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Howell County, Missouri severe weather history spans 957 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 30.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #164 nationally and #8 in Missouri.
957
Recorded events
10
Direct deaths
76
Direct injuries
$123.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Howell County, Missouri severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Howell County, Missouri severe weather history averages 12.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 315 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 73 events fall before 1990 and 884 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Howell County, Missouri record is flash flood, responsible for 6 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $69.8M 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 Howell County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 296 | 0 | $5.2M | 80 | 1960–2026 |
| Hail | 294 | 0 | $2.2M | 4.5 | 1966–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 195 | 6 | $69.8M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 95 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2008–2025 |
| Tornado | 50 | 4 | $46.1M | F4 | 1951–2026 |
| Heavy Rain | 22 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2025 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 1998–2020 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Howell County, Missouri severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
49 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 40 touched down inside it and 9 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982-04-02 | EF4 | 2 | 28 | 20.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-03-14 | EF3 | 3 | 4 | 35.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2007-03-01 | EF3 | 1 | 0 | 15.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-05-26 | EF3 | 0 | 5 | 12.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-05-08 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-05-07 | EF3 | 0 | 10 | 43.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1961-03-12 | EF2 | 1 | 11 | 21.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1959-03-14 | EF2 | 1 | 15 | 11.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2015-04-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 27.9 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Howell County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3, 1982 | Tornado | 2 | 28 | $25.0M | |
| Apr 4, 2025 | Flash Flood | (H63)WEST PLAINS | 2 | 0 | $500K |
| Mar 13, 1961 | Tornado | 1 | 11 | $250K | |
| Jul 9, 2004 | Flash Flood | MOODY | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Feb 27, 1997 | Flash Flood | WILLOW SPRINGS | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Dec 18, 2021 | Flash Flood | MOUNTAIN VIEW | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 25, 2011 | Flash Flood | OLDEN | 1 | 0 | $3.0M |
| Mar 1, 2007 | Tornado | CAULFIELD | 1 | 0 | $750K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Several city streets in the City of West Plains were flooded, leading to two fatalities. The first fatality occurred as a car was swept off Porter Wagner into Howell Creek around 4:55 PM CST and the second swept off County Road 8230 into Mustion Creek around 5:16 PM CST. Both victims drowned after leaving their vehicle.
The Missouri Highway Patrol reported that a 65 year old man was swept off the road and drowned by a flooded creek near the the intersection of County Road 4740 and County Road 5130. This section of the road was not a low water crossing. The stream is an unnamed small headwater tributary to Spring Creek.||The city of West Plains experienced historical flash flooding on the evening of April 23rd. Areas around the city flooded due to very heavy rainfall. It was estimated about a million dollars of damage occurred with this event alone.||The total cost estimate for flooding damages for Howell County for this entire episode has been included. This includes roads, bridges, and structures which were affected.
This is an extension of the Ozark County tornado. A National Weather Service storm survey revealed that a large tornado ripped through rural sections of southwest Howell County, Missouri. The community of Caulfield experienced a direct hit. Numerous farms and structures were damaged or destroyed. One fatality occurred as the tornado ripped through a mobile home northeast of Caulfield. Four other injuries occurred in the same mobile home. The tornado lifted approximately one mile southwest of the West Plains city limits.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
40,383
Population (ACS)
$173K
Median home value
25
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
- West Plains 207
- Leota 189
- Pottersville 169
- Mountain View 143
- Lanton 108
- Willow Spgs 106
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Howell County, Missouri?
957 events are on record between 1951 and 2026, causing 10 direct deaths and $123.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Howell County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 296 recorded events — 30.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Howell County?
49 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 40 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Howell County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Howell County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Howell County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Howell County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 78 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Howell 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
- Howard County 228
- Iron County 222
- Holt County 250
- Jackson County 1,605
- Hickory County 372
- Jasper County 1,115
Cite this page
“Howell County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/howell-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.