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Storms That Hit

NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Russellville, 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

1 tropical system has passed within 75 miles of Russellville, Missouri since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1902. Since 1950, 74 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 1 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
0

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
1

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
74

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
1

no recorded deaths

What the records show for Russellville

None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Russellville; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1902, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 56 miles away. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site, 62% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Russellville. The strongest of the 74 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF3 on May 22, 2019; its path came within 5 miles. Of the 74, 2 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 15 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 18. The most recent tornado was on April 20, 2025. Of the 334 Missouri cities, 74% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Russellville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 55 times since 1955, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 334 Missouri cities, 84% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Russellville.

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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Russellville

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Russellville, Missouri, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
1902Unnamed 1902 stormJun 2856 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 1

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Russellville: 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 Russellville

By decade

  • 2020s2
  • 2010s5(1 EF3+)
  • 2000s8
  • 1990s18
  • 1980s15
  • 1970s8
  • 1960s12
  • 1950s6
Strongest tornadoes near Russellville, Missouri
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
May 22, 2019EF35 mi32.68 mi0 / 33
Jun 7, 1990F27 mi0.5 mi0 / 0
Oct 3, 1986F28 mi10 mi0 / 0
May 12, 1980F214 mi42.7 mi0 / 0
Oct 24, 1967F211 mi0.5 mi0 / 0
Oct 14, 1966F211 mi2.3 mi0 / 0
Oct 14, 1966F223 mi4.9 mi0 / 0
Oct 14, 1966F210 mi7.6 mi0 / 0
Mar 5, 1961F213 mi9.6 mi0 / 0
May 28, 1954F225 mi6.8 mi0 / 2
Apr 30, 1954F217 mi3.6 mi0 / 0
Apr 27, 2024EF119 mi1.7 mi0 / 0

The strongest 12 of 74, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Russellville

The Storm Prediction Center has 55 hail reports within 10 miles of Russellville since 1955, made on 40 separate days. Of these, 41 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on March 27, 2020. The most recent report is from May 8, 2024. March has the most reports, 16.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in Russellville

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is California, MO, 11 miles northwest of Russellville at 879 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 88°F and low of 67°F; January is the coolest, at 40°F and 20°F. May is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and December the driest at 1.9 inches; the year adds up to 43.2 inches over 70 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 30 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 104 nights a year. Snowfall averages 9.7 inches a year, most of it in December. That 43.2 inches is more than at 57 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (43%). Eldon, 14 miles southwest, has its own station (Eldon, MO): 45.0 inches a year, 1.8 more than here, and a July average high of 89°F against 88°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at California, MO
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"Snow in
Jan40202.043.3
Feb45242.341.8
Mar55333.070.7
Apr66444.970.0
May75545.080.0
Jun84634.470.0
Jul88674.760.0
Aug87663.950.0
Sep80574.150.0
Oct68453.860.0
Nov55343.250.4
Dec44251.943.5
Year664443.2709.7

Averages for 1991–2020 at California, MO (879 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.

Missouri weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Russellville

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 45 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Russellville: 37 thunderstorm wind reports, 5 flash floods, 2 floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $330,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on July 10, 2002. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 25 have had fewer than Russellville.

  • March 18, 2008: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Russellville — $250,000 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

Cole County, which includes Russellville, has been named in 26 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 7 floods, 4 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Cole County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind, 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 $42.7 million a year, the 16th highest of 115 Missouri counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $20.1 million (47%), 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 Russellville

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