NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Saint Charles, 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 Saint Charles, Missouri since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 140 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 17 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 140
- EF3 or stronger
- 17
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
39 deaths in all
What the records show for Saint Charles
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Saint Charles; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 49 mph winds when its centre passed 44 miles away. The record near Saint Charles begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site, 43% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Saint Charles. The highest rating among the 140 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 5 times; the most recent, on April 22, 2011, came within 5 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on February 10, 1959, killed 21 people. Of the 140, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 76 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 31. The most recent tornado was on June 4, 2025. Saint Charles has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 85% of the 334 Missouri cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 376 times since 1959, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Saint Charles has more hail reports within 10 miles than 94% of the 334 Missouri cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Saint Charles
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 16 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 Saint Charles: 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 Saint Charles
By decade
- 2020s20(1 EF3+)
- 2010s38(4 EF3+)
- 2000s18
- 1990s10
- 1980s12(5 EF3+)
- 1970s8
- 1960s13(3 EF3+)
- 1950s21(4 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 10, 1959 | F4 | 15 mi | 23.9 mi | 21 / 345 |
| Feb 24, 1956 | F4 | 19 mi | 77.6 mi | 6 / 36 |
| Jan 24, 1967 | F4 | 6 mi | 25 mi | 3 / 216 |
| Apr 22, 2011 | EF4 | 5 mi | 21.3 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 3, 1981 | F4 | 24 mi | 11.9 mi | 0 / 32 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF3 | 3 mi | 27.3 mi | 1 / 2 |
| Dec 31, 2010 | EF3 | 17 mi | 6.65 mi | 1 / 6 |
| May 31, 2013 | EF3 | 22 mi | 10.64 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 2013 | EF3 | 4 mi | 31.71 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Nov 15, 1988 | F3 | 8 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Apr 29, 1984 | F3 | 20 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 1, 1983 | F3 | 24 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 140, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Saint Charles
The Storm Prediction Center has 376 hail reports within 10 miles of Saint Charles since 1959, made on 161 separate days. Of these, 238 were 1 inch across or larger, and 38 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on May 11, 2016. The most recent report is from May 19, 2025. May has the most reports, 122.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Saint Charles
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is St Peters 2 SE, MO, 2 miles west of Saint Charles at 575 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 39°F and 21°F. May is the wettest at 4.8 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 2.4 inches; the year adds up to 42.4 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 39 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 103 nights a year. Snowfall averages 14.8 inches a year, most of it in February. That 42.4 inches is more than at 47 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (35%). Maryland Heights, 7 miles southeast, has its own station (St Louis Lambert International Airport, MO): 41.7 inches a year, 0.7 less than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 39 | 21 | 2.4 | 4 | 4.7 |
| Feb | 45 | 25 | 2.4 | 5 | 5.0 |
| Mar | 56 | 33 | 3.5 | 7 | 1.5 |
| Apr | 67 | 43 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.1 |
| May | 76 | 54 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 63 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 68 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 65 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 57 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 45 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 55 | 35 | 3.5 | 7 | 0.8 |
| Dec | 44 | 27 | 2.6 | 5 | 2.7 |
| Year | 66 | 45 | 42.4 | 71 | 14.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at St Peters 2 SE, MO (575 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 Saint Charles
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 331 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Saint Charles: 297 thunderstorm wind reports, 28 flash floods, 4 lightning strikes and 2 floods. They killed 2 people and injured 18, and the NWS estimated $53.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 120 mph, on April 9, 2015. June has had the most flash floods, 7 of 28. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 215 have had fewer than Saint Charles.
July 26, 2022: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Saint Charles — 1 killed, $50.0 million damage.
July 1, 2023: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Saint Charles — 1 killed.
April 18, 1997: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Saint Charles — 10 injured, $100,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Saint Charles's 3 ZIP codes have filed 5,764 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $78.8 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1986: 1,134 claims (20% of all) and $8.9 million, then Midwest Flooding in 1993 with 888 and Not a named storm in 1982 with 337. The year with the most claims was 1993, with 1,378. 46% 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, 170 have fewer than Saint Charles.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1986 | 1,134 | $8.9 million |
| Midwest Flooding1993 | 888 | $24.6 million |
| Not a named storm1982 | 337 | $1.8 million |
| Late July Flooding2022 | 88 | $3.0 million |
| Early winter storms2015 | 66 | $1.1 million |
| Late spring storms2011 | 44 | $1.9 million |
St. Charles County, which includes Saint Charles, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 19 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 9 floods, 3 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on August 8, 2022. FEMA's National Risk Index gives St. Charles County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for strong wind; Relatively High for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and lightning; Relatively Moderate for heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $215.2 million a year, the 4th highest of 115 Missouri counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $115.9 million (54%), 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 Saint Charles
- Saint Peters, MO3 mi
- Maryland Heights, MO7 mi
- Bridgeton, MO8 mi
- O Fallon, MO8 mi
- Chesterfield, MO8 mi
- Saint Ann, MO10 mi
- Hazelwood, MO10 mi
- Lake St Louis, MO12 mi
- Ballwin, MO13 mi
- Defiance, MO13 mi
- Florissant, MO14 mi
- Wildwood, MO14 mi
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