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Madison County, Missouri severe weather history spans 179 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 45.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,557 nationally and #111 in Missouri.
179
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$7.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Madison County, Missouri severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Madison County, Missouri severe weather history averages 2.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 61 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 25 events fall before 1990 and 154 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Madison County, Missouri record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $6.2M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Madison County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 81 | 0 | $302K | 78 | 1958–2026 |
| Tornado | 36 | 0 | $1.2M | F2 | 1957–2024 |
| Hail | 36 | 0 | $500 | 2.25 | 1961–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 23 | 1 | $6.2M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 2 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2013 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2003 |
Decade by decade
Madison County, Missouri severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
40 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 30 touched down inside it and 10 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-03-14 | EF3 | 3 | 2 | 29.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-03-14 | EF3 | 1 | 1 | 28.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2021-10-24 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 18.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-05-25 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 47.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2012-02-29 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 31.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-09-22 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 25.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-03-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 35.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2002-04-24 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-12-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-05-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 14.6 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Madison County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 13, 2013 | Flood | HIGDON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 3, 1999 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $6.0M |
| Apr 24, 2002 | Tornado | FREDERICKTOWN | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Oct 25, 2021 | Tornado | OAK GROVE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Feb 29, 2012 | Tornado | JEWETT | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Sep 22, 2006 | Tornado | ROSELLE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Between one and three inches of rain fell over an extended amount of time onto partially frozen ground causing runoff. Numerous creeks and rivers rose due to the runoff. Several low water crossings were flooded. On Highway V about a mile southeast of where it intersects with Highway F, there is a low water crossing over the Castor River. The river rose and flooded the roadway. A 59 year old man was a passenger in a truck with two other people. The driver of the truck drove through the flooded roadway and the vehicle was swept off the road. All three people got out of the truck. The two women were rescued, but the man was swept downstream and died. His body was recovered the next day about 100 yards downstream. Several other secondary roads and highways were flooded as well, including some streets in Fredericktown.
Between 6 and 7 inches of rain fell in about a 2 to 3 hour period across northern portions of Madison County. Numerous creeks flooded, including Saline Creek in Fredericktown. Also, several rivers flooded including Little St. Francois River in Fredericktown, which rose 18.6 feet in 5 hours, cresting at 20.49 feet by 715 am. At least 21 people were rescued from the flood waters in and around Fredericktown. One person drove into flood waters on Highway Z on the east side of town and floated into the ditch. They were rescued and sustained no injuries. The flash flooding affected the Holmes Subdivision as well as other homes and businesses along Saline Creek and a creek along South Mine La Motte Avenue.
A tornado touched down 3.8 miles southwest of Fredericktown on County Road 503, uprooting a large tree. The tornado tracked to the northeast towards Fredericktown, crossing over U.S. Highway 67, just south of intersection with Highway 72. On the northwest side of town it caused minor shingle damage to one house and blew down a few more large trees. Then on the north side of town, the tornado it blew a large portion of roof off of an open sided outbuilding, tore off a car port roof on a house and uprooted or snapped off several more large trees. The tornado then lifted and dissipated on Schulte Lane, just west of Highway 72. Overall, the tornado was rated EF0 with a path length of 4.27 miles and max path width of 334 yards. No deaths or injuries were reported.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
12,729
Population (ACS)
$159K
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 |
| Jul 23, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 21, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jan 10, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Mar 26, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Madison County, Missouri?
179 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $7.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Madison County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 81 recorded events — 45.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Madison County?
40 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 30 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Madison County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Madison County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Madison County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Madison County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 51 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Madison 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
- Macon County 328
- Maries County 287
- McDonald County 652
- Marion County 298
- Livingston County 236
- Mercer County 189
Cite this page
“Madison County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/madison-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.