NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Saint James, 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
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Saint James, Missouri since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 72 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 72
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Saint James
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Saint James; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 46 mph winds when its centre passed 44 miles away. The record near Saint James begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Saint James has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 56% of the 334 Missouri cities on this site. The highest rating among the 72 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on December 31, 2010, came within 3 miles. The deadliest, an EF1 on December 31, 2010, killed 2 people. Of the 72, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 40 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on May 19, 2025. Of the 334 Missouri cities, 77% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Saint James. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 106 times since 1957, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 334 Missouri cities, 50% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Saint James.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Saint James
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 17 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 3 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 James: 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 James
By decade
- 2020s11
- 2010s15(1 EF3+)
- 2000s14(2 EF3+)
- 1990s11(1 EF3+)
- 1980s6
- 1970s4
- 1960s9
- 1950s2
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 31, 2010 | EF3 | 3 mi | 11 mi | 2 / 6 |
| Jan 7, 2008 | EF3 | 19 mi | 4.67 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 7, 2008 | EF3 | 24 mi | 1.77 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 1, 1999 | F3 | in town | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF2 | 4 mi | 10.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 15, 2023 | EF2 | 12 mi | 6.87 mi | 0 / 5 |
| May 11, 2016 | EF2 | 24 mi | 4.43 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 19, 2011 | EF2 | 18 mi | 2.77 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 1, 1999 | F2 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 29, 1984 | F2 | 14 mi | 14 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Apr 16, 1982 | F2 | 12 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 16, 1982 | F2 | 11 mi | 13 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 72, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Saint James
The Storm Prediction Center has 106 hail reports within 10 miles of Saint James since 1957, made on 72 separate days. Of these, 60 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently March 26, 2008. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 28.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Saint James
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Rolla Missouri S&T, MO, 10 miles southwest of Saint James at 1,173 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 41°F and 22°F. May is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 47.3 inches over 75 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 43 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 96 nights a year. Snowfall averages 17.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 47.3 inches is more than at 109 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (81%). Cuba, 12 miles northeast, has its own station (Vichy Rolla National Airport, MO): 43.2 inches a year, 4.1 less than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41 | 22 | 2.7 | 5 | 5.6 |
| Feb | 46 | 26 | 2.5 | 5 | 4.1 |
| Mar | 56 | 35 | 4.1 | 8 | 2.6 |
| Apr | 67 | 45 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.2 |
| May | 76 | 56 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 65 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 69 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 67 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 59 | 4.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 47 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 56 | 36 | 3.9 | 6 | 1.3 |
| Dec | 45 | 27 | 2.8 | 5 | 3.4 |
| Year | 66 | 46 | 47.3 | 75 | 17.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Rolla Missouri S&T, MO (1,173 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 James
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 147 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Saint James: 91 thunderstorm wind reports, 31 flash floods, 18 heavy rain events, 5 floods and 2 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $652,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on April 1, 2024. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 225 have had fewer than Saint James.
May 20, 2001: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Saint James — $100,000 damage.
August 4, 2022: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Saint James — $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
Phelps County, which includes Saint James, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1976, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 13 severe storms, 5 floods, 3 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Wildfires, on May 21, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Phelps County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $18.7 million a year, the 46th highest of 115 Missouri counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.4 million (40%), 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 James
- Rolla, MO10 mi
- Cuba, MO12 mi
- Belle, MO20 mi
- Steelville, MO20 mi
- Newburg, MO21 mi
- Bland, MO21 mi
- Vienna, MO21 mi
- Bourbon, MO23 mi
- Owensville, MO23 mi
- Dixon, MO27 mi
- Salem, MO27 mi
- Sullivan, MO29 mi
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