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Putnam County, Missouri severe weather history spans 161 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 47.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,656 nationally and #113 in Missouri.
161
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$586K
Property damage
The record
What the Putnam County, Missouri severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Putnam County, Missouri severe weather history averages 2.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 59 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 20 events fall before 1990 and 141 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $299K 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 Putnam County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 76 | 0 | $0 | 4 | 1960–2024 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 53 | 0 | $287K | 90 | 1956–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 22 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2019 |
| Tornado | 8 | 0 | $299K | F4 | 1958–2016 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2017–2017 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2008 |
Decade by decade
Putnam County, Missouri severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
10 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980-06-02 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 31.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-04-21 | EF4 | 0 | 1 | 14.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1960-04-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 29.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2003-05-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-01-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-11-17 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-05-31 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-06-12 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-04-30 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-05-10 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Putnam County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 14, 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | MARTINSTOWN | 0 | 2 | $50K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Two residences reported damage in Putnam county. First home along EE Highway just south of US-136 lost a garage and had cars overturned. Second residence damaged along 220th Road at US-136 on the crest of a hill, lost a garage, with minor damage to the house and trees.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
4,642
Population (ACS)
$120K
Median home value
18
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 |
| Jul 18, 2013 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Putnam County, Missouri?
161 events are on record between 1956 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $586K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Putnam County?
Hail, with 76 recorded events — 47.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Putnam County?
10 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 7 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Putnam County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Putnam County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Putnam County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Putnam County as very low risk, placing it in the 8 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Putnam 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
- Pulaski County 564
- Ralls County 224
- Polk County 855
- Randolph County 228
- Platte County 669
- Ray County 296
Cite this page
“Putnam County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/putnam-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.