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Ozark County, Missouri severe weather history spans 713 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 28.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #380 nationally and #20 in Missouri.
713
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
11
Direct injuries
$50.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Ozark County, Missouri severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Ozark County, Missouri severe weather history averages 10.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 215 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 37 events fall before 1990 and 676 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Ozark County, Missouri record is tornado, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $30.1M 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 Ozark County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 201 | 1 | $4.5M | 70 | 1970–2025 |
| Hail | 188 | 0 | $127K | 4.5 | 1960–2026 |
| Flood | 145 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 126 | 1 | $15.2M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 36 | 3 | $30.1M | F4 | 1955–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 13 | 0 | $0 | 0.96 | 2004–2025 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $271K | 0 | 2000–2018 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2013 |
Decade by decade
Ozark County, Missouri severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
38 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 31 touched down inside it and 7 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 | Touched down here |
| 2025-03-14 | EF3 | 3 | 4 | 35.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2007-03-01 | EF3 | 1 | 0 | 15.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-05-07 | EF3 | 0 | 10 | 43.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1961-03-12 | EF2 | 1 | 11 | 21.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-12-24 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 17.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-10-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 12.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-04-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2015-05-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2010-04-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 16.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Ozark County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 15, 2025 | Tornado | DAWT | 3 | 4 | $2.0M |
| Sep 22, 2024 | Thunderstorm Wind | ELIJAH | 1 | 0 | $10K |
| Apr 24, 2011 | Flash Flood | MAMMOTH | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Dec 24, 1982 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Apr 11, 1979 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Mar 11, 1977 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| May 7, 1961 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This is the continued path of the tornado that came out of Baxter County Arkansas. An EF-3 tornado with peak winds of 145 mph moved through Bakersfield, Missouri resulting in three fatalities and four injuries. In Ozark County, the tornado destroyed several homes and damaged dozens of other homes. Multiple cars were rolled 50 to 100 yards. Numerous trees were also uprooted including entire groves of trees destroyed. This tornado then moved northeast into Howell County.
Widespread flooding of low water crossings and rural roads throughout the county was reported by emergency management.||The total cost estimate for flooding damages for Ozark County for this entire episode has been included. This includes roads, bridges, and structures which were affected.
Numerous homes and business sustained severe flood damage across Ozark County. Numerous roads and bridges were severely damaged or washed away across the county. Dawt Mill suffered extreme flood damage as well as other river outfitters. This report will contain the total dollar estimate for flood damage to infrastructure, businesses, and homes across Ozark County.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
8,873
Population (ACS)
$169K
Median home value
27
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 22, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| 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 |
| Sep 21, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 26, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Mammoth 261
- Rockbridge 192
- Lawndale 142
- Sycamore 118
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Ozark County, Missouri?
713 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 5 direct deaths and $50.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Ozark County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 201 recorded events — 28.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Ozark County?
38 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 31 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Ozark County?
27 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Ozark County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Ozark County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Ozark County as very low risk, placing it in the 36 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Ozark 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
- Osage County 223
- Pemiscot County 273
- Oregon County 344
- Perry County 253
- Nodaway County 497
- Pettis County 495
Cite this page
“Ozark County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/ozark-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.