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Lewis County, Missouri severe weather history spans 279 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 41.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,902 nationally and #84 in Missouri.
279
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
16
Direct injuries
$9.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Lewis County, Missouri severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lewis County, Missouri severe weather history averages 3.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 110 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 29 events fall before 1990 and 250 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Lewis County, Missouri record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $7.9M 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 Lewis County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 115 | 0 | $40K | 2.75 | 1955–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 110 | 1 | $523K | 87 | 1958–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 27 | 1 | $16K | 0 | 1998–2023 |
| Tornado | 14 | 0 | $7.9M | F2 | 1957–2016 |
| Flood | 9 | 1 | $951K | 0 | 2007–2013 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2005 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2004 |
Decade by decade
Lewis County, Missouri severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
17 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-05-10 | EF2 | 0 | 6 | 20.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1999-04-08 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 16.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-06-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-05-21 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 7.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-04-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 89.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2016-04-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-05-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-06-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 9.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1997-04-30 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 15.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-08-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 16.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lewis County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 12, 2015 | Thunderstorm Wind | LA GRANGE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 12, 2015 | Flash Flood | LA GRANGE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 15, 2010 | Flood | MONTICELLO | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 10, 2003 | Tornado | STEFFENVILLE | 0 | 6 | $5.0M |
| Jun 26, 2005 | Lightning | MAYWOOD | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Apr 8, 1999 | Tornado | LA BELLE | 0 | 2 | $2.1M |
| May 21, 1957 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| May 30, 2008 | Hail | EWING | 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 onto already saturated soils causing flash flooding. Numerous roads were flooded including Highways C and B at LaGrange. County Road 322, also known as 190th Street, was flooded where Reddish Branch Creek flows under it, about 3 miles east northeast of LaBelle, just east of intersection with 145th Avenue. In this location, a pickup truck was driven into the flooded roadway just after midnight on the 12th of July and then swept downstream. The driver was swept about a mile downstream and drowned in the flood waters. Her passenger was able to cling to a tree till he was rescued a few hours later. Several roads were also washed out including 3rd Street at Pierce Street in LaGrange.
Sub-severe thunderstorm winds in combination with saturated soils, caused a large tree to be blown over at Wakonda State Park in the area where RVs are allowed to stay. The tree fell onto an RV, crushing the front section of it. Five people were trapped in the vehicle. One occupant was crushed by the fallen tree and died from his injuries. No one else in the vehicle sustained any injuries.
At 245 am, a young woman was travelling west of County Road 195th, when the car she was driving in went into water covering the road due to the North Fabius River, which was in flood. The car became completely submerged and she perished. The North Fabius River was at 21.16 feet at the time of the accident, over ten feet above flood stage, which is 11 feet. The river crested later that morning at 22.19 feet around 1030 am. This is the second highest crest since the gage was installed in June of 2005.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
9,924
Population (ACS)
$130K
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 |
| Jan 2, 2016 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | EM |
| Aug 7, 2015 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Oct 31, 2014 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lewis County, Missouri?
279 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $9.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lewis County?
Hail, with 115 recorded events — 41.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lewis County?
17 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 14 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lewis County?
26 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lewis County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lewis County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lewis County as very low risk, placing it in the 27 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lewis 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
- Lawrence County 749
- Lincoln County 390
- Lafayette County 392
- Linn County 252
- Laclede County 687
- Livingston County 236
Cite this page
“Lewis County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/lewis-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.