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Butler County, Missouri severe weather history spans 518 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 34.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #813 nationally and #36 in Missouri.
518
Recorded events
11
Direct deaths
49
Direct injuries
$79.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Butler County, Missouri severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Butler County, Missouri severe weather history averages 7.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 160 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 68 events fall before 1990 and 450 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Butler County, Missouri record is flood, responsible for 6 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $59.7M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Butler County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 181 | 2 | $3.2M | 80 | 1956–2025 |
| Hail | 141 | 0 | $1.4M | 3 | 1964–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 58 | 1 | $1.3M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Flood | 52 | 6 | $13.3M | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Tornado | 47 | 2 | $59.7M | F4 | 1968–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 19 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 2004–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 18 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2009–2009 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Butler County, Missouri severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
53 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 46 touched down inside it and 7 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981-04-22 | EF4 | 1 | 32 | 63.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-03-14 | EF4 | 0 | 5 | 116.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2002-04-24 | EF4 | 0 | 16 | 40.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-03-14 | EF3 | 1 | 0 | 17.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-02-21 | EF3 | 1 | 16 | 23.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-07 | EF3 | 0 | 7 | 36.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-04-30 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 8.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1990-05-16 | EF2 | 1 | 1 | 15.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-05-26 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 45.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2013-01-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.4 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Butler County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 30, 2009 | Flood | STRINGTOWN | 3 | 1 | $0 |
| May 8, 2009 | Thunderstorm Wind | POPLAR BLUFF | 2 | 0 | $45K |
| Feb 21, 1976 | Tornado | 1 | 13 | $2.5M | |
| Mar 15, 2025 | Tornado | STRINGTOWN | 1 | 0 | $15.0M |
| May 1, 2017 | Flood | POPLAR BLUFF | 1 | 0 | $2.5M |
| Apr 30, 2017 | Flood | POPLAR BLUFF | 1 | 0 | $20K |
| Aug 15, 2016 | Flood | HILLARD | 1 | 0 | $150K |
| Apr 3, 2015 | Flash Flood | QULIN | 1 | 0 | $20K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Flooding of roads and creeks was fairly widespread. Numerous county roads were under water. A portion of Highway N was closed. Several water rescues were conducted as motorists drove into flooded areas. Three teenagers drowned after their vehicle went into a flooded creek following a crash with another vehicle. The three high school students were in a vehicle that overturned in a flooded creek after colliding with another vehicle on Highway PP. One of the vehicles hydroplaned and struck the other. The three victims were trapped in the overturned vehicle and had to be extricated. The driver of the other vehicle also went into the water but was able to escape with only minor injuries. The incident occurred on the west edge of Poplar Bluff.
A moving vehicle along Highway 53 was destroyed by a very large oak tree that fell on it. Both occupants of the vehicle were killed, probably on impact. A small fire started in the engine compartment after emergency responders arrived. A 40-foot semi-trailer was overturned in the immediate vicinity of the crushed vehicle. The tin roof was lifted off a barn. A portion of a large shed collapsed.
An EF-3 tornado started along County Road 462 southeast of Stringtown and moved east northeast along County Road 450 all the way into Poplar Bluff. On the way it damaged numerous trees and did significant damage to several homes. Right as it crossed U.S. 67 on the northwest side of Poplar Bluff it struck a church and a nearby mobile home park. One person was killed when their mobile home was destroyed. It then did mainly roof damage to numerous buildings as it continued east northeast through town. It crossed U.S. 60 and headed northeast and completely destroyed a home on Highway T. It eventually dissipated as it reached County Road 572 northwest of Rombauer or just east of Saint Francois. Hundreds of trees were damaged. The estimated peak wind was 145 mph.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
42,020
Population (ACS)
$145K
Median home value
23
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| May 21, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND WILDFIRES | DR |
| Jul 23, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 9, 2020 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 26, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Poplar Bluff 352
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Butler County, Missouri?
518 events are on record between 1956 and 2025, causing 11 direct deaths and $79.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Butler County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 181 recorded events — 34.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Butler County?
53 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 46 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Butler County?
23 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Butler County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Butler County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Butler County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 83 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Butler 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
- Buchanan County 491
- Caldwell County 219
- Boone County 830
- Callaway County 485
- Bollinger County 328
- Camden County 636
Cite this page
“Butler County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/butler-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.