NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sullivan, 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 Sullivan, 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
8 deaths in all
What the records show for Sullivan
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Sullivan; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 47 mph winds when its centre passed 36 miles away. The record near Sullivan begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Sullivan has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 56% of the 334 Missouri cities on this site. The highest rating among the 53 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on June 22, 1969, came within 17 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on February 24, 1956, killed 6 people. Of the 53, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 32 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 13. The most recent tornado was on May 19, 2025. Of the 334 Missouri cities, 93% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Sullivan. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 83 times since 1957, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 334 Missouri cities, 62% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Sullivan.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sullivan
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 17 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | overhead | 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 Sullivan: 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 Sullivan
By decade
- 2020s11(1 EF3+)
- 2010s13
- 2000s8
- 1990s9
- 1980s3
- 1970s1
- 1960s4(1 EF3+)
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 24, 1956 | F4 | 21 mi | 77.6 mi | 6 / 36 |
| Jun 22, 1969 | F4 | 17 mi | 20.2 mi | 2 / 22 |
| Apr 2, 2025 | EF3 | 19 mi | 21.95 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF2 | 23 mi | 17.76 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 2016 | EF2 | 2 mi | 4.43 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 19, 2011 | EF2 | 24 mi | 2.77 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Dec 31, 2010 | EF2 | 17 mi | 12.19 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 29, 1984 | F2 | 20 mi | 14 mi | 0 / 10 |
| Apr 16, 1982 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 7, 1980 | F2 | 17 mi | 6.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 14, 1974 | F2 | 11 mi | 6.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 19, 2025 | EF1 | 25 mi | 1.03 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 Sullivan
The Storm Prediction Center has 83 hail reports within 10 miles of Sullivan since 1957, made on 61 separate days. Of these, 52 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on April 8, 2015. The most recent report is from March 14, 2025. April has the most reports, 21.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sullivan
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Union, MO, 18 miles northeast of Sullivan at 540 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 23°F. April is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 45.0 inches over 72 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 50 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 101 nights a year. Snowfall averages 14.4 inches a year, most of it in January. That 45.0 inches is more than at 81 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (60%). Bourbon, 6 miles southwest, has its own station (Rosebud, MO): 45.2 inches a year, 0.2 more than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 23 | 2.7 | 5 | 4.7 |
| Feb | 48 | 26 | 2.5 | 5 | 4.1 |
| Mar | 59 | 35 | 3.9 | 7 | 1.8 |
| Apr | 70 | 45 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.2 |
| May | 78 | 55 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 63 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 91 | 67 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 66 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 57 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 46 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 57 | 35 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.7 |
| Dec | 46 | 27 | 2.7 | 5 | 2.9 |
| Year | 68 | 45 | 45.0 | 72 | 14.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Union, MO (540 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 Sullivan
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 67 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sullivan: 51 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 flash floods and 6 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 11, and the NWS estimated $569,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 101 mph, on April 10, 2013. April has had the most flash floods, 4 of 10. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 72 have had fewer than Sullivan.
December 28, 2015: flood 2 miles from the centre of Sullivan — 1 killed, $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Between 5 and 8 inches of rain fell across Crawford County during a 2 day period. All of this rain caused the creeks and rivers to rise.”
April 10, 2013: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Sullivan — 11 injured.
NWS: “A microburst caused minor damage at Sullivan Regional Airport. A small section of one hanger was removed with a door of a nearby hanger also sustaining 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 Sullivan's ZIP code 63080 have filed 52 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1990, and were paid $3.2 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1994: 14 claims (27% of all) and $117,000, then Early winter storms in 2015 with 13. The year with the most claims was 2015, with 13. 87% 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, 81 have fewer than Sullivan.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1994 | 14 | $117,000 |
| Early winter storms2015 | 13 | $481,000 |
Crawford County, which includes Sullivan, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1976, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 severe storms, 5 floods, 3 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding, on September 1, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Crawford County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind and heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $18.4 million a year, the 48th highest of 115 Missouri counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.2 million (33%), 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 Sullivan
- Bourbon, MO6 mi
- Saint Clair, MO12 mi
- Lonedell, MO16 mi
- Cuba, MO17 mi
- Gerald, MO18 mi
- Union, MO18 mi
- Steelville, MO20 mi
- Robertsville, MO21 mi
- Owensville, MO21 mi
- Villa Ridge, MO23 mi
- Washington, MO24 mi
- Dittmer, MO24 mi
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