NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Fordland, 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 Fordland, Missouri since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 138 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 4
- Tornadoes
- 138
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
15 deaths in all
What the records show for Fordland
None of the 4 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Fordland; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 44 mph winds when its centre passed 52 miles away. The record near Fordland begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Of the 4 systems, one has come since 2000. Fordland has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 81% of the 334 Missouri cities on this site. The highest rating among the 138 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on November 29, 1991, came within 15 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 4, 2003, killed 7 people. Of the 138, 13 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 88 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 37. The most recent tornado was on April 29, 2025. Fordland has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 84% of the 334 Missouri cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 130 times since 1966, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Fordland has more hail reports within 10 miles than 59% of the 334 Missouri cities.
Compare Fordland's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Fordland
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 17 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 4 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 Fordland: 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 Fordland
By decade
- 2020s18
- 2010s30
- 2000s40(4 EF3+)
- 1990s12(1 EF3+)
- 1980s12(1 EF3+)
- 1970s7
- 1960s10
- 1950s9(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 29, 1991 | F4 | 15 mi | 10 mi | 2 / 64 |
| Sep 26, 1959 | F4 | 21 mi | 7.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 23 mi | 49 mi | 7 / 48 |
| Jan 7, 2008 | EF3 | 14 mi | 50.39 mi | 3 / 18 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F3 | 23 mi | 42 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Apr 29, 1983 | F3 | 24 mi | 5.5 mi | 1 / 19 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F3 | 8 mi | 32 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 14, 1971 | F2 | 25 mi | 48.3 mi | 1 / 22 |
| Apr 30, 2019 | EF2 | 9 mi | 10.28 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF2 | 16 mi | 2.48 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF2 | 15 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 7, 2008 | EF2 | 11 mi | 8.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 138, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Fordland
The Storm Prediction Center has 130 hail reports within 10 miles of Fordland since 1966, made on 84 separate days. Of these, 86 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on May 8, 2024. The most recent report is from March 14, 2025. April has the most reports, 36.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Fordland
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Marshfield 4 WSW, MO, 12 miles north of Fordland at 1,414 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 42°F and 22°F. May is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 45.7 inches over 74 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 34 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 95 nights a year. Snowfall averages 5.2 inches a year, most of it in December. That 45.7 inches is more than at 91 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (68%). Rogersville, 7 miles west, has its own station (Oldfield, MO): 48.6 inches a year, 2.9 more than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 42 | 22 | 2.7 | 5 | 1.7 |
| Feb | 47 | 25 | 2.5 | 5 | 0.6 |
| Mar | 57 | 34 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.6 |
| Apr | 67 | 44 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 75 | 54 | 5.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 84 | 63 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 67 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 87 | 66 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 80 | 58 | 4.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 69 | 46 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 56 | 34 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Dec | 46 | 26 | 2.8 | 5 | 2.2 |
| Year | 66 | 45 | 45.7 | 74 | 5.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Marshfield 4 WSW, MO (1,414 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 Fordland
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 341 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Fordland: 150 thunderstorm wind reports, 113 flash floods, 58 floods, 17 heavy rain events and 3 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $11.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on September 15, 2010. May has had the most flash floods, 26 of 113. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 325 have had fewer than Fordland.
June 26, 2015: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Fordland — 1 killed, $5,000 damage.
March 23, 2023: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Fordland — 1 killed.
NWS: “A vehicle containing 3 occupants attempted to traverse a flooded low water crossing on Route Z at the Finley River. Two of the occupants were rescued safely but the driver did not survive, drowning as a result.”
July 7, 2015: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Fordland — $3.0 million damage.
NWS: “State Route Z at Finley Creek was flooded and closed. This storm report will contain the overall flood damage estimates across Webster County for this storm event.”
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
Webster County, which includes Fordland, has been named in 33 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 26 of them major disasters (by incident: 20 severe storms, 5 floods, 4 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 Webster 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 $16.9 million a year, the 51st highest of 115 Missouri counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.5 million (38%), 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 Fordland
- Rogersville, MO7 mi
- Seymour, MO9 mi
- Sparta, MO12 mi
- Strafford, MO13 mi
- Marshfield, MO13 mi
- Ozark, MO17 mi
- Springfield, MO19 mi
- Mansfield, MO20 mi
- Fair Grove, MO21 mi
- Nixa, MO21 mi
- Niangua, MO21 mi
- Ava, MO22 mi
All Missouri cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Fordland with another place →