NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Mount Vernon, 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 Mount Vernon, Missouri since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 116 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 116
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
195 deaths in all
What the records show for Mount Vernon
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Mount Vernon; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1902, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 35 miles away. The record near Mount Vernon begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm 44 miles away. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site, 43% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Mount Vernon. The strongest of the 116 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF5 on May 22, 2011; its path came within 24 miles, and it killed 158 people. Of the 116, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 77 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 29. The most recent tornado was on June 6, 2025. Mount Vernon has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 68% of the 334 Missouri cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 125 times since 1956, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Mount Vernon has more hail reports within 10 miles than 57% of the 334 Missouri cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Mount Vernon
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 35 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 Mount Vernon: 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 Mount Vernon
By decade
- 2020s14
- 2010s38(1 EF3+)
- 2000s25(3 EF3+)
- 1990s2
- 1980s6(1 EF3+)
- 1970s16(2 EF3+)
- 1960s9
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 22, 2011 | EF5 | 24 mi | 21.62 mi | 158 / 1150 |
| May 10, 2008 | EF4 | 19 mi | 75.51 mi | 21 / 350 |
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 5 mi | 49 mi | 7 / 48 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F3 | 8 mi | 42 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Apr 29, 1983 | F3 | 21 mi | 5.5 mi | 1 / 19 |
| Mar 26, 1976 | F3 | 6 mi | 29.1 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Apr 20, 1973 | F3 | 21 mi | 7.8 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Dec 17, 2002 | F2 | 2 mi | 4 mi | 2 / 17 |
| Nov 15, 1988 | F2 | 24 mi | 28 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Dec 14, 1971 | F2 | 14 mi | 48.3 mi | 1 / 22 |
| May 22, 2011 | EF2 | 25 mi | 15.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 22, 2011 | EF2 | 11 mi | 14.13 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 116, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Mount Vernon
The Storm Prediction Center has 125 hail reports within 10 miles of Mount Vernon since 1956, made on 93 separate days. Of these, 68 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently March 9, 2017. The most recent report is from April 15, 2023. April has the most reports, 32.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Mount Vernon
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mt Vernon Univ Mo - SW Ctr, MO, 4 miles southwest of Mount Vernon 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%). Marionville, 12 miles southeast, has its own station (Billings 1SW, MO): 45.7 inches a year, 0.1 more than here, and a July average high of 90°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 Mount Vernon
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 196 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Mount Vernon: 95 thunderstorm wind reports, 46 flash floods, 39 floods and 16 heavy rain events. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $5.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 82 mph, on May 10, 2003. April has had the most flash floods, 13 of 46. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 260 have had fewer than Mount Vernon.
May 31, 2013: flood 5 miles from the centre of Mount Vernon — 1 killed.
NWS: “Two people attempted to cross a low water bridge on County Road 2110 three miles west of Mount Vernon along the Spring River. One male was rescued in the river and the other male drowned.”
August 20, 2007: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Mount Vernon — $2.5 million damage.
April 20, 2000: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Mount Vernon — $900,000 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
Lawrence County, which includes Mount Vernon, 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.
Cities near Mount Vernon
- Miller, MO8 mi
- Verona, MO12 mi
- Marionville, MO12 mi
- Aurora, MO14 mi
- Monett, MO14 mi
- Pierce City, MO15 mi
- Billings, MO16 mi
- Ash Grove, MO16 mi
- Sarcoxie, MO18 mi
- Republic, MO18 mi
- Crane, MO20 mi
- Clever, MO21 mi
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