NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Walnut Grove, 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 Walnut Grove, Missouri since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 117 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 117
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
24 deaths in all
What the records show for Walnut Grove
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Walnut Grove; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1902, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 40 miles away. The record near Walnut Grove begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm 54 miles away. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site, 43% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Walnut Grove. The strongest of the 117 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on November 29, 1991; its path came within 23 miles, and it killed 2 people. The deadliest, an F3 on May 4, 2003, killed 7 people. Of the 117, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 79 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 34. The most recent tornado was on April 29, 2025. Walnut Grove has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 69% of the 334 Missouri cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 164 times since 1957, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Walnut Grove has more hail reports within 10 miles than 75% of the 334 Missouri cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Walnut Grove
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 40 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 Walnut Grove: 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 Walnut Grove
By decade
- 2020s12
- 2010s35
- 2000s32(4 EF3+)
- 1990s9(1 EF3+)
- 1980s6(1 EF3+)
- 1970s10(3 EF3+)
- 1960s7
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 29, 1991 | F4 | 23 mi | 10 mi | 2 / 64 |
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 21 mi | 49 mi | 7 / 48 |
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 21 mi | 86 mi | 5 / 47 |
| Jan 7, 2008 | EF3 | 23 mi | 50.39 mi | 3 / 18 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F3 | 25 mi | 42 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Apr 29, 1983 | F3 | 15 mi | 5.5 mi | 1 / 19 |
| Mar 26, 1976 | F3 | 16 mi | 29.1 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Apr 20, 1973 | F3 | 17 mi | 7.8 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Apr 20, 1973 | F3 | 18 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 17, 2002 | F2 | 21 mi | 4 mi | 2 / 17 |
| Feb 28, 2012 | EF2 | 22 mi | 9.5 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Dec 14, 1971 | F2 | 13 mi | 48.3 mi | 1 / 22 |
The strongest 12 of 117, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Walnut Grove
The Storm Prediction Center has 164 hail reports within 10 miles of Walnut Grove since 1957, made on 115 separate days. Of these, 74 were 1 inch across or larger, and 10 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 25, 2011. The most recent report is from September 17, 2025. May has the most reports, 45.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Walnut Grove
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Ash Grove 4S, MO, 11 miles south of Walnut Grove at 1,129 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 68°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 24°F. May is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 2.1 inches; the year adds up to 43.6 inches over 66 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 55 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 104 nights a year. Snowfall averages 9.3 inches a year, most of it in January. That 43.6 inches is more than at 65 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (49%). Willard, 8 miles southeast, has its own station (Springfield, MO): 44.8 inches a year, 1.2 more than here, and a July average high of 90°F against 91°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 24 | 2.1 | 4 | 3.9 |
| Feb | 49 | 27 | 2.1 | 4 | 2.4 |
| Mar | 59 | 35 | 3.5 | 7 | 1.5 |
| Apr | 69 | 45 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| May | 77 | 55 | 5.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 86 | 64 | 4.9 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 91 | 68 | 3.8 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 90 | 66 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 83 | 58 | 4.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 71 | 46 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 58 | 36 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.7 |
| Dec | 47 | 28 | 2.6 | 4 | 0.8 |
| Year | 69 | 46 | 43.6 | 66 | 9.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Ash Grove 4S, MO (1,129 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 Walnut Grove
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 217 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Walnut Grove: 152 thunderstorm wind reports, 46 flash floods, 14 heavy rain events and 5 floods. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $20.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on May 8, 2009. June has had the most flash floods, 22 of 46. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 260 have had fewer than Walnut Grove.
March 18, 2008: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Walnut Grove — 1 killed, $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Four to seven inches of rain fell over Greene County. Nearly all county roads experienced flooding.”
May 8, 2009: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Walnut Grove — 1 injured, $7.0 million damage.
NWS: “Seventy to 90 mph winds caused massive damage across much of Polk County. The central and southern sections of the county was impacted the greatest.”
August 20, 2007: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Walnut Grove — $9.0 million damage.
NWS: “The remnants of Tropical Storm Erin caused serious flooding across southern and central Polk County. Numerous secondary roads were washed out along with many low water crossings.”
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
Greene County, which includes Walnut Grove, has been named in 27 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 13 severe storms, 6 floods, 4 ice storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on June 30, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Greene County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for hail and inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $97.0 million a year, the 7th highest of 115 Missouri counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $39.3 million (41%), 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 Walnut Grove
- Willard, MO8 mi
- Ash Grove, MO10 mi
- Fair Play, MO15 mi
- Pleasant Hope, MO15 mi
- Bolivar, MO16 mi
- Greenfield, MO17 mi
- Republic, MO20 mi
- Springfield, MO20 mi
- Half Way, MO21 mi
- Fair Grove, MO21 mi
- Battlefield, MO21 mi
- Miller, MO21 mi
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