NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sparta, 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 Sparta, Missouri since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ike in 2008. Since 1950, 140 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 3
- Tornadoes
- 140
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
15 deaths in all
What the records show for Sparta
None of the 3 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Sparta; the strongest was Ike in 2008, a tropical storm with 43 mph winds when its centre passed 50 miles away. The record near Sparta begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Ike in 2008. Sparta has more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than 56% of the 334 Missouri cities on this site. The strongest of the 140 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on November 29, 1991; its path came within 14 miles, and it killed 2 people. The deadliest, an F3 on May 4, 2003, killed 7 people. Of the 140, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 89 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 34. The most recent tornado was on April 29, 2025. Sparta has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 85% of the 334 Missouri cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 165 times since 1975, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Sparta has more hail reports within 10 miles than 75% of the 334 Missouri cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sparta
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | IkeSep 14 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 2 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 Sparta: 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 Sparta
By decade
- 2020s15
- 2010s37
- 2000s37(4 EF3+)
- 1990s12(1 EF3+)
- 1980s11(1 EF3+)
- 1970s8
- 1960s13
- 1950s7
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 29, 1991 | F4 | 14 mi | 10 mi | 2 / 64 |
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 18 mi | 49 mi | 7 / 48 |
| Jan 7, 2008 | EF3 | 20 mi | 50.39 mi | 3 / 18 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F3 | 16 mi | 42 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Apr 29, 1983 | F3 | 24 mi | 5.5 mi | 1 / 19 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F3 | 21 mi | 32 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 14, 1971 | F2 | 24 mi | 48.3 mi | 1 / 22 |
| Apr 30, 2019 | EF2 | 8 mi | 10.28 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Feb 29, 2012 | EF2 | 24 mi | 24.29 mi | 0 / 47 |
| May 22, 2011 | EF2 | 15 mi | 15.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF2 | 15 mi | 2.48 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF2 | 13 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 140, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sparta
The Storm Prediction Center has 165 hail reports within 10 miles of Sparta since 1975, made on 91 separate days. Of these, 95 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on July 31, 2003. The most recent report is from March 14, 2025. April has the most reports, 42.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sparta
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Oldfield, MO, 4 miles southeast of Sparta at 1,240 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 41°F and 20°F. April is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 48.6 inches over 73 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 22 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 135 nights a year. Snowfall averages 16.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 48.6 inches is more than at 117 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (87%). Fordland, 12 miles northeast, has its own station (Marshfield 4 WSW, MO): 45.7 inches a year, 2.9 less than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 41 | 20 | 2.6 | 6 | 5.1 |
| Feb | 47 | 21 | 2.8 | 4 | 3.6 |
| Mar | 56 | 30 | 4.0 | 7 | 3.6 |
| Apr | 67 | 39 | 5.2 | 7 | 0.1 |
| May | 74 | 50 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 57 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 61 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 59 | 4.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 51 | 4.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 68 | 40 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 55 | 30 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.4 |
| Dec | 45 | 21 | 3.2 | 6 | 3.8 |
| Year | 65 | 40 | 48.6 | 73 | 16.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Oldfield, MO (1,240 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 Sparta
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 326 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sparta: 211 thunderstorm wind reports, 68 flash floods, 26 floods, 17 heavy rain events and 4 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $13.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on September 15, 2010. April has had the most flash floods, 11 of 68. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 291 have had fewer than Sparta.
March 17, 2008: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Sparta — $5.0 million damage.
NWS: “Major river flooding occurred along the James and Finley rivers. This flooding occurred in response to eight inches of rain the fell near the headwaters of these two rivers.”
August 5, 2013: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Sparta — $2.5 million damage.
July 10, 2015: flood 7 miles from the centre of Sparta — $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
Christian County, which includes Sparta, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1976, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 severe storms, 4 ice storms, 3 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on September 21, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Christian County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, strong wind, 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 $36.1 million a year, the 19th highest of 115 Missouri counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $18.4 million (51%), 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 Sparta
- Ozark, MO8 mi
- Rogersville, MO8 mi
- Fordland, MO12 mi
- Nixa, MO13 mi
- Highlandville, MO14 mi
- Springfield, MO18 mi
- Battlefield, MO19 mi
- Seymour, MO19 mi
- Strafford, MO19 mi
- Clever, MO20 mi
- Forsyth, MO20 mi
- Republic, MO23 mi
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