2025 was a big year for the weather. Devastating fires, record snow in Florida, catastrophic floods in Texas, the first EF-5 tornado in over a decade, and much more. Between the national weather extremes, the Ozarks experienced a radical weather year as well. 2025 resulted in the second-most tornadoes in Missouri since 1950, an exceptionally wet spring, followed by an exceptionally dry fall.
This is a list of the most impactful weather events of 2025, at both the national level and the local level in the Ozarks. This is a lengthy list, so feel free to watch the video instead.
JANUARY
We often forget about the weather in January by the end of the year, but this one was one to remember.
We start the list with the devastating wildfires in California from January 7th through the 31st. The two largest fires were the Palisades fire (23,000 acres) and the Eaton fire (14,000 acres). These two fires destroyed over 15,000 structures, including multiple homes. The Palisade fire is believed to have been intentionally started, and an arrest has been made. The Palisades and Eaton fires resulted in 31 fatalities and 10 firefighter injuries.
Meanwhile, in Springfield, we were hit with our first ice storm on January 5, and we measured 6.3” of snowfall between January 9th and 10th. Harrison measured 7” of snow. We ended the month of January with 7.6” of snow in total in Springfield.
Later in January, on the 21st, parts of the Gulf Coast experienced a snowstorm. New Orleans measured 10” of snow following the storm, and a new state record was broken in Florida when 10” was measured just outside of Pensacola in Milton. Lafayette and Lake Charles, Louisiana, as well as Beaumont, Texas, were under their first-ever blizzard warning. Cities from Houston to Mobile measured anywhere from 6 to 12 inches of snow following the storm.
FEBRUARY
February is synonymous with cold temperatures, and Springfield’s coldest temperature in 2025 was on February 19th, when temperatures dropped to –12°. We were hit by our second 6” snowstorm on February 18th with 6.4” of snow. The highest snow report was from Branson at 8.5”.
MARCH
The spring severe weather season started with a bang between March 13th and 16th when 116 tornadoes ripped through the Midwest. Locally, this storm spawned the EF-4 tornado in Diaz, Arkansas, the EF-3 tornado in Cave City, Arkansas, and the EF-3 tornado in Bakersfield, Missouri, on March 14. Following the storms came the fires, and a wildfire broke out near Camdenton that afternoon. Seymour, MO was also struck by an EF-1 tornado that caused damage to several surrounding farms.
APRIL
Another potent storm from April 2nd through the 7th produced 157 tornadoes in the US. Nevada, Missouri, took a direct hit from an EF-1 tornado on the morning of April 2nd. Flooding in Kentucky also flooded the Buffalo Trace Distillery as this storm moved east…