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Linn County, Missouri severe weather history spans 252 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 42.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,090 nationally and #93 in Missouri.
252
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
16
Direct injuries
$5.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Linn County, Missouri severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Linn County, Missouri severe weather history averages 3.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 94 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 37 events fall before 1990 and 215 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $3.7M 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 Linn County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 107 | 0 | $184K | 87 | 1956–2025 |
| Hail | 102 | 0 | $1.5M | 6 | 1956–2024 |
| Tornado | 19 | 0 | $3.7M | F4 | 1955–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 18 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2015 |
| Flood | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2020 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2010 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2008 |
Decade by decade
Linn 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: 17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967-04-21 | EF4 | 0 | 2 | 59.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1975-04-23 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 14.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-05-05 | EF3 | 0 | 12 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-05-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-10-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 31.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1999-04-08 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 53.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-05-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-05-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-05-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1960-05-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Linn County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 6, 1971 | Tornado | 0 | 12 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 23, 1975 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Apr 21, 1967 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This appears to be the largest hailstone ever measured officially in the state of Missouri. It was 6 inches in diameter and 16 1/2 inches in circumference. Hail did extensive damage to roofs and crops across Linn County, and the property damage total is reflective of all the hail damage reported in the county.
This is a continuation of the tornado that came out of Livingston County. The tornado continued across the entirety of Linn County. For the most part the tornado impacted mainly rural areas of the county, but the tornado did brush by the south side of Purdin, Missouri, causing EF-2 damage to residences near Highway 5. The tornado was well reported by chasers as it approached the northeast corner of Linn County. The tornado was reported dissipated as the storm crossed into Macon and Adair Counties. This was corroborated on the survey with the last damage point in the far northeast corner of Linn County.
Thunderstorm straight line wind gusts were estimated from 80 to 100 mph. One residential building, just west of Highway 5, had its roof taken off. The residents were not home at the time. Many large trees were reported down, along with several barb wired fences.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
11,852
Population (ACS)
$123K
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 |
| 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 |
| Mar 23, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Linn County, Missouri?
252 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $5.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Linn County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 107 recorded events — 42.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Linn County?
20 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 17 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Linn County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Linn County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Linn County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Linn County as very low risk, placing it in the 31 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Linn 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
- Lincoln County 390
- Livingston County 236
- Lewis County 279
- McDonald County 652
- Lawrence County 749
- Macon County 328
Cite this page
“Linn County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/linn-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.