NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Miller, 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 Miller, Missouri since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 105 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 105
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
19 deaths in all
What the records show for Miller
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Miller; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1902, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 42 miles away. The record near Miller begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm 52 miles away. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site, 43% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Miller. The highest rating among the 105 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 7 times; the most recent, on May 22, 2019, came within 20 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 4, 2003, killed 7 people. Of the 105, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 72 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 28. The most recent tornado was on April 29, 2025. Miller has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 58% of the 334 Missouri cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 112 times since 1962, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Miller has more hail reports within 10 miles than 52% of the 334 Missouri cities.
Compare Miller's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Miller
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 42 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 Miller: 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 Miller
By decade
- 2020s11
- 2010s36(1 EF3+)
- 2000s25(2 EF3+)
- 1990s4
- 1980s4(1 EF3+)
- 1970s14(3 EF3+)
- 1960s7
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 14 mi | 49 mi | 7 / 48 |
| May 22, 2019 | EF3 | 20 mi | 11.29 mi | 3 / 1 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F3 | 17 mi | 42 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Apr 29, 1983 | F3 | 22 mi | 5.5 mi | 1 / 19 |
| Mar 26, 1976 | F3 | 3 mi | 29.1 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Apr 20, 1973 | F3 | 13 mi | 7.8 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Apr 20, 1973 | F3 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 17, 2002 | F2 | 10 mi | 4 mi | 2 / 17 |
| Dec 14, 1971 | F2 | 20 mi | 48.3 mi | 1 / 22 |
| May 22, 2011 | EF2 | 18 mi | 14.13 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 7, 2008 | EF2 | 19 mi | 6.44 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 7, 2008 | EF2 | 21 mi | 12.43 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 105, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Miller
The Storm Prediction Center has 112 hail reports within 10 miles of Miller since 1962, made on 84 separate days. Of these, 65 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently March 9, 2017. The most recent report is from April 15, 2023. April has the most reports, 30.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Miller
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mt Vernon Univ Mo - SW Ctr, MO, 10 miles south of Miller at 1,190 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 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.3 inches; the year adds up to 45.6 inches over 69 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 46 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 111 nights a year. That 45.6 inches is more than at 88 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (66%). Ash Grove, 14 miles east, has its own station (Ash Grove 4S, MO): 43.6 inches a year, 2.0 less than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 89°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 22 | 2.4 | 4 |
| Feb | 49 | 26 | 2.3 | 4 |
| Mar | 58 | 35 | 3.7 | 7 |
| Apr | 68 | 44 | 4.6 | 7 |
| May | 76 | 54 | 5.9 | 8 |
| Jun | 84 | 64 | 5.3 | 8 |
| Jul | 89 | 67 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Aug | 89 | 65 | 3.0 | 4 |
| Sep | 82 | 57 | 4.7 | 6 |
| Oct | 71 | 45 | 3.0 | 5 |
| Nov | 58 | 35 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Dec | 47 | 26 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Year | 68 | 45 | 45.6 | 69 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mt Vernon Univ Mo - SW Ctr, MO (1,190 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 Miller
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 162 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Miller: 67 thunderstorm wind reports, 44 floods, 41 flash floods, 9 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 2 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $7.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on September 30, 1998. April has had the most flash floods, 9 of 41. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 247 have had fewer than Miller.
March 18, 2008: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Miller — 1 killed, $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Four to six inches of rain fell over Lawrence County. All locations that typically experience flooding during periods of excessive rainfall were flooded.”
May 31, 2013: flood 8 miles from the centre of Miller — 1 killed.
August 20, 2007: flash flood in Miller — $2.5 million damage.
NWS: “Volunteer observations near the community of Miller measured nearly 12 inches of rain during the early morning hours as the remnants of Tropical Storm Erin passed over the county. Very serious flash flooding resulted in numerous water rescues across northern sections of the county.”
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
Lawrence County, which includes Miller, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 4 floods, 3 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 9, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lawrence County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, 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 $22.0 million a year, the 41st highest of 115 Missouri counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $10.1 million (46%), 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.