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Wright County, Missouri severe weather history spans 752 recorded events between 1959 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 27.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #342 nationally and #16 in Missouri.
752
Recorded events
7
Direct deaths
18
Direct injuries
$26.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Wright County, Missouri severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Wright County, Missouri severe weather history averages 11.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 288 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 38 events fall before 1990 and 714 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Wright County, Missouri record is flash flood, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $12.0M 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 Wright County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 208 | 0 | $1.7M | 2.75 | 1964–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 201 | 0 | $4.8M | 74 | 1964–2025 |
| Flood | 147 | 3 | $35K | 0 | 2008–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 118 | 4 | $7.4M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 39 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2025 |
| Tornado | 31 | 0 | $12.0M | F4 | 1959–2025 |
| Lightning | 8 | 0 | $134K | 0 | 2004–2023 |
Decade by decade
Wright County, Missouri severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
31 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 24 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959-09-26 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 7.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-03-12 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 32.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2018-04-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-05-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 18.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-12-02 | EF2 | 0 | 9 | 23.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-13 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 9.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-04-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-03-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 19.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-05-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 14.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Wright County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 24, 2023 | Flash Flood | GROVESPRING | 2 | 2 | $0 |
| Nov 5, 2024 | Flood | MANES | 2 | 0 | $25K |
| Nov 22, 2020 | Flood | MANSFIELD | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 10, 2008 | Flash Flood | LORING | 1 | 0 | $10K |
| May 8, 2002 | Flash Flood | GROVESPRING | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Dec 2, 1982 | Tornado | 0 | 9 | $2.5M | |
| Aug 16, 2012 | Lightning | HARTVILLE | 0 | 2 | $1K |
| Aug 16, 2012 | Lightning | LORING | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Shortly after midnight a vehicle containing 6 occupants attempted to cross a low water crossing on Highway M at Parks Creek. The vehicle was swept off the roadway by high water. Four of the occupants were able to self rescue but two became trapped and drowned as a result.
One to three inches of rain fell over Wright County. Any areas that typically flood during periods of excessive rainfall were flooded. A 54 year old male attempted to cross Austin Ford Bridge, which was experiencing significant flooding. Austin Ford Bridge is a bridge along Highway E that crosses the Gasconade River. His truck was swept into the swift flowing water where he drowned.
A vehicle was swept of the low water crossing on Highway AB at Wolfe Creek during the early morning. An 18-year old female drove into the flooded low water crossing around 12:30 AM, and drowned while trying to escape her vehicle.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
18,965
Population (ACS)
$160K
Median home value
25
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Jul 9, 2020 | 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Mansfield 381
- Jerktail 211
- Hartville 184
- Rayborn 165
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Wright County, Missouri?
752 events are on record between 1959 and 2026, causing 7 direct deaths and $26.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Wright County?
Hail, with 208 recorded events — 27.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Wright County?
31 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 24 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Wright County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Wright County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Wright County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wright County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 57 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Wright 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
- Worth County 126
- Webster County 856
- Wayne County 347
- Washington County 354
- Warren County 283
- Vernon County 630
Cite this page
“Wright County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/wright-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.