Lebanon
Population 15,663 (2025)
65 tornadoes have tracked within 25 miles of Lebanon since 1950, 5 of them rated EF3 or F3 or stronger; the most recent was on June 3, 2025.
Hazard fingerprint Each spoke is this county’s percentile among U.S. counties where that hazard occurs. How it is computed
- Tornado damage paths within 25 miles since 195065
- Tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles since 1851, wider where stronger2
- Wildfire burn scars within 25 miles since 198443
At a glance
Tornado paths within 25 miles, tropical cyclone tracks within 100 miles and wildfire perimeters within 25 miles of the city centre. Storm events, flood insurance claims and disaster declarations are for Laclede County. Earthquakes within 50 miles, volcanoes within 100 miles and smoke days are measured from the city centre; river and tide gauges, tsunami and landslide records and the drought index are for Laclede County.
Strongest tornado
F4
September 26, 1959, 7.8 mile path
Strongest tropical cyclone
TS
Tropical storm (unnamed), 1923, 50.0 miles away
Federal disaster declarations
23
Most recent: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding, 2020
DetailsTornadoes
About one every 1.2 years since 1950, 5 of them rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
Strongest
September 26, 1959
F4, 7.8 mile path
100 yards wide.
Deadliest
May 4, 2003
5 killed, F3
47 injured along the whole path.
Most recent
Tuesday, June 3, 2025
EF0, 0.4 mile path
Within the past year.
Every recorded tornado
| Jun 3, 2025 | EF0 | 0.4 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 20, 2025 | EF0 | 1.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF1 | 22.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF1 | 19.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 1, 2024 | EF0 | 2.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 1, 2024 | EF0 | 2.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 1, 2024 | EF0 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 10, 2021 | EF1 | 6.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 24, 2021 | EF1 | 2.2 | 0 | 0 |
| May 23, 2019 | EF1 | 11.1 | 0 | 0 |
| May 21, 2019 | EF1 | 23.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 30, 2019 | EF0 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 1, 2018 | EF0 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| May 27, 2017 | EF1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 27, 2017 | EF1 | 2.1 | 0 | 0 |
| May 27, 2017 | EF1 | 5.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 27, 2017 | EF1 | 9.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 19, 2017 | EF1 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 1, 2017 | EF0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 17, 2015 | EF0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb 29, 2012 | EF1 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb 29, 2012 | EF1 | 11.0 | 5 | 0 |
| Feb 28, 2012 | EF2 | 9.5 | 12 | 1 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF2 | 2.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF2 | 4.2 | 2 | 0 |
| Mar 31, 2008 | EF2 | 1.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 31, 2008 | EF2 | 4.7 | 3 | 0 |
| Jan 8, 2008 | EF0 | 4.7 | 0 | 0 |
| Jan 8, 2008 | EF0 | 7.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jan 7, 2008 | EF2 | 5.4 | 0 | 0 |
| Jan 7, 2008 | EF1 | 5.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jan 7, 2008 | EF3 | 50.4 | 18 | 3 |
| Oct 17, 2007 | EF0 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F3 | 32.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 30, 2004 | F1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| May 6, 2003 | F0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| May 6, 2003 | F1 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| May 4, 2003 | F0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| May 4, 2003 | F0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| May 4, 2003 | F0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 14.0 | 27 | 4 |
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 86.0 | 47 | 5 |
| Dec 18, 2002 | F0 | 10.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 1, 1999 | F0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 |
| May 5, 1996 | F1 | 4.0 | 1 | 0 |
| May 5, 1996 | F1 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 10, 1995 | F2 | 10.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 26, 1994 | F1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 26, 1994 | F1 | 2.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 15, 1994 | F0 | 0.4 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 24, 1993 | F0 | 0.5 | 2 | 0 |
| Jul 25, 1992 | F1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 14, 1990 | F1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 2, 1982 | F1 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 7, 1980 | F2 | 14.1 | 3 | 0 |
| Sep 30, 1975 | F1 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 14, 1971 | F2 | 48.3 | 22 | 1 |
| May 1, 1971 | F1 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 |
| May 9, 1970 | F2 | 4.9 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 14, 1966 | F2 | 13.7 | 6 | 0 |
| Oct 14, 1966 | F2 | 5.2 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 14, 1966 | F2 | 14.9 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 15, 1960 | F2 | 18.2 | 3 | 0 |
| Sep 26, 1959 | F4 | 7.8 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 17, 1958 | F2 | 12.8 | 0 | 0 |
- Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
- Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.
Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.
Hurricanes and tropical storms
1 passed within 50 miles since 1851; none at hurricane strength.
Strongest within 50 miles
October 17, 1923
Unnamed storm, Tropical storm
50.0 miles at closest approach, winds near 39 mph.
Most recent
September 14, 2008
Ike, Tropical storm
67.7 miles at closest approach.
Every storm within 100 miles
- Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.
National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.
Wildfire and smoke
43 large fires burned within 25 miles since 1984.
Largest
March 22, 1994
Unnamed Fire, 612 acres
15.0 miles from the city centre.
Most recent
March 2, 2012
Kinfolk Rd Fire
2,881 acres in total.
Every large fire
| Kinfolk Rd | 2012 | 9.0 | 2,881 |
| Post Oak Road | 2011 | 16.0 | 819 |
| Unnamed | 2010 | 19.2 | 4,763 |
| Ivory | 2009 | 7.2 | 893 |
| Mountain Creek | 2009 | 8.8 | 4,318 |
| Unnamed | 2007 | 15.0 | 1,694 |
| Unnamed | 2007 | 7.3 | 1,450 |
| Unnamed | 2007 | 18.6 | 2,707 |
| Big Spring Fire | 2006 | 19.2 | 4,920 |
| Unnamed | 2006 | 21.5 | 2,575 |
| Unnamed | 2006 | 18.4 | 617 |
| Unnamed | 2005 | 20.4 | 2,592 |
| Unnamed | 2005 | 16.7 | 893 |
| Main | 2004 | 7.4 | 1,923 |
| Unnamed | 2002 | 8.7 | 1,075 |
| Unnamed | 1995 | 14.0 | 508 |
| Unnamed | 1994 | 21.8 | 1,051 |
| Unnamed | 1994 | 14.9 | 1,298 |
| Unnamed | 1994 | 7.6 | 5,339 |
| Unnamed | 1994 | 15.0 | 612 |
| Unnamed | 1994 | 17.0 | 903 |
| Unnamed | 1994 | 14.8 | 3,333 |
| Unnamed | 1994 | 17.0 | 907 |
| Unnamed | 1994 | 15.9 | 572 |
| Unnamed | 1994 | 14.6 | 762 |
| Unnamed | 1994 | 18.6 | 7,388 |
| Unnamed | 1994 | 19.3 | 1,009 |
| Unnamed | 1994 | 11.8 | 548 |
| Unnamed | 1994 | 13.1 | 1,459 |
| Unnamed | 1994 | 10.2 | 501 |
| Unnamed | 1994 | 7.6 | 570 |
| Unnamed | 1992 | 20.8 | 3,532 |
| Unnamed | 1991 | 8.8 | 3,530 |
| Unnamed | 1991 | 7.4 | 2,567 |
| Unnamed | 1991 | 16.8 | 2,367 |
| Unnamed | 1991 | 18.8 | 885 |
| Unnamed | 1991 | 17.4 | 3,489 |
| Unnamed | 1991 | 15.1 | 3,134 |
| Unnamed | 1991 | 11.7 | 788 |
| Unnamed | 1991 | 22.1 | 1,334 |
| Unnamed | 1991 | 15.3 | 2,063 |
| Unnamed | 1991 | 11.8 | 4,169 |
| Unnamed | 1990 | 16.1 | 1,528 |
- Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.
Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.
Smoke overhead
Smokiest year
2023: 63 days
Heavy smoke on 12 days in 2021, the most of any year.
Last 10 years
19.9 days a year
Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.
2025
14 days
Medium or heavy smoke. 33 so far in 2026.
- A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.
NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Floods and flood insurance
26 federal flood insurance claims since 1986, with $654,000 paid.
Flood insurance figures are for Laclede County, the county that contains Lebanon.
Most claims in one year
2015: 10 claims
$304,000 paid.
Claims by ZIP code
| 65536 | 20 | $468,000 |
Flood events since 1996
- Flash Flood111
- Flood73
- Heavy Rain23
3 deaths recorded in flood events since 1996.
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).
OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.
River crests
River gauges in Laclede County, the county that contains Lebanon.
Most severe crest
April 30, 2017
Gasconade River near Hazelgreen, 39.74 ft
18.74 feet above the 21.0 ft flood stage; major flooding by today’s categories.
Most recent moderate or major crest
November 6, 2024
Gasconade River near Hazelgreen, 29.05 ft
Moderate flooding.
River gauges
| Gasconade River near Hazelgreen | 21.0 | 39.74 ft | 4 |
- Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.
NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Drought
In severe drought or worse for 106 of 1,581 months since 1895 (7%); the longest spell lasted 20 months.
The drought index is for Laclede County, the county that contains Lebanon.
106
Months in severe drought or worse since 1895
41
Months in extreme drought
7%
Share of all months, severe or worse
24
Drought reports to the Weather Service since 1996
Lowest reading
September 1954
−6.37, extreme drought
Longest severe spell
20 months
June 1953 to January 1955.
Latest month
September 2026
−2.01, moderate drought
Last severe month: February 2026.
- The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.
NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.
Earthquakes
6 earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more within 50 miles since 1988; none reached magnitude 4.
3
Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973
0
Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900
0
Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900
Largest within 50 miles
May 20, 1988
Magnitude 3.4
15 km WNW of Hartville, Missouri; 25.0 miles away, 3.1 miles deep.
Most recent, magnitude 3 or more
March 30, 2001
Magnitude 3.1
1 km SW of Hermitage, Missouri; 40.6 miles away.
- Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the city centre.
- Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).
USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.
Severe weather and other events
801 events in the National Weather Service record for Laclede County, 732 of them since 1996.
137
Hail reports, 1 inch or larger
14
Hail, 2 inches or larger
176
Damaging gusts, 58 mph+
52
Winter weather events since 1996
9
Heat events since 1996
11
Cold events since 1996
Largest hail
April 28, 1983
3.00 inches
Strongest measured or estimated gust
January 8, 2008
90 mph
More event types since 1996
| Lightning | 6 | 1 |
Costliest events since 1996
- Apr 28, 2026Hail$76.5 million
National Weather Service narrative
A hail swath from a mile to 3 miles wide began near Conway and continued to the north-northeast across Laclede County. Hail from quarters to 3 inches in size fell along a path from Conway to Phillipsburg to Eldridge as a left moving supercell moved across the County. Along the storms path, numerous homes, vehicles, businesses, equipment, crops, livestock and other structures were damaged by hail before the storm passed into southeastern Camden County.
- Jan 12, 2007Ice Storm, Laclede$50.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Catastrophic tree and power line damage resulted across all of Laclede County from the storm.
- Apr 26, 2026Hail$20.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Hail from golf ball to hen egg in size was reported across portions of Lebanon including the Lebanon Airport where pictures of golf ball hail were provided. Damage occurred to homes, vehicles, equipment, outbuildings and general aviation aircraft at the airport.
- Jan 7, 2008Tornado$8.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
This is an extension of the Webster County tornado. A National Weather Service storm survey revealed that an EF-3 tornado tracked across Laclede County. Numerous homes and outbuildings south of Lebanon were destroyed while 12 were injured.
- Aug 20, 2007Flash Flood$5.5 million
National Weather Service narrative
Tropical Storm Erin remnants impacted areas of Laclede County. Flash flooding occurred county wide causing road closures to a section of Highway 32 near Pinetree Road, West Elm Road between Drury Road and Springfield Road, a section of Route BB northwest of Sleeper and north of Route F, the intersection of Highway 32 and Highway K, the intersection of Route BB and Highway F, the intersection of Route T and Highway FF, the outer road of interstate 44 at Route N, and a section of a secondary road near Sleeper. A United State Postal employee delivering rural mail drove into a washed out bridge and was swept away by flood water.
- Dec 26, 2015Flash Flood$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Route B was closed due to flooding at North Cobb Creek. Nearly all low water crossings across the county were flooded. There were numerous county roads that had flood damage. There was extensive damage to the campgrounds at Bennett Spring State Park including the fish hatchery and cabins. This storm report will contain the damage estimates for the entire county for this event.
- May 8, 2009Thunderstorm Wind$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Widespread wind damage occurred across central and southern Laclede County. Trees, outbuildings, and power poles were the primary items that were damaged. In Conway, several homes experienced minor roof damage. Rural areas south of Lebanon experienced the most intense wind speeds. In Lebanon, a few trees were knocked over, however, structural damage was minimal.
- Mar 18, 2008Flash Flood$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Four to nine inches of rain fell over Laclede County. The southeast section of the county experienced the greatest rainfall totals as widespread flooding occurred over county roads.
- Apr 30, 2017Flash Flood$1.0 million
National Weather Service narrative
Several homes and roads sustained flood damage across Laclede County. The Gasconade River near Hazelgreen hit a new record river level. Interstate 44 near mile marker 143 was closed down due to flooding. The flooding severely damaged I-44. Bennett Spring State Park suffered some flood damage. This report will contain the total dollar estimate for flood damage to infrastructure, businesses, and homes across Laclede County.
- Feb 29, 2012Tornado$750,000
National Weather Service narrative
An EF-1 tornado tracked from 2 miles northwest of Philipsburg to 1 mile southeast of Lebanon. Several frame homes had roof damaged, one mobile home was destroyed, damage occurred to the roof of the Tracker Marine Boat Plant, the Lowe's Garden Center was severely damaged and numerous trees were uprooted. Several other businesses were damaged.
- Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.
NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.
Weather records
From Lebanon 2W, 2.1 miles from the city centre, with records from 1893.
- All-time high
- 113°FJul 14, 1954
- All-time low
- −28°FFeb 12, 1899
- Warmest night
- 83°FAug 3, 1913
- Coldest day
- −2°FFeb 12, 1899
- Wettest day
- 6.60 inJan 2, 1897
- Snowiest day
- 16.0 in2 times, most recently Feb 20, 1912
- Hottest year
- 2012mean 59.5°F
- Coldest year
- 1951mean 52.0°F
- Wettest year
- 200884.23 in
- Driest year
- 201420.49 in
- Snowiest season
- 48.0 in1911-12
Median first snow
December 12
Earliest: October 28, 1925
Median last snow
March 2
Latest: May 2, 1929
3 of 96 winters had no measurable snow.
Station Lebanon 2W (USC00234825), 1,246 ft elevation, 2.1 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1893 to September 30, 2025; 87.6% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.
NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.
Federal disaster declarations
23 since 1953. The most recent: Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding, July 9, 2020.
Declarations for Laclede County.
| Jul 9, 2020 | Severe Storm | DR-4552-MO |
| Mar 26, 2020 | Biological | DR-4490-MO |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | EM-3482-MO |
| Jul 9, 2019 | Severe Storm | DR-4451-MO |
| Jan 21, 2016 | Flood | DR-4250-MO |
| Jan 2, 2016 | Flood | EM-3374-MO |
| Aug 7, 2015 | Severe Storm | DR-4238-MO |
| Sep 6, 2013 | Severe Storm | DR-4144-MO |
| Mar 23, 2011 | Severe Storm | DR-1961-MO |
| Feb 3, 2011 | Severe Storm | EM-3317-MO |
| Jun 19, 2009 | Severe Storm | DR-1847-MO |
| Jan 30, 2009 | Severe Ice Storm | EM-3303-MO |
| Mar 19, 2008 | Severe Storm | DR-1749-MO |
| Feb 5, 2008 | Severe Storm | DR-1742-MO |
| Dec 12, 2007 | Severe Ice Storm | EM-3281-MO |
| Sep 21, 2007 | Severe Storm | DR-1728-MO |
| Jan 15, 2007 | Severe Ice Storm | DR-1676-MO |
| Sep 10, 2005 | Hurricane | EM-3232-MO |
| May 6, 2003 | Severe Storm | DR-1463-MO |
| May 6, 2002 | Severe Storm | DR-1412-MO |
| Jul 9, 1993 | Flood | DR-995-MO |
| Sep 24, 1976 | Drought | EM-3017-MO |
| Apr 19, 1973 | Severe Storm | DR-372-MO |
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).
OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.
Sources and vintage
Every number on this page comes from these public records.
- Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
- Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
- Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
- Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
- Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
- Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USC00234825.
- River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
- Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
- Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.
Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.