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Storms That Hit

NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit California, 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

1 tropical system has passed within 75 miles of California, Missouri since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1902. Since 1950, 83 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
0

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
1

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
83

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
2

no recorded deaths

What the records show for California

None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed California; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1902, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 67 miles away. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site, 62% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than California. The highest rating among the 83 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 22, 2019, came within 15 miles. Of the 83, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 17 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on April 20, 2025. Of the 334 Missouri cities, 62% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than California. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 62 times since 1955, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 334 Missouri cities, 78% have more hail reports within 10 miles than California.

Compare California's storm record with another city →

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Tropical storms and hurricanes near California

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of California, Missouri, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
1902Unnamed 1902 stormJun 2867 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 1

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in California: 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 California

By decade

  • 2020s3
  • 2010s3(1 EF3+)
  • 2000s11
  • 1990s19(1 EF3+)
  • 1980s22
  • 1970s10
  • 1960s10
  • 1950s5
Strongest tornadoes near California, Missouri
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
May 22, 2019EF315 mi32.68 mi0 / 33
Nov 27, 1990F319 mi1 mi0 / 0
Sep 7, 1992F217 mi10.2 mi0 / 0
Jun 7, 1990F212 mi0.5 mi0 / 0
Oct 3, 1986F219 mi10 mi0 / 0
May 14, 1982F217 mi1 mi0 / 0
May 12, 1980F23 mi42.7 mi0 / 0
Oct 24, 1967F2in town0.5 mi0 / 0
Oct 14, 1966F217 mi2.3 mi0 / 0
Oct 14, 1966F2in town7.6 mi0 / 0
Mar 5, 1961F218 mi9.6 mi0 / 0
Apr 30, 1954F216 mi3.6 mi0 / 0

The strongest 12 of 83, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in California

The Storm Prediction Center has 62 hail reports within 10 miles of California since 1955, made on 47 separate days. Of these, 33 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on April 22, 2011. The most recent report is from May 8, 2024. April has the most reports, 22.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in California

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is California, MO, in California at 879 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 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and December the driest at 1.9 inches; the year adds up to 43.2 inches over 70 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 30 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 104 nights a year. Snowfall averages 9.7 inches a year, most of it in December. That 43.2 inches is more than at 57 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (43%). Hartsburg, 16 miles east, has its own station (Columbia Regional Airport, MO): 41.4 inches a year, 1.8 less than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 88°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at California, MO
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"Snow in
Jan40202.043.3
Feb45242.341.8
Mar55333.070.7
Apr66444.970.0
May75545.080.0
Jun84634.470.0
Jul88674.760.0
Aug87663.950.0
Sep80574.150.0
Oct68453.860.0
Nov55343.250.4
Dec44251.943.5
Year664443.2709.7

Averages for 1991–2020 at California, MO (879 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.

Missouri weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near California

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 62 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of California: 51 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 flash floods, 2 floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $5,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 70 mph, on March 12, 2003. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 46 have had fewer than California.

  • June 26, 2015: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of California — 1 killed.

    NWS: “Female victim was camping along Moniteau Creek near Prairie Home, Missouri. Authorities believe she was swept away by flash flood waters.”

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

Moniteau County, which includes California, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 6 floods, 3 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on August 3, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Moniteau County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes, hail and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.7 million a year, the 80th highest of 115 Missouri counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.6 million (37%), 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 California

All Missouri cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare California with another place →

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