NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Fort Leonard Wood, 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
3 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 74 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 74
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
9 deaths in all
What the records show for Fort Leonard Wood
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Fort Leonard Wood; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 45 mph winds when its centre passed 50 miles away. The record near Fort Leonard Wood begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Fort Leonard Wood has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 56% of the 334 Missouri cities on this site. The strongest of the 74 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on March 25, 1954; its path came within 20 miles, and it killed 2 people. The deadliest, an EF3 on January 7, 2008, killed 3 people. Of the 74, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 42 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 19. The most recent tornado was on March 14, 2025. Of the 334 Missouri cities, 74% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Fort Leonard Wood. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 124 times since 1959, with stones up to 4.25 inches. Fort Leonard Wood has more hail reports within 10 miles than 56% of the 334 Missouri cities.
Compare Fort Leonard Wood's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Fort Leonard Wood
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 17 | 20 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 3 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 Fort Leonard Wood: 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 Fort Leonard Wood
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s18(2 EF3+)
- 2000s17(4 EF3+)
- 1990s8
- 1980s4
- 1970s3(1 EF3+)
- 1960s12
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 25, 1954 | F4 | 20 mi | 12.1 mi | 2 / 0 |
| Jan 7, 2008 | EF3 | 16 mi | 50.39 mi | 3 / 18 |
| Dec 31, 2010 | EF3 | 23 mi | 11 mi | 2 / 6 |
| Dec 31, 2010 | EF3 | in town | 7.5 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jan 7, 2008 | EF3 | 13 mi | 4.67 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 7, 2008 | EF3 | 12 mi | 1.77 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F3 | 21 mi | 32 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 11, 1979 | F3 | 23 mi | 35.4 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Mar 14, 2025 | EF2 | 20 mi | 10.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF2 | 24 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 1, 1999 | F2 | 17 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 15, 1988 | F2 | 8 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 74, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Fort Leonard Wood
The Storm Prediction Center has 124 hail reports within 10 miles of Fort Leonard Wood since 1959, made on 79 separate days. Of these, 80 were 1 inch across or larger, and 10 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.25 inches, fell on March 11, 2006. The most recent report is from May 16, 2025. April has the most reports, 36.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Fort Leonard Wood
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Waynesville 2 W, MO, 8 miles northwest of Fort Leonard Wood at 890 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 22°F. May is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 47.6 inches over 72 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 38 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 110 nights a year. Snowfall averages 10.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 47.6 inches is more than at 114 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (85%). Newburg, 13 miles northeast, has its own station (Rolla Missouri S&T, MO): 47.3 inches a year, 0.3 less than here, and the same July average high, 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 22 | 2.7 | 4 | 4.8 |
| Feb | 49 | 26 | 2.7 | 5 | 2.9 |
| Mar | 59 | 34 | 4.1 | 7 | 0.9 |
| Apr | 69 | 44 | 4.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 54 | 5.2 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 63 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 67 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 65 | 4.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 56 | 4.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 71 | 45 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 58 | 35 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.6 |
| Dec | 48 | 27 | 2.9 | 5 | 1.0 |
| Year | 68 | 45 | 47.6 | 72 | 10.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Waynesville 2 W, MO (890 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 Fort Leonard Wood
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 135 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Fort Leonard Wood: 75 thunderstorm wind reports, 25 flash floods, 17 floods, 17 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 2 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $16.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 91 mph, on May 5, 1996. August has had the most flash floods, 11 of 25. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 204 have had fewer than Fort Leonard Wood.
August 6, 2013: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Fort Leonard Wood — 2 killed, $5.0 million damage.
April 30, 2017: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Fort Leonard Wood — $5.4 million damage.
NWS: “Several homes and business sustained flood damage across the county. Numerous roads and bridges were severely damaged or washed away across the county.”
December 26, 2015: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Fort Leonard Wood — $2.5 million damage.
NWS: “Highway J was closed due to high water at the Spring Creek Arm of the Big Piney River. Numerous roads and bridges were damaged.”
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
Pulaski County, which includes Fort Leonard Wood, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 13 severe storms, 4 floods, 3 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding, on January 1, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Pulaski County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $29.0 million a year, the 28th highest of 115 Missouri counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $13.2 million (45%), 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 Fort Leonard Wood
- Saint Robert, MO6 mi
- Waynesville, MO7 mi
- Newburg, MO13 mi
- Plato, MO14 mi
- Richland, MO16 mi
- Crocker, MO17 mi
- Dixon, MO18 mi
- Licking, MO22 mi
- Rolla, MO24 mi
- Iberia, MO27 mi
- Lebanon, MO29 mi
- Houston, MO31 mi
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