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Pike County, Missouri severe weather history spans 285 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 49.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,868 nationally and #82 in Missouri.
285
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$967K
Property damage
The record
What the Pike County, Missouri severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Pike County, Missouri severe weather history averages 4.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 111 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 34 events fall before 1990 and 251 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Pike County, Missouri record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $493K 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 Pike County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 141 | 0 | $54K | 70 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 94 | 0 | $0 | 4.5 | 1970–2024 |
| Tornado | 24 | 0 | $493K | F2 | 1962–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 14 | 1 | $100K | 0 | 1997–2019 |
| Flood | 9 | 0 | $310K | 0 | 2007–2013 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2003 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2004–2004 |
Decade by decade
Pike County, Missouri severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
25 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 22 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-03-13 | EF3 | 0 | 6 | 44.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1999-02-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 21.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-04-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 27.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-06-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-10-10 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-06-18 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-06-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-03-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Pike County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 20, 2010 | Flash Flood | BUSCH | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 3, 1992 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $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 in a short amount of time causing flash flooding. Numerous roads were flooded including Highway 79 north of Louisiana, U.S. Highways 54 and 61 in spots, and Highway UU northeast of Bowling Green. Also, one woman drowned when she slipped at a low-water crossing and became trapped in a culvert. It occurred at a popular swimming area call The Slabs on Pike County Road 252 along Buffalo Creek, about five miles south of Louisana. She had been swimming in the rain-swollen creek with her son and his friend. The boys were uninjured in the incident. In Louisiana, several streets downtown were flooded for a time due to a creek flooding out of its banks. Several businesses and homes sustained flooding damage.
The Mississippi River at Louisiana crested at 26.96 feet on 6/23/2008. This is the third highest crest ever recorded. The Highway 54 bridge had to be closed due to flooding on the Illinois side. Highway 79 was also closed in town. Eighteen homes and eight businesses were flooded but many others were saved by sand bagging efforts. A boil order was in effect for a while due to a water main break. The Mississippi River at Clarksville crested at 36.70 feet on 6/24/2008. This is the third highest crest ever recorded. A huge sand bagging effort saved much of the downtown area, but 10 homes were still flooded. Fifteen homes lost water service due to a water line break. Damage to public infrastructure was estimated at $285,000. The Farm Service Agency estimated agricultural losses in the County to be about $11.2 million.
A brief tornado tracked northeast near Highway E, 2 miles northeast of the community of Spencerburg where it caused significant damage to an outbuilding and a few trees. The tornado was rated EF-0 with a path length of 0.34 miles and a maximum path width of 25 yards.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
17,711
Population (ACS)
$146K
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 |
| May 20, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jun 2, 2017 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jan 2, 2016 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Pike County, Missouri?
285 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $967K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Pike County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 141 recorded events — 49.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Pike County?
25 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 22 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Pike County?
26 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Pike County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Pike County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Pike County as very low risk, placing it in the 40 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Pike 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
- Phelps County 566
- Platte County 669
- Pettis County 495
- Polk County 855
- Perry County 253
- Pulaski County 564
Cite this page
“Pike County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/pike-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.