NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Washburn, 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 Washburn, Missouri since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 116 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 116
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
32 deaths in all
What the records show for Washburn
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Washburn; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 41 mph winds when its centre passed 68 miles away. The record near Washburn begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Washburn has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 56% of the 334 Missouri cities on this site. The strongest of the 116 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF4 on May 10, 2008; its path came within 16 miles, and it killed 21 people. Of the 116, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 67 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 31. The most recent tornado was on June 6, 2025. Washburn has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 68% of the 334 Missouri cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 115 times since 1956, with stones up to 3.5 inches. Washburn has more hail reports within 10 miles than 54% of the 334 Missouri cities.
Compare Washburn's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Washburn
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 21 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 Washburn: 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 Washburn
By decade
- 2020s11
- 2010s30
- 2000s26(3 EF3+)
- 1990s11
- 1980s4
- 1970s13(1 EF3+)
- 1960s10
- 1950s11(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 10, 2008 | EF4 | 16 mi | 75.51 mi | 21 / 350 |
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 23 mi | 49 mi | 7 / 48 |
| Jun 11, 1970 | F3 | 20 mi | 51.8 mi | 1 / 45 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F3 | 24 mi | 25 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Mar 24, 1954 | F3 | 21 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 24, 1954 | F3 | 10 mi | 20.6 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Feb 29, 2012 | EF2 | 8 mi | 1.7 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Nov 15, 1988 | F2 | in town | 28 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Nov 4, 2024 | EF2 | 16 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 26, 2024 | EF2 | 18 mi | 7.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 20, 2019 | EF2 | 18 mi | 31.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 4, 2017 | EF2 | 23 mi | 16.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 116, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Washburn
The Storm Prediction Center has 115 hail reports within 10 miles of Washburn since 1956, made on 79 separate days. Of these, 67 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.5 inches, fell on June 20, 1970. The most recent report is from September 20, 2025. April has the most reports, 36.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Washburn
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cassville, MO, 10 miles northeast of Washburn at 1,376 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 87°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 23°F. May is the wettest at 6.2 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 47.6 inches. Highs reach 90°F on about 27 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 110 nights a year. That 47.6 inches is more than at 113 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (84%). Pea Ridge, AR, 13 miles southwest, has its own station (Bentonville 4 S, AR): 47.5 inches a year, the same as here, and a July average high of 89°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 23 | 2.5 |
| Feb | 49 | 26 | 2.3 |
| Mar | 58 | 35 | 3.9 |
| Apr | 67 | 44 | 5.0 |
| May | 75 | 54 | 6.2 |
| Jun | 83 | 62 | 4.8 |
| Jul | 87 | 66 | 4.2 |
| Aug | 87 | 65 | 3.3 |
| Sep | 80 | 56 | 4.6 |
| Oct | 70 | 46 | 3.8 |
| Nov | 57 | 35 | 3.9 |
| Dec | 47 | 27 | 3.1 |
| Year | 67 | 45 | 47.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cassville, MO (1,376 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 Washburn
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 209 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Washburn: 88 flash floods, 80 thunderstorm wind reports, 25 floods, 15 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $3.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on July 11, 2003. April has had the most flash floods, 21 of 88. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 309 have had fewer than Washburn.
April 28, 1996: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Washburn — 4 injured, $500,000 damage.
August 8, 2013: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Washburn — $1.0 million damage.
April 30, 2017: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Washburn — $1.0 million 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
Barry County, which includes Washburn, 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.