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Cole County, Missouri severe weather history spans 343 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 42.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,538 nationally and #67 in Missouri.
343
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
34
Direct injuries
$182.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Cole County, Missouri severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Cole County, Missouri severe weather history averages 4.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 93 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 85 events fall before 1990 and 258 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Cole County, Missouri record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $177.8M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Cole County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 147 | 0 | $3.1M | 3 | 1958–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 139 | 0 | $1.2M | 75 | 1956–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 26 | 1 | $757K | 0 | 1996–2021 |
| Tornado | 12 | 0 | $177.8M | F2 | 1966–2026 |
| Flood | 9 | 0 | $3K | 0 | 1999–2017 |
| Lightning | 8 | 0 | $35K | 0 | 1997–2018 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2008 |
Decade by decade
Cole County, Missouri severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
9 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 6 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-05-22 | EF3 | 0 | 33 | 32.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1986-10-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2017-05-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-04-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-04-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 25.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-05-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1966-10-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-05-01 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-04-02 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Cole County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 1, 2016 | Flash Flood | MARION | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 23, 2019 | Tornado | SCRIVNER | 0 | 32 | $170.0M |
| Jun 26, 2018 | Lightning | JEFFERSON CITY | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 24, 2008 | Lightning | ST MARTIN | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Up to five inches of rain fell in a short amount of time causing flash flooding during the late evening hours of July 31st into the early morning hours of August 1st. Numerous roads were flooded including Missouri Boulevard in Jefferson City. Five water rescues were performed due to stranded motorists. Also, a body was discovered in Wears Creek in Washington Park near the ice arena after the flood waters went down. It was determined that it was a 51 year old homeless man who had drowned in the flood waters during the early morning hours of August 1st. Occupants of a home in the 1300 block of Satinwood drive had to be rescued when a nearby creek overflowed its banks surround the structure. The ice arena at Washington Park was flooded with about 3 feet of water from Wears Creek.
An intermittent damage track was produced by this tornado. Several mobile homes in Elston had awnings torn off while other houses sustained damage to shingles. Around 0235 CST the tornado crossed the Missouri River into extreme southern Callaway County and produce what was described as minor structural damage to the building of a trucking firm in Old Cedar City near the intersection of Highway 63 and Highway 54. The tornado then touched down at the Jefferson City Airport and damaged the roof of a National Guard aviation hangar. Two helicopters and several private aircraft were also damaged. At approximately 0245 CST the tornado crossed the Missouri River again into Osage county. Several barns near Frankenstein had part of thier roofs blown off.
A wide swath of large hail fell between St. Martins and Jefferson City. The largest hail stones were 3 inches in diameter. There were numerous reports of dents on vehicles and car windows broken out. At least 800 hundred cars sustained damage at car dealerships in the Jefferson City area. The largest hail stones were reported in St. Martins, Elston, and Jefferson City.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
77,032
Population (ACS)
$230K
Median home value
26
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 21, 2016 | 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
- Jefferson City 128
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Cole County, Missouri?
343 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $182.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Cole County?
Hail, with 147 recorded events — 42.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Cole County?
9 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 6 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Cole County?
26 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Cole County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Cole County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Cole County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 73 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Cole 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
- Clinton County 345
- Cooper County 353
- Clay County 958
- Crawford County 352
- Clark County 340
- Dade County 437
Cite this page
“Cole County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/cole-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.