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Adair County, Missouri severe weather history spans 294 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 45.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,810 nationally and #77 in Missouri.
294
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
7
Direct injuries
$6.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Adair County, Missouri severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Adair County, Missouri severe weather history averages 4.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 95 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 66 events fall before 1990 and 228 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Adair County, Missouri record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $5.2M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Adair County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 133 | 0 | $684K | 75 | 1956–2025 |
| Hail | 105 | 0 | $23K | 3 | 1957–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 33 | 0 | $510K | 0 | 1998–2023 |
| Tornado | 10 | 2 | $5.2M | F2 | 1960–2014 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $300K | 0 | 1996–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2009 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $200K | 0 | 2005–2005 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2014–2014 |
Decade by decade
Adair County, Missouri severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
10 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 10 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-05-13 | EF2 | 2 | 6 | 5.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1960-05-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-09-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 18.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-05-13 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1987-09-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-06-04 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-06-14 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-06-30 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-09-21 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Adair County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 13, 2009 | Tornado | KIRKSVILLE | 2 | 6 | $5.0M |
| Apr 24, 2002 | Hail | NOVINGER | 0 | 1 | $15K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An EF2 tornado touched down at 17:09 CST, 2 miles north-northwest of Kirksville. This tornado traveled east over northern portions of Kirksville, before lifting at 17:20 CST, 2 miles west-southwest of the town of Clay. This tornado killed two people and damaged numerous homes in northern Kirksville. Ten homes were destroyed and fifteen others suffered major damage. Up to 186 other buildings and homes had minor to moderate damage. Two dealerships suffered major damage. Several farmsteads suffered damage east of Kirksville.
As many as 40 to 50 large trees were knocked down along with light poles and wires across the city. A radio station reported a wind gust to 67 mph with three house trailers rolled over and heavily damaged. Many homes were damaged from falling trees and limbs until 1600 CST.
An EF1 tornado touched down around 5 miles west of Novinger at 16:43 CST, and paralled Highway 6 as it moved east. The tornado lifted around 2 miles east of Novinger at 16:55 CST. The tornado destroyed a house and out building west of Novinger. On the south side of Novinger, a mobile home was destroyed and power poles and lines were downed. Additional power poles and trees were damaged, before the tornado lifted.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
25,301
Population (ACS)
$166K
Median home value
25
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 21, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 26, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jul 9, 2019 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Aug 7, 2015 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Oct 31, 2014 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Kirksville 128
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Adair County, Missouri?
294 events are on record between 1956 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $6.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Adair County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 133 recorded events — 45.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Adair County?
10 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 10 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Adair County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Adair County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Adair County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Adair County as very low risk, placing it in the 29 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Adair County, Missouri severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Andrew County 267
- Atchison County 340
- Audrain County 346
- Barry County 1,021
- Barton County 604
- Bates County 362
Cite this page
“Adair County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/adair-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.