NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ava, 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
4 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Ava, Missouri since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 85 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 85
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Ava
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Ava; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 44 mph winds when its centre passed 30 miles away. The record near Ava begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Ava has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 81% of the 334 Missouri cities on this site. The highest rating among the 85 tornadoes within 25 miles is F2 or EF2, reached 13 times; the most recent, on April 13, 2018, came within 15 miles. Of the 85, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 61 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 27. The most recent tornado was on April 20, 2025. Of the 334 Missouri cities, 60% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Ava. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 159 times since 1963, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Ava has more hail reports within 10 miles than 72% of the 334 Missouri cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Ava
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | overhead | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 17 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 18 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 Ava: 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 Ava
By decade
- 2020s12
- 2010s29
- 2000s20
- 1990s6
- 1980s4
- 1970s5
- 1960s4
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 13, 2018 | EF2 | 15 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF2 | 8 mi | 2.48 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF2 | 10 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 20, 1990 | F2 | 21 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 9 |
| May 12, 1990 | F2 | 10 mi | 18 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 24, 1982 | F2 | 11 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Dec 2, 1982 | F2 | 19 mi | 23 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Apr 13, 1974 | F2 | 15 mi | 9.2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 13, 1974 | F2 | 2 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 13, 1973 | F2 | 10 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 23, 1967 | F2 | 17 mi | 11.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 6, 1960 | F2 | 2 mi | 5.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 85, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ava
The Storm Prediction Center has 159 hail reports within 10 miles of Ava since 1963, made on 94 separate days. Of these, 95 were 1 inch across or larger, and 9 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on May 8, 2024. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 55.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ava
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Wasola 5N, MO, 6 miles southeast of Ava at 1,226 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 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.9 inches; the year adds up to 46.7 inches over 57 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 28 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 96 nights a year. That 46.7 inches is more than at 102 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (76%). Mansfield, 15 miles north, has its own station (Mansfield, MO): 47.3 inches a year, 0.6 more than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 87°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 23 | 3.0 | 4 |
| Feb | 49 | 26 | 2.9 | 4 |
| Mar | 58 | 34 | 3.9 | 5 |
| Apr | 68 | 44 | 5.2 | 5 |
| May | 75 | 53 | 5.3 | 7 |
| Jun | 83 | 62 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Jul | 87 | 66 | 4.1 | 5 |
| Aug | 87 | 65 | 3.2 | 4 |
| Sep | 80 | 56 | 4.0 | 4 |
| Oct | 69 | 46 | 4.3 | 4 |
| Nov | 57 | 35 | 4.2 | 5 |
| Dec | 47 | 26 | 3.1 | 4 |
| Year | 67 | 45 | 46.7 | 57 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Wasola 5N, MO (1,226 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 Ava
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 453 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ava: 166 thunderstorm wind reports, 137 floods, 124 flash floods, 21 heavy rain events and 5 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $19.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 83 mph, on April 27, 2014. April has had the most flash floods, 28 of 124. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 329 have had fewer than Ava.
December 27, 2015: flood 6 miles from the centre of Ava — 1 killed.
NWS: “A 52 year old man was attempting to move cattle to higher ground when he was swept into flood water by the South Spring Creek. This incident occurred near the community of Smallet.”
April 30, 2019: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Ava — 1 killed.
NWS: “Heavy rainfall across portions of Douglas County caused Hunter Creek to rise quickly out of its banks during the late evening of April 30th and continued into May 1st. 00 inches of rain fall across portions of the Hunter Creek basin.”
November 5, 2024: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Ava — $11.7 million damage.
NWS: “Highway Y at Cowskin Creek was closed due to flooding. Additional county property damages were reported throughout the entire county, primarily to dirt roads and bridges.”
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
Douglas County, which includes Ava, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 14 severe storms, 4 floods, 3 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on July 22, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Douglas County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, hail and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $6.5 million a year, the 105th highest of 115 Missouri counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.5 million (39%), 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 Ava
- Mansfield, MO15 mi
- Seymour, MO18 mi
- Norwood, MO18 mi
- Fordland, MO22 mi
- Sparta, MO24 mi
- Gainesville, MO25 mi
- Rogersville, MO27 mi
- Mountain Grove, MO28 mi
- Hartville, MO28 mi
- Forsyth, MO29 mi
- Ozark, MO31 mi
- Marshfield, MO31 mi
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