According to the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Springfield, Missouri, the Ozarks region can experience severe weather at any time of year, day or night. The area averages 50 to 70 thunderstorm days annually. While severe weather peaks statistically from April through June, a secondary season runs from September through November. Throughout the year, the Ozarks face a wide range of weather hazards—including tornadoes, damaging straight-line winds, large hail, flash and river flooding, drought, extreme heat, severe cold, and winter storms.
The region experiences three distinct severe weather periods each year:
Spring: Supercell thunderstorms are most common, frequently producing tornadoes, damaging winds, and large hail.
Summer: Large clusters of storms typically sweep through—often overnight—bringing heavy rainfall and localized flooding caused by storm “training” (thunderstorms repeatedly tracking over the same area).
Fall: Supercells and squall lines return, bringing additional storm training and occasional tornadoes.
Statistically, tornadoes have been recorded in the Ozarks during every month of the year and all hours of the day. While most are weak, powerful exceptions occur—most notably the devastating EF-5 tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri, on May 22, 2011.
Winter hazards include occasional heavy snow, extreme cold, and destructive ice storms that can cause widespread power outages, tree damage, and dangerous travel conditions. Historically, extreme heat and flash flooding remain the leading weather-related fatalities across the region.