NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Salem, 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 Salem, Missouri since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 53 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 53
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Salem
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Salem; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 46 mph winds when its centre passed 21 miles away. The record near Salem begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Salem has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 56% of the 334 Missouri cities on this site. The strongest of the 53 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on December 21, 1967; its path came within 21 miles, and it killed 3 people. Of the 53, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 30 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, 93% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Salem. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 71 times since 1955, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 334 Missouri cities, 72% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Salem.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Salem
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 17 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 22 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 Salem: 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 Salem
By decade
- 2020s10
- 2010s12
- 2000s8
- 1990s7
- 1980s6
- 1970s2(1 EF3+)
- 1960s6(1 EF3+)
- 1950s2(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 21, 1967 | F4 | 21 mi | 27.9 mi | 3 / 52 |
| Apr 11, 1979 | F3 | 20 mi | 35.4 mi | 0 / 9 |
| May 21, 1957 | F3 | 5 mi | 10.2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 19, 2011 | EF2 | 18 mi | 2.77 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jun 1, 1999 | F2 | 17 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 24, 1988 | F2 | 22 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Apr 3, 1968 | F2 | 12 mi | 11.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 31, 2010 | EF1 | 15 mi | 6.78 mi | 2 / 0 |
| May 19, 2025 | EF1 | 21 mi | 1.03 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 19, 2025 | EF1 | 4 mi | 6.39 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF1 | 24 mi | 10.24 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 19, 2022 | EF1 | 20 mi | 0.97 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 53, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Salem
The Storm Prediction Center has 71 hail reports within 10 miles of Salem since 1955, made on 50 separate days. Of these, 51 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 8, 2023. The most recent report is from June 8, 2025. April has the most reports, 22.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Salem
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Salem, MO, 1 mile west of Salem at 1,205 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 22°F. May is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 46.9 inches over 74 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 91 nights a year. Snowfall averages 1.3 inches a year, most of it in March. That 46.9 inches is more than at 105 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (78%). Licking, 22 miles southwest, has its own station (Licking 4N, MO): 46.4 inches a year, 0.5 less than here, and the same July average high, 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 22 | 2.7 | 5 | 0.2 |
| Feb | 48 | 26 | 2.8 | 5 | 0.4 |
| Mar | 57 | 34 | 4.0 | 8 | 0.5 |
| Apr | 68 | 44 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 76 | 53 | 5.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 61 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 65 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 63 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 56 | 4.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 45 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 56 | 35 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 45 | 26 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.1 |
| Year | 67 | 44 | 46.9 | 74 | 1.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Salem, MO (1,205 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 Salem
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 109 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Salem: 60 thunderstorm wind reports, 22 flash floods, 17 floods and 10 heavy rain events. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $2.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 27, 2017. April has had the most flash floods, 9 of 22. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 185 have had fewer than Salem.
May 4, 2017: flood 9 miles from the centre of Salem — 1 killed, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported that a man drowned near a low water crossing at County Road 2430 and Dry Fork Creek. The man attempted to drive across a flooded low water crossing but the car was swept away.”
March 18, 2008: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Salem — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Seven to nine inches of rain fell over Dent County. Flooding caused major damage to county roads and bridges.”
April 29, 2017: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Salem — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Several homes and business sustained flood damage across Dent County. Numerous roads and bridges were severely damaged or washed away across the county.”
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 Salem's ZIP code 65560 have filed 13 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $197,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 23% 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, 13 have fewer than Salem.
Dent County, which includes Salem, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1976, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 3 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 floods). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding, on January 1, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Dent County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, hail and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $16.3 million a year, the 55th highest of 115 Missouri counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.6 million (22%), 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 Salem
- Licking, MO22 mi
- Steelville, MO24 mi
- Rolla, MO26 mi
- Saint James, MO27 mi
- Newburg, MO28 mi
- Cuba, MO32 mi
- Houston, MO33 mi
- Fort Leonard Wood, MO34 mi
- Plato, MO37 mi
- Saint Robert, MO37 mi
- Bourbon, MO38 mi
- Waynesville, MO39 mi
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