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Boone County, Missouri severe weather history spans 830 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 44.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #266 nationally and #13 in Missouri.
830
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
66
Direct injuries
$36.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Boone County, Missouri severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Boone County, Missouri severe weather history averages 11.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 305 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 208 events fall before 1990 and 622 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Boone County, Missouri record is lightning, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $34.8M 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 Boone County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 372 | 0 | $20K | 4 | 1958–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 325 | 0 | $282K | 75 | 1955–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 71 | 0 | $547K | 0 | 1997–2023 |
| Tornado | 36 | 0 | $34.8M | F3 | 1954–2026 |
| Lightning | 15 | 1 | $635K | 0 | 1998–2018 |
| Flood | 9 | 1 | $10K | 0 | 1997–2021 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2003 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2005 |
Decade by decade
Boone County, Missouri severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
35 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 33 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-11-10 | EF3 | 0 | 16 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-11-27 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-11-27 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-04-08 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-04-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-05-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 42.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-05-26 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1959-09-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1956-12-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-04-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 89.6 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Boone County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 18, 2009 | Lightning | BROWNS | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 14, 2008 | Flood | RUCKER | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 29, 2008 | Thunderstorm Wind | COU COTTON MEM ARPT | 0 | 20 | $0 |
| Nov 10, 1998 | Tornado | COLUMBIA | 0 | 16 | $6.0M |
| Jul 3, 1992 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 10 | $0 | |
| Apr 8, 1999 | Tornado | MIDWAY | 0 | 5 | $0 |
| Nov 27, 1990 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $25.0M | |
| Nov 18, 2015 | Flood | MIDWAY | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An additional two to three inches of rain, from the remnants of Hurricane Ike, fell onto already saturated soils causing flooding. Numerous roads remained flooded and numerous creeks were well out of their banks due to the heavy rainfall. One woman drowned in flood waters on the east side of Columbia. Her and a friend had stopped to help someone who had been swept off Clark Lane into Hominy Creek. Against the advise of the friend, the woman attempted to help rescue the man and she was swept away.
Three to four inches of rain fell across Central Missouri causing flash flooding. Boone County was the hardest hit. At least 50 roads across the county were flooded during the event. Initial damage estimates indicate it will take up to $500,000 to repair roads across the county. The Boone County Fire Protection District reported 8 water rescues from about 9 am to 5 pm. Several of the rescues occurred in places that normally do not flood. Area parks and recreation areas also were damaged by the heavy rain. The MKT Nature Fitness Trail and the Bear Creek Trail in Columbia had large sections washed out by flooding creeks.
A lighting strike around 3:00 pm CDT caused a fire at the Creative Photo Photography Studio at 2201 Old Highway 63. Five employees and a dog were able to escape unharmed. The fire is believed to have started in the attic. Damage was estimated at $150,000.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
188,043
Population (ACS)
$273K
Median home value
27
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2021 | 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 |
| Jun 2, 2017 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jan 2, 2016 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Columbia 206
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Boone County, Missouri?
830 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $36.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Boone County?
Hail, with 372 recorded events — 44.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Boone County?
35 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 33 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Boone County?
27 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Boone County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Boone County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Boone County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 86 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Boone 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
- Bollinger County 328
- Buchanan County 491
- Benton County 560
- Butler County 518
- Bates County 362
- Caldwell County 219
Cite this page
“Boone County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/boone-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.