181
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$3.2M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Butler County, Missouri: 181 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 80. That places the county #1,200 nationally and #38 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Butler County, Missouri: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Butler County is the 2010s, when 50 of the county's 181 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Butler County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 34.9% of all recorded severe weather across 9 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #1,200 for this hazard and #38 within Missouri, putting it in the 61.8 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
May is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Butler County with 42 recorded events, while Feb is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 8, 2009 | POPLAR BLUFF | 61 | 2 | 0 | $45K |
| Jun 11, 2011 | QULIN | 70 | 0 | 2 | $450K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 19, 2025 | POPLAR BLUFF | 61 | $20K |
| Aug 19, 2025 | POPLAR BLUFF | 61 | $5K |
| May 17, 2025 | JUNLAND | 51 | $0 |
| May 17, 2025 | QULIN | 48 | $3K |
| Jul 5, 2024 | HILLARD | 56 | $2K |
| May 26, 2024 | BATESVILLE | 70 | $20K |
| May 26, 2024 | PARKS | 61 | $35K |
| Aug 26, 2023 | POPLAR BLUFF | 52 | $2K |
| Jul 5, 2023 | POPLAR BLUFF | 61 | $10K |
| Jul 1, 2023 | POPLR BLUFF DAVIS AR | 52 | $40K |
Other hazards here
More from Butler County
- Hail 141
- Flash Flood 58
- Flood 52
- Tornado 47
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A moving vehicle along Highway 53 was destroyed by a very large oak tree that fell on it. Both occupants of the vehicle were killed, probably on impact. A small fire started in the engine compartment after emergency responders arrived. A 40-foot semi-trailer was overturned in the immediate vicinity of the crushed vehicle. The tin roof was lifted off a barn. A portion of a large shed collapsed.
Much of the roof of an elementary school was blown off. Debris from the roof knocked down power lines. Some blocks on the west side of the building were knocked in, and a metal awning was smashed. Baseball field fencing and playground equipment were damaged. A window was blown out of a general store. Two children received minor cuts. A large uprooted tree fell on the corner of a mobile home, damaging the roof. Another tree fell on the front porch of a house, blocking the front door. A partially enclosed back porch was damaged. A small steeple was blown off a church, along with two pieces of siding. Tree limbs were down across town. Corn in a nearby field was flattened.
Wind damage was reported across much of southern Butler County, mainly from Neelyville to Qulin. Approximately 30 houses received minor to moderate damage, mainly to their roofs. An elementary school lost sections of its roof. A garage was destroyed, falling on three vehicles. Tin roofs were blown off several barns. Structural damage occurred to the front porch of a home when the reinforcement poles holding the porch roof collapsed. Carports were blown over onto vehicles, causing damage to the vehicles. Windows were broken out of two combines. A tree fell on a mobile home, causing damage to it. Two businesses sustained roof damage.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Butler County, Missouri?
181 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Butler County between 1956 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Butler County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Butler County measured 80.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Butler County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Thunderstorm Wind in Butler County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/butler-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.