NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Purdy, 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 Purdy, Missouri since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 109 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 109
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
197 deaths in all
What the records show for Purdy
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Purdy; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 41 mph winds when its centre passed 73 miles away. The record near Purdy begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Purdy has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 56% of the 334 Missouri cities on this site. The strongest of the 109 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF5 on May 22, 2011; its path came within 20 miles, and it killed 158 people. Of the 109, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 68 have come since 2000. April and May have had the most tornadoes, 23 each. The most recent tornado was on June 6, 2025. Purdy has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 62% of the 334 Missouri cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 209 times since 1961, with stones up to 3.5 inches. Purdy has more hail reports within 10 miles than 83% of the 334 Missouri cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Purdy
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 26 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 Purdy: 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 Purdy
By decade
- 2020s10
- 2010s30(1 EF3+)
- 2000s28(3 EF3+)
- 1990s7
- 1980s3
- 1970s13(2 EF3+)
- 1960s10
- 1950s8(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 22, 2011 | EF5 | 20 mi | 21.62 mi | 158 / 1150 |
| May 10, 2008 | EF4 | 3 mi | 75.51 mi | 21 / 350 |
| Apr 24, 1975 | F4 | 24 mi | 11.9 mi | 3 / 22 |
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 13 mi | 49 mi | 7 / 48 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F3 | 15 mi | 42 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Mar 26, 1976 | F3 | 21 mi | 29.1 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Mar 24, 1954 | F3 | 16 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 24, 1954 | F3 | 22 mi | 20.6 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Dec 17, 2002 | F2 | 22 mi | 4 mi | 2 / 17 |
| Feb 29, 2012 | EF2 | 7 mi | 1.7 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Nov 15, 1988 | F2 | 7 mi | 28 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Apr 4, 2017 | EF2 | 20 mi | 16.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 109, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Purdy
The Storm Prediction Center has 209 hail reports within 10 miles of Purdy since 1961, made on 135 separate days. Of these, 118 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.5 inches, fell on June 20, 1970. The most recent report is from July 4, 2024. May has the most reports, 51.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Purdy
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Monett 4SW, MO, 5 miles north of Purdy at 1,420 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 24°F. May is the wettest at 6.0 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.2 inches; the year adds up to 46.5 inches over 72 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 89 nights a year. Snowfall averages 6.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 46.5 inches is more than at 98 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (73%). Exeter, 8 miles south, has its own station (Cassville, MO): 47.6 inches a year, 1.1 more than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 88°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 24 | 2.5 | 4 | 2.4 |
| Feb | 49 | 28 | 2.2 | 5 | 1.1 |
| Mar | 58 | 36 | 3.8 | 7 | 1.9 |
| Apr | 67 | 45 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 75 | 55 | 6.0 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 64 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 88 | 68 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 88 | 66 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 58 | 4.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 47 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 57 | 36 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Dec | 47 | 28 | 2.9 | 5 | 1.1 |
| Year | 67 | 46 | 46.5 | 72 | 6.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Monett 4SW, MO (1,420 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 Purdy
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 350 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Purdy: 170 thunderstorm wind reports, 97 flash floods, 64 floods, 18 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 14, and the NWS estimated $10.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on July 11, 2003. April has had the most flash floods, 23 of 97. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 317 have had fewer than Purdy.
April 15, 2001: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Purdy — 9 injured, $125,000 damage.
April 28, 1996: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Purdy — 4 injured, $500,000 damage.
May 13, 2009: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Purdy — 1 injured, $10,000 damage.
NWS: “A microburst destroyed a mobile home. One injury resulted from this wind 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
Barry County, which includes Purdy, has been named in 29 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 23 of them major disasters (by incident: 18 severe storms, 5 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 Barry County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for hail; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $29.9 million a year, the 27th highest of 115 Missouri counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $16.7 million (56%), 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 Purdy
- Exeter, MO8 mi
- Monett, MO9 mi
- Cassville, MO9 mi
- Pierce City, MO12 mi
- Washburn, MO13 mi
- Verona, MO13 mi
- Aurora, MO15 mi
- Seligman, MO18 mi
- Granby, MO19 mi
- Mount Vernon, MO22 mi
- Sarcoxie, MO23 mi
- Marionville, MO23 mi
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