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Jasper County, Missouri severe weather history spans 1,115 recorded events between 1951 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 39.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #99 nationally and #4 in Missouri.
1,115
Recorded events
166
Direct deaths
1,271
Direct injuries
$2.9B
Property damage
The record
What the Jasper County, Missouri severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Jasper County, Missouri severe weather history averages 14.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 331 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 149 events fall before 1990 and 966 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Jasper County, Missouri record is tornado, responsible for 163 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $2.9B 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 Jasper County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 445 | 0 | $7.8M | 90 | 1957–2026 |
| Hail | 335 | 0 | $3.1M | 4.5 | 1955–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 155 | 0 | $2.6M | 0 | 1996–2026 |
| Flood | 74 | 1 | $1.0M | 0 | 2007–2026 |
| Tornado | 53 | 163 | $2.9B | F4 | 1951–2026 |
| Heavy Rain | 32 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2025 |
| Lightning | 18 | 2 | $1.3M | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2015 |
Decade by decade
Jasper County, Missouri severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
54 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 46 touched down inside it and 8 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1956-04-03 | EF4 | 0 | 59 | 41.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2003-05-04 | EF3 | 5 | 34 | 25.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2019-05-22 | EF3 | 3 | 1 | 11.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-03-26 | EF3 | 1 | 3 | 29.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1971-05-05 | EF3 | 1 | 60 | 13.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-05-22 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 9.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-03-15 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1993-10-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-10-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-04-21 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Jasper County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 22, 2011 | Tornado | CENTRAL CITY | 158 | 1,150 | $2.8B |
| May 4, 2003 | Tornado | CARL JCT | 2 | 15 | $21.2M |
| May 5, 1971 | Tornado | 1 | 60 | $2.5M | |
| May 10, 2008 | Tornado | KENDRICKTOWN | 1 | 10 | $1.0M |
| May 23, 2011 | Lightning | JOPLIN | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Mar 26, 1976 | Tornado | 1 | 1 | $250K | |
| Dec 28, 2015 | Flood | WACO | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 16, 1996 | Lightning | JOPLIN | 1 | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A National Weather Service storm survey revealed that an EF-1 tornado impacted rural areas east of Carthage. One fatality occurred from a large tree falling on a mobile home. A 17 year old female was struck by the tree when taking cover. Five other homes had moderate damage while numerous trees were snapped and uprooted. Several outbuildings were also destroyed.
Emergency management officials relayed to the NWS that two law enforcement officers were struck by lightning while aiding in the recovery efforts from the EF-5 tornado in Joplin. Both officers were injured and taken to the hospital. One of the officers later died on June 2nd at the hospital from injuries he suffered from the lightning strike.
A National Weather Service storm survey determined that a tornado touched down north of Galena in Cherokee County, Kansas and moved quickly across the Missouri state line along SE 118th Street. The tornado increased in intensity as it tracked along West Evergreen Road and North Pheasant Lane before crossing Turkey Creek, causing damage to outbuildings and roofs. Sporadic minor damage continued to Fir Road before damage intensified, including throwing several cars from a salvage yard east of Highway JJ. It then increased further to EF-3 intensity as it carved a path through the Briarbrook Country Club subdivision with dozens of well-built two and three story homes suffering significant damage. Numerous other homes had light to moderate roof damage. The tornado uprooted or snapped numerous trees and several power poles were snapped or leaning. Damaged occurred to several outbuildings between Highway 171 and Ivy Road before the tornado then lifted as it crossed 24th Drive.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
124,357
Population (ACS)
$167K
Median home value
22
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
- Joplin 218
- Carthage 150
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Jasper County, Missouri?
1,115 events are on record between 1951 and 2026, causing 166 direct deaths and $2.9B in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Jasper County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 445 recorded events — 39.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Jasper County?
54 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 Jasper County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Jasper County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Jasper County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Jasper County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 86 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Jasper 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
- Jackson County 1,605
- Jefferson County 654
- Iron County 222
- Johnson County 644
- Knox County 166
- Howell County 957
Cite this page
“Jasper County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/jasper-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.