NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Willard, 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 Willard, Missouri since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Carla in 1961. Since 1950, 136 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 2
- Tornadoes
- 136
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
19 deaths in all
What the records show for Willard
None of the 2 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Willard; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1902, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 32 miles away. The record near Willard begins with an unnamed storm in 1902; the most recent system was Carla in 1961, a tropical storm 47 miles away. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site, 43% have more tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles than Willard. The strongest of the 136 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on November 29, 1991; its path came within 15 miles, and it killed 2 people. The deadliest, an F3 on May 4, 2003, killed 7 people. Of the 136, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 88 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 37. The most recent tornado was on April 29, 2025. Willard has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 83% of the 334 Missouri cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 214 times since 1957, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Willard has more hail reports within 10 miles than 83% of the 334 Missouri cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Willard
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | CarlaSep 13 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1902 | Unnamed 1902 stormJun 28 | 32 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 Willard: 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 Willard
By decade
- 2020s16
- 2010s38
- 2000s34(3 EF3+)
- 1990s12(1 EF3+)
- 1980s10(1 EF3+)
- 1970s10(2 EF3+)
- 1960s8
- 1950s8
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 29, 1991 | F4 | 15 mi | 10 mi | 2 / 64 |
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | 15 mi | 49 mi | 7 / 48 |
| Jan 7, 2008 | EF3 | 15 mi | 50.39 mi | 3 / 18 |
| Mar 12, 2006 | F3 | 18 mi | 42 mi | 1 / 8 |
| Apr 29, 1983 | F3 | 7 mi | 5.5 mi | 1 / 19 |
| Mar 26, 1976 | F3 | 18 mi | 29.1 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Apr 20, 1973 | F3 | 25 mi | 7.8 mi | 0 / 6 |
| Dec 17, 2002 | F2 | 21 mi | 4 mi | 2 / 17 |
| Feb 28, 2012 | EF2 | 19 mi | 9.5 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Dec 14, 1971 | F2 | 4 mi | 48.3 mi | 1 / 22 |
| Apr 30, 2019 | EF2 | 20 mi | 10.28 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 8, 2009 | EF2 | 23 mi | 4.25 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 136, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Willard
The Storm Prediction Center has 214 hail reports within 10 miles of Willard since 1957, made on 140 separate days. Of these, 114 were 1 inch across or larger, and 11 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 3 inches (tea cup size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 25, 2011. The most recent report is from September 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 65.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Willard
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Springfield, MO, 7 miles south of Willard at 1,278 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 69°F; January is the coolest, at 44°F and 24°F. May is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.4 inches; the year adds up to 44.8 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 40 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 95 nights a year. Snowfall averages 13.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 44.8 inches is more than at 78 of the 134 Missouri stations used on this site (58%). Walnut Grove, 8 miles northwest, has its own station (Ash Grove 4S, MO): 43.6 inches a year, 1.2 less than here, and a July average high of 91°F against 90°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 44 | 24 | 2.5 | 4 | 4.4 |
| Feb | 50 | 28 | 2.4 | 5 | 3.3 |
| Mar | 59 | 36 | 3.5 | 7 | 2.0 |
| Apr | 68 | 46 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.1 |
| May | 76 | 56 | 5.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 85 | 65 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 90 | 69 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 89 | 67 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 81 | 59 | 4.3 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 70 | 47 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 57 | 36 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.6 |
| Dec | 47 | 28 | 2.6 | 5 | 3.3 |
| Year | 68 | 47 | 44.8 | 71 | 13.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Springfield, MO (1,278 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 Willard
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 389 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Willard: 270 thunderstorm wind reports, 74 flash floods, 30 heavy rain events, 14 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 2 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $7.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on April 29, 2025. June has had the most flash floods, 30 of 74. Of the 334 Missouri cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 299 have had fewer than Willard.
December 26, 2015: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Willard — 2 killed.
July 30, 2023: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Willard — $2.5 million damage.
August 20, 2007: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Willard — $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
Greene County, which includes Willard, 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 Willard
- Walnut Grove, MO8 mi
- Pleasant Hope, MO11 mi
- Ash Grove, MO11 mi
- Springfield, MO12 mi
- Battlefield, MO14 mi
- Fair Grove, MO14 mi
- Republic, MO15 mi
- Strafford, MO17 mi
- Bolivar, MO19 mi
- Half Way, MO20 mi
- Nixa, MO21 mi
- Billings, MO21 mi
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