MO42 mi
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