NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Shell Knob, 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 Shell Knob, Missouri since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 100 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 100
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
25 deaths in all
What the records show for Shell Knob
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Shell Knob; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 41 mph winds when its centre passed 50 miles away. The record near Shell Knob begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Shell Knob has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 56% of the 334 Missouri cities on this site. The strongest of the 100 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF4 on May 10, 2008; its path came within 19 miles, and it killed 21 people. Of the 100, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 66 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 23. The most recent tornado was on November 4, 2024. Shell Knob has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 53% of the 334 Missouri cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 141 times since 1978, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Shell Knob has more hail reports within 10 miles than 64% of the 334 Missouri cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Shell Knob
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 2 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 Shell Knob: 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 Shell Knob
By decade
- 2020s13
- 2010s35
- 2000s18(1 EF3+)
- 1990s3
- 1980s3
- 1970s12(1 EF3+)
- 1960s9
- 1950s7(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 10, 2008 | EF4 | 19 mi | 75.51 mi | 21 / 350 |
| Jun 11, 1970 | F3 | 24 mi | 51.8 mi | 1 / 45 |
| Mar 24, 1954 | F3 | 10 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 24, 1954 | F3 | 21 mi | 20.6 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Feb 29, 2012 | EF2 | 18 mi | 1.7 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Nov 15, 1988 | F2 | 17 mi | 28 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Feb 29, 2012 | EF2 | 8 mi | 24.29 mi | 0 / 47 |
| May 22, 2011 | EF2 | 18 mi | 15.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 23, 2001 | F2 | 21 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Oct 30, 1979 | F2 | 9 mi | 24.2 mi | 0 / 9 |
| May 26, 1973 | F2 | 18 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 26, 1973 | F2 | 13 mi | 5.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 100, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Shell Knob
The Storm Prediction Center has 141 hail reports within 10 miles of Shell Knob since 1978, made on 76 separate days. Of these, 87 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 25, 2006. The most recent report is from March 30, 2025. May has the most reports, 44.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Shell Knob
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Galena, MO, 17 miles northeast of Shell Knob at 1,027 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 45°F and 22°F. May is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 46.6 inches over 66 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 47 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 112 nights a year. Snowfall averages 6.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 46.6 inches is more than at 100 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (75%). Holiday Island, AR, 14 miles southwest, has its own station (Cassville, MO): 47.6 inches a year, 1.0 more than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 45 | 22 | 2.5 | 4 | 3.6 |
| Feb | 50 | 26 | 2.7 | 4 | 1.1 |
| Mar | 59 | 34 | 4.4 | 7 | 1.4 |
| Apr | 69 | 43 | 5.1 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 53 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 63 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 66 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 65 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 56 | 4.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 44 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 58 | 33 | 4.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 47 | 26 | 2.7 | 4 | 0.8 |
| Year | 68 | 44 | 46.6 | 66 | 6.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Galena, MO (1,027 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 Shell Knob
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 133 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Shell Knob: 104 thunderstorm wind reports, 17 heavy rain events, 8 flash floods, 3 floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $4.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 83 mph, on November 30, 2018. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 46 have had fewer than Shell Knob.
April 15, 2001: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Shell Knob — $2.0 million damage.
April 3, 1999: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Shell Knob — $550,000 damage.
April 23, 2008: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Shell Knob — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain caused numerous county roads to be washed out. The ends of several bridges were also washed out.”
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
Barry County, which includes Shell Knob, has been named in 29 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 23 of them major disasters (by incident: 18 severe storms, 5 floods, 3 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 9, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Barry County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $29.9 million a year, the 27th highest of 115 Missouri counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $16.7 million (56%), 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 Shell Knob
- Kimberling City, MO9 mi
- Galena, MO14 mi
- Branson West, MO14 mi
- Holiday Island, AR14 mi
- Cassville, MO16 mi
- Eureka Springs, AR16 mi
- Berryville, AR16 mi
- Branson, MO19 mi
- Hollister, MO20 mi
- Seligman, MO21 mi
- Green Forest, AR21 mi
- Crane, MO22 mi
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