NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Fair Play, 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 Fair Play, Missouri since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 90 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 90
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
8 deaths in all
What the records show for Fair Play
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Fair Play; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1902, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 52 miles away. The record near Fair Play begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm 69 miles away. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site, 43% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Fair Play. The highest rating among the 90 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3, reached 4 times; the most recent, on March 12, 2006, came within 19 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 4, 2003, killed 5 people. Of the 90, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 58 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 32. The most recent tornado was on April 29, 2025. Of the 334 Missouri cities, 54% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Fair Play. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 58 times since 1966, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 334 Missouri cities, 82% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Fair Play.
Compare Fair Play's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Fair Play
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 52 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 Fair Play: 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 Fair Play
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s29
- 2000s21(2 EF3+)
- 1990s10
- 1970s9(2 EF3+)
- 1960s7
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 6 mi | 86 mi | 5 / 47 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F3 | 19 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 19 |
| Apr 20, 1973 | F3 | 18 mi | 7.8 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Apr 20, 1973 | F3 | 11 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 28, 2012 | EF2 | 24 mi | 9.5 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F2 | 21 mi | 38 mi | 1 / 7 |
| Dec 14, 1971 | F2 | 23 mi | 48.3 mi | 1 / 22 |
| Mar 31, 2008 | EF2 | 25 mi | 4.67 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 26, 2004 | F2 | 25 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 13, 1990 | F2 | 21 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 25, 1961 | F2 | 16 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 16, 1958 | F2 | 24 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 90, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Fair Play
The Storm Prediction Center has 58 hail reports within 10 miles of Fair Play since 1966, made on 42 separate days. Of these, 34 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on April 21, 2022. The most recent report is from September 17, 2025. April has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Fair Play
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Stockton Dam, MO, 10 miles northwest of Fair Play at 922 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 43°F and 23°F. May is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 44.9 inches over 69 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 44 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 92 nights a year. Snowfall averages 6.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 44.9 inches is more than at 79 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (59%). Bolivar, 12 miles east, has its own station (Bolivar 1 NE, MO): 46.5 inches a year, 1.6 more than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43 | 23 | 2.0 | 4 | 3.9 |
| Feb | 48 | 27 | 2.2 | 4 | 1.0 |
| Mar | 58 | 35 | 3.1 | 6 | 1.4 |
| Apr | 68 | 45 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 76 | 56 | 5.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 66 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 70 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 68 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 82 | 60 | 4.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 71 | 48 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 58 | 37 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 47 | 28 | 2.5 | 4 | 0.4 |
| Year | 68 | 47 | 44.9 | 69 | 6.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Stockton Dam, MO (922 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 Fair Play
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 88 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Fair Play: 56 thunderstorm wind reports, 23 flash floods, 7 heavy rain events and 2 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $18.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on May 8, 2009. June has had the most flash floods, 8 of 23. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 192 have had fewer than Fair Play.
May 8, 2009: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Fair Play — 1 injured, $7.0 million damage.
August 20, 2007: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Fair Play — $9.0 million damage.
June 9, 2024: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Fair Play — $2.2 million damage.
NWS: “A widespread flood event occurred in Polk County during the early morning hours of June 9th. Between 4 and 6 inches of rainfall fell in Polk County which caused the Pomme De Terre River and its tributaries to rapidly increase.”
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
Polk County, which includes Fair Play, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 15 severe storms, 3 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 Polk County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail and inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $15.5 million a year, the 57th highest of 115 Missouri counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.2 million (47%), 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 Fair Play
- Bolivar, MO12 mi
- Humansville, MO12 mi
- Stockton, MO12 mi
- Walnut Grove, MO15 mi
- Greenfield, MO18 mi
- Half Way, MO21 mi
- Willard, MO22 mi
- Pleasant Hope, MO23 mi
- Lockwood, MO24 mi
- Ash Grove, MO24 mi
- El Dorado Springs, MO27 mi
- Buffalo, MO28 mi
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