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Washington County, Missouri severe weather history spans 354 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 48.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,463 nationally and #58 in Missouri.
354
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
100
Direct injuries
$57.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Washington County, Missouri severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Washington County, Missouri severe weather history averages 5.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 140 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 45 events fall before 1990 and 309 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Washington County, Missouri record is tornado, responsible for 6 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $57.0M 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 Washington County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 173 | 0 | $16K | 4 | 1957–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 124 | 0 | $530K | 74 | 1957–2024 |
| Tornado | 28 | 6 | $57.0M | F4 | 1957–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 25 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2026 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2015 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2024 |
Decade by decade
Washington County, Missouri severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
28 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 23 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967-12-21 | EF4 | 3 | 52 | 27.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1969-06-22 | EF4 | 2 | 22 | 20.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1957-05-21 | EF3 | 8 | 50 | 22.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-04-02 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 22.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1966-12-08 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-11-09 | EF2 | 1 | 15 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-05-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 25.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-04-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Washington County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 21, 1967 | Tornado | 3 | 47 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 22, 1969 | Tornado | 2 | 22 | $2.5M | |
| Nov 10, 1984 | Tornado | 1 | 15 | $25.0M | |
| Oct 18, 2004 | Tornado | POTOSI | 0 | 7 | $0 |
| May 12, 2016 | Flash Flood | CRUISE | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Dec 15, 1971 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Dec 8, 1966 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| May 21, 1957 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado then entered Washington County and crossed West State Highway 8 east of Berryman. The tornado continued northeast, damaging mobile homes and snapping trees around Cape Lakewood before approaching State Highway 185 and the town of Latty. Once there, the tornado strengthened and caused significant damage to homes in the northwest part of town. This damage was the worst observed, with winds estimated as strong as 165 mph. The tornado continued northeast into rural areas northwest of Old Mines before lifting at 3:39 PM. In Washington County the tornado had a path length of 19.63 miles with a maximum path width of 200 yards. It was rated an EF3.
Strong winds tore the roofs off a laundromat and feed store along Highways 21 and 32. Union Electric had to clear pieces of sheet metal and building material from overhead power lines. Trees were also uprooted or blown down through out the community. Many of the trees fell on buildings or cars causing further damage.
A small tornado initially touched down near the intersection of Highway P and State Road 8, damaging a door and windows of a large garage. The tornado then traveled across a city park damaging several trees, sections of a chain-linked fence, and several advertisement bill boards. Before lifting numerous trees were downed, several mobile homes were flipped, and minor roof damage was caused to a service station just east of the intersection of State Roads 8 and 21.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
23,470
Population (ACS)
$129K
Median home value
27
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 9, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| May 21, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| 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 |
| Jun 2, 2017 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Washington County, Missouri?
354 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 6 direct deaths and $57.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Washington County?
Hail, with 173 recorded events — 48.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Washington County?
28 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 23 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Washington County?
27 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Washington County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Washington County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Washington County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 68 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Washington 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
- Warren County 283
- Wayne County 347
- Vernon County 630
- Webster County 856
- Texas County 641
- Worth County 126
Cite this page
“Washington County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/washington-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.