NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Seneca, 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 Seneca, Missouri since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 161 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 14 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 161
- EF3 or stronger
- 14
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
196 deaths in all
What the records show for Seneca
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Seneca; the strongest was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 53 miles away. The record near Seneca begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Carla in 1961. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site, 43% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Seneca. The strongest of the 161 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF5 on May 22, 2011; its path came within 15 miles, and it killed 158 people. Of the 161, 13 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 71 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 59. The most recent tornado was on April 29, 2025. Seneca has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 96% of the 334 Missouri cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 136 times since 1959, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Seneca has more hail reports within 10 miles than 61% of the 334 Missouri cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Seneca
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 54 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 Seneca: 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 Seneca
By decade
- 2020s17
- 2010s33(3 EF3+)
- 2000s21(3 EF3+)
- 1990s19
- 1980s11(1 EF3+)
- 1970s18(3 EF3+)
- 1960s21(2 EF3+)
- 1950s21(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 22, 2011 | EF5 | 15 mi | 21.62 mi | 158 / 1150 |
| May 10, 2008 | EF4 | 6 mi | 75.51 mi | 21 / 350 |
| Apr 24, 1975 | F4 | in town | 11.9 mi | 3 / 22 |
| Apr 3, 1956 | F4 | 10 mi | 41.8 mi | 0 / 59 |
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 23 mi | 49 mi | 7 / 48 |
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 23 mi | 25 mi | 5 / 34 |
| May 5, 1971 | F3 | 17 mi | 13.1 mi | 1 / 60 |
| May 22, 2019 | EF3 | 19 mi | 9.22 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 22, 2011 | EF3 | 20 mi | 17.93 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 7, 1980 | F3 | 18 mi | 24.8 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Sep 24, 1973 | F3 | 15 mi | 20.8 mi | 0 / 14 |
| May 7, 1961 | F3 | 20 mi | 8.9 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 161, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Seneca
The Storm Prediction Center has 136 hail reports within 10 miles of Seneca since 1959, made on 87 separate days. Of these, 71 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on April 21, 1996. The most recent report is from May 26, 2024. May has the most reports, 37.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Seneca
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Neosho, MO, 13 miles east of Seneca at 1,033 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 46°F and 25°F. May is the wettest at 6.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.4 inches; the year adds up to 50.0 inches over 67 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 41 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 98 nights a year. Snowfall averages 8.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 50.0 inches is more than at 126 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (94%). Wyandotte, OK, 6 miles southwest, has its own station (Anderson, MO): 44.3 inches a year, 5.7 less than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46 | 25 | 2.6 | 4 | 2.8 |
| Feb | 51 | 29 | 2.4 | 4 | 0.9 |
| Mar | 60 | 38 | 3.7 | 6 | 2.0 |
| Apr | 70 | 47 | 5.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 57 | 6.7 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 66 | 5.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 70 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 68 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 60 | 5.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 72 | 48 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 60 | 38 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 49 | 29 | 2.9 | 4 | 2.3 |
| Year | 69 | 48 | 50.0 | 67 | 8.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Neosho, MO (1,033 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 Seneca
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 136 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Seneca: 80 thunderstorm wind reports, 45 flash floods, 8 floods and 3 heavy rain events. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $7.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on May 8, 2024. June has had the most flash floods, 14 of 45. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 258 have had fewer than Seneca.
May 8, 2009: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Seneca — $3.0 million damage.
NWS: “Severe thunderstorm wind gusts ranging between 60 and 80 mph caused widespread damage to trees, power poles, and structures across much of Newton County. A roof was destroyed on a mobile home located near the intersection of Iris Road and Highway NN.”
April 30, 2017: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Seneca — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Up to 185 homes and business sustained flood damage across the county. Numerous roads and bridges were severely damaged or washed away across the county.”
June 23, 2019: flash flood 1 mile from the centre of Seneca — $580,000 damage.
NWS: “Several post on social media showed flooding in downtown Seneca with water entering some businesses. The dollar damage amount is a summary for all damages in Newton County for this event.”
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 Seneca's ZIP code 64865 have filed 42 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1986, and were paid $516,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Late spring severe storms in 2017: 17 claims (40% of all) and $306,000. The year with the most claims was 2011, with 18. 50% 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, 67 have fewer than Seneca.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Late spring severe storms2017 | 17 | $306,000 |
Newton County, which includes Seneca, has been named in 29 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 23 of them major disasters (by incident: 15 severe storms, 6 floods, 4 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on August 3, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Newton County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $35.5 million a year, the 21st highest of 115 Missouri counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $18.4 million (52%), 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 Seneca
- Wyandotte, OK6 mi
- Quapaw, OK11 mi
- Neosho, MO11 mi
- Goodman, MO11 mi
- Anderson, MO14 mi
- Fairland, OK15 mi
- Miami, OK16 mi
- Baxter Springs, KS16 mi
- Commerce, OK17 mi
- Joplin, MO17 mi
- Galena, KS18 mi
- Grove, OK19 mi
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