NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Lake Ozark, 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 Lake Ozark, Missouri since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1923. Since 1950, 70 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 2 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 70
- EF3 or stronger
- 2
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Lake Ozark
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Lake Ozark; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1902, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 45 miles away. The record near Lake Ozark begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was an unnamed storm in 1923, a tropical storm 71 miles away. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site, 43% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Lake Ozark. The highest rating among the 70 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 22, 2019, came within 10 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 4, 2003, killed 4 people. Of the 70, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 28 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 22. The most recent tornado was on December 14, 2024. Of the 334 Missouri cities, 79% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Lake Ozark. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 142 times since 1959, with stones up to 4.25 inches. Lake Ozark has more hail reports within 10 miles than 65% of the 334 Missouri cities.
Compare Lake Ozark's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Lake Ozark
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1923 | Unnamed 1923 stormOct 17 | 71 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 45 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 Lake Ozark: 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 Lake Ozark
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s9(1 EF3+)
- 2000s16(1 EF3+)
- 1990s14
- 1980s9
- 1970s7
- 1960s9
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 16 mi | 14 mi | 4 / 27 |
| May 22, 2019 | EF3 | 10 mi | 32.68 mi | 0 / 33 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F2 | 11 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jun 7, 1990 | F2 | 18 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 3, 1986 | F2 | 15 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 9, 1982 | F2 | 17 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 15, 1982 | F2 | 16 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 9, 1970 | F2 | 9 mi | 4.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 14, 1966 | F2 | 11 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 14, 1966 | F2 | 11 mi | 4.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 14, 1966 | F2 | 25 mi | 7.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 14, 1966 | F2 | 11 mi | 14.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 70, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Lake Ozark
The Storm Prediction Center has 142 hail reports within 10 miles of Lake Ozark since 1959, made on 87 separate days. Of these, 87 were 1 inch across or larger, and 10 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.25 inches, fell on May 12, 2011. The most recent report is from June 8, 2025. May has the most reports, 40.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Lake Ozark
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lakeside, MO, 3 miles east of Lake Ozark at 590 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 70°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 25°F. May is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and February and December the driest at 2.1 inches; the year adds up to 42.7 inches over 70 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 35 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 88 nights a year. Snowfall averages 4.3 inches a year, most of it in January and December. That 42.7 inches is more than at 51 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (38%). Eldon, 9 miles northeast, has its own station (Eldon, MO): 45.0 inches a year, 2.3 more than here, and the same July average high, 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 25 | 2.2 | 4 | 1.7 |
| Feb | 49 | 29 | 2.1 | 4 | 0.6 |
| Mar | 59 | 37 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.3 |
| Apr | 69 | 47 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 56 | 5.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 65 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 89 | 70 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 68 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 61 | 4.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 71 | 49 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 59 | 39 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Dec | 48 | 30 | 2.1 | 4 | 1.7 |
| Year | 68 | 48 | 42.7 | 70 | 4.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Lakeside, MO (590 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 Lake Ozark
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 156 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Lake Ozark: 119 thunderstorm wind reports, 21 flash floods, 8 floods, 7 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 3, and the NWS estimated $5.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on July 8, 2008. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 175 have had fewer than Lake Ozark.
June 8, 2022: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Lake Ozark — 2 injured.
March 30, 2006: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Lake Ozark — 1 injured, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “Severe thunderstorm wind gusts blew a billboard into a car that resulted in minor injury.”
December 26, 2015: flood 5 miles from the centre of Lake Ozark — $2.0 million damage.
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
Camden County, which includes Lake Ozark, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 15 severe storms, 4 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 Camden County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $61.7 million a year, the 10th highest of 115 Missouri counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $46.5 million (75%), 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.