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Carter County, Missouri severe weather history spans 267 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 35.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,989 nationally and #86 in Missouri.
267
Recorded events
10
Direct deaths
91
Direct injuries
$39.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Carter County, Missouri severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Carter County, Missouri severe weather history averages 3.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 84 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 14 events fall before 1990 and 253 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Carter County, Missouri record is tornado, responsible for 8 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $26.9M 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 Carter County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 94 | 0 | $86K | 3 | 1976–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 76 | 1 | $542K | 78 | 1976–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 30 | 1 | $902K | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Flood | 30 | 0 | $11.1M | 0 | 2008–2025 |
| Tornado | 22 | 8 | $26.9M | F4 | 1957–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2015 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 1998–2023 |
Decade by decade
Carter County, Missouri severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
20 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 16 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1957-05-21 | EF4 | 7 | 75 | 9.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-04-24 | EF4 | 0 | 16 | 40.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-12-24 | EF4 | 0 | 11 | 63.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-03-14 | EF3 | 2 | 0 | 30.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-03-14 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 57.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-05-25 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 47.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-03-25 | EF3 | 0 | 26 | 46.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-12-24 | EF2 | 1 | 2 | 33.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2010-12-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-04-24 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 7.6 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Carter County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 1957 | Tornado | 7 | 75 | $250K | |
| Jun 21, 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | VAN BUREN | 1 | 2 | $20K |
| Dec 25, 1982 | Tornado | 1 | 1 | $2.5M | |
| Mar 9, 2006 | Flash Flood | ELLSINORE | 1 | 0 | $25K |
| Apr 24, 2004 | Tornado | ELLSINORE | 0 | 5 | $600K |
| Jul 31, 2021 | Lightning | VAN BUREN | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Apr 24, 2002 | Tornado | VAN BUREN | 0 | 2 | $15.0M |
| Jul 22, 1998 | Lightning | VAN BUREN | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Flash flooding of Ten Mile Creek caused the death of a 57-year-old man. The man drowned when the flat bed truck he was driving was swept off the road as he was attempting to cross the creek. The incident occurred on a private gravel road off Highway B. The truck was swept downstream about 50 yards and overturned in the creek, resting upside down. The body was recovered still in the truck. The incident was estimated to have happened around 6 A.M. CST when he attempted to drive across the creek to a hog barn.
Within the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, a tree fell on a boat on the Current River. The boat was traveling downstream in the vicinity of the Waymeyer Shute river access point. The 22-year-old male driver of the boat was killed, and two passengers in their 20's were moderately injured. The injured parties were from the local area and were treated at a local hospital. In the same general vicinity, trees and large tree limbs were down on the north end of M Highway.
The tornado damage path began on the west side of Van Buren, right along the Current River, and crossed U.S. Route 60 very close to the Current River bridge. Two businesses in Van Buren, a lodge and a restaurant, were heavily damaged by F-2 intensity winds. The tornado travelled southeast across hilly and forested terrain until reaching the community of Ellsinore. Damage on the south side of Ellsinore was severe, where about 7 businesses were destroyed. Most of the damage at Ellsinore, which was inflicted by F-4 intensity winds, occurred along and near U.S. Highway 60. Across Carter County, 13 homes were destroyed and 12 homes suffered major damage. The tornado then moved into the Mark Twain National Forest and crossed into Butler County north of Highway 60.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
5,297
Population (ACS)
$159K
Median home value
22
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 |
| Jan 1, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Van Buren 159
- Ellsinore 104
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Carter County, Missouri?
267 events are on record between 1957 and 2025, causing 10 direct deaths and $39.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Carter County?
Hail, with 94 recorded events — 35.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Carter County?
20 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 16 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Carter County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Carter County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Carter County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Carter County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 54 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Carter 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
- Carroll County 233
- Cass County 778
- Cape Girardeau County 624
- Cedar County 396
- Camden County 636
- Chariton County 263
Cite this page
“Carter County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/carter-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.