NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Washington, 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 Washington, Missouri since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 81 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 81
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
29 deaths in all
What the records show for Washington
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Washington; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 48 mph winds when its centre passed 49 miles away. The record near Washington begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site, 43% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Washington. The highest rating among the 81 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on February 10, 1959, came within 23 miles. Of the 81, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 52 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 15. The most recent tornado was on June 4, 2025. Of the 334 Missouri cities, 63% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Washington. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 150 times since 1959, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Washington has more hail reports within 10 miles than 69% of the 334 Missouri cities.
Compare Washington's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Washington
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 16 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 Washington: 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 Washington
By decade
- 2020s15(1 EF3+)
- 2010s27(1 EF3+)
- 2000s10
- 1990s9
- 1980s6
- 1970s1
- 1960s4
- 1950s9(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 10, 1959 | F4 | 23 mi | 23.9 mi | 21 / 345 |
| Feb 24, 1956 | F4 | 8 mi | 77.6 mi | 6 / 36 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF3 | 5 mi | 27.3 mi | 1 / 2 |
| May 31, 2013 | EF3 | 18 mi | 31.71 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Mar 25, 1954 | F3 | 22 mi | 21.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 21, 1981 | F2 | 18 mi | 6.5 mi | 1 / 6 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF2 | 25 mi | 20.67 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF2 | 10 mi | 17.76 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 31, 2010 | EF2 | 15 mi | 12.19 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 27, 1990 | F2 | 24 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 30 |
| May 1, 1983 | F2 | 24 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 1, 1983 | F2 | 20 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 3 |
The strongest 12 of 81, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Washington
The Storm Prediction Center has 150 hail reports within 10 miles of Washington since 1959, made on 101 separate days. Of these, 95 were 1 inch across or larger, and 11 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on May 26, 2004. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 47.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Washington
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Washington, MO, 3 miles east of Washington at 487 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 20°F. May is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 44.2 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 40 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 116 nights a year. Snowfall averages 7.9 inches a year, most of it in December. That 44.2 inches is more than at 70 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (52%). Union, 7 miles south, has its own station (Union, MO): 45.0 inches a year, 0.8 more than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40 | 20 | 2.5 | 4 | 2.6 |
| Feb | 45 | 23 | 2.5 | 5 | 1.4 |
| Mar | 56 | 32 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.7 |
| Apr | 67 | 43 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.1 |
| May | 76 | 54 | 5.3 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 64 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 67 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 65 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 56 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 44 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 55 | 33 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.4 |
| Dec | 45 | 24 | 2.6 | 5 | 2.7 |
| Year | 66 | 44 | 44.2 | 71 | 7.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Washington, MO (487 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 Washington
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 147 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Washington: 129 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 flash floods, 5 floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 3 people and injured 11, and the NWS estimated $2.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on April 10, 2013. April has had the most flash floods, 4 of 12. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 106 have had fewer than Washington.
August 4, 1996: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Washington — 3 killed, 6 injured.
June 13, 2005: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Washington — 2 injured.
August 4, 2012: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Washington — 2 injured.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds caused widespread tree and power line damage across Washington. Two people sustained minor injuries from flying debris in the parking lot of the Washington Town and Country Fair.”
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 Washington's ZIP code 63090 have filed 51 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1982, and were paid $2.7 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Flooding in 1995: 18 claims (35% of all) and $129,000. 63% 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, 80 have fewer than Washington.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Flooding1995 | 18 | $129,000 |
Franklin County, which includes Washington, has been named in 24 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 floods, 8 severe storms, 3 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Wildfires, on May 21, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Franklin County a Relatively Moderate 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 $59.5 million a year, the 11th highest of 115 Missouri counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $31.6 million (53%), 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 Washington
- Union, MO7 mi
- Marthasville, MO9 mi
- Villa Ridge, MO9 mi
- New Haven, MO12 mi
- Saint Clair, MO14 mi
- Pacific, MO16 mi
- Robertsville, MO16 mi
- Defiance, MO17 mi
- Wright City, MO18 mi
- Gerald, MO18 mi
- Foristell, MO20 mi
- Wentzville, MO21 mi
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