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Pulaski County, Missouri severe weather history spans 564 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 38.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #678 nationally and #33 in Missouri.
564
Recorded events
13
Direct deaths
21
Direct injuries
$120.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Pulaski County, Missouri severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Pulaski County, Missouri severe weather history averages 7.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 182 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 63 events fall before 1990 and 501 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Pulaski County, Missouri record is flash flood, responsible for 10 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $102.1M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Pulaski County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 217 | 0 | $831K | 4.5 | 1958–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 198 | 0 | $815K | 79 | 1957–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 76 | 10 | $14.1M | 0 | 1997–2026 |
| Heavy Rain | 25 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2020 |
| Flood | 24 | 2 | $3.1M | 0 | 2008–2025 |
| Tornado | 19 | 0 | $102.1M | F2 | 1950–2025 |
| Lightning | 2 | 1 | $25K | 0 | 2011–2016 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2010 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–1999 |
Decade by decade
Pulaski County, Missouri severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
19 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-12-31 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 7.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-01-07 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 1.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-01-07 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 4.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-11-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-04-07 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 14.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1978-05-12 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 19.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-10-14 | EF2 | 0 | 6 | 13.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-03-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 22.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2019-05-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2003-05-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Pulaski County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 27, 2015 | Flash Flood | CROCKER | 5 | 0 | $0 |
| Nov 8, 2024 | Flood | HELM | 2 | 0 | $25K |
| Dec 27, 2015 | Flash Flood | SWEDEBORG | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 6, 2013 | Flash Flood | WAYNESVILLE | 2 | 0 | $5.0M |
| Jul 30, 2011 | Lightning | LAQUEY | 1 | 2 | $0 |
| Apr 30, 2017 | Flash Flood | CROCKER | 1 | 0 | $10K |
| Oct 15, 1966 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $2.5M | |
| Dec 31, 2010 | Tornado | BLOODLAND | 0 | 4 | $90.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This storm report will be a summary of the total damage for the Waynesville area and Pulaski County for this flooding event. Approximately 90 percent of the roads in the county were damaged with 65 percent of the roads had major damage. There were 25 low water crossings that were totally washed out and numerous more needed repairs. There were up to 100 homes and businesses that were inundated by flood waters. Numerous cars were flooded or washed away. Most of the homes flooded were along Mitchell Creek and Rubidoux River near downtown Waynesville. Over 100 people were rescued from swift and high water. There were two flash flood fatalities which occurred near downtown Waynesville.
At an unknown time on November 7th, a vehicle driving near Riddle Bridge Access along the Gasconade River in Pulaski County became submerged in the flood waters. After a search was conducted, both occupants reportedly drowned.
Several vehicles were washed off of roadways in two separate incidents around Crocker, Missouri. One occurred along the headwaters of Tavern Creek. The other incident was near the Gasconade River. Two people drowned when their car was swept off of Highway O near Dixon.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
53,894
Population (ACS)
$190K
Median home value
25
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| 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 |
| Jun 2, 2017 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jan 21, 2016 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Pulaski County, Missouri?
564 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 13 direct deaths and $120.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Pulaski County?
Hail, with 217 recorded events — 38.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Pulaski County?
19 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 16 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Pulaski County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Pulaski County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Pulaski County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Pulaski County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 61 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Pulaski 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
- Polk County 855
- Putnam County 161
- Platte County 669
- Ralls County 224
- Pike County 285
- Randolph County 228
Cite this page
“Pulaski County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/pulaski-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.