154
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$5.3M
Property damage
Flash Flood in McDonald County, Missouri: 154 recorded events between 1996 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #71 nationally and #9 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in McDonald County, Missouri: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in McDonald County is the 2010s, when 73 of the county's 154 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 McDonald County archive, flash flood makes up 23.6% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #71 for this hazard and #9 within Missouri, putting it in the 97.7 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Apr is the peak month for flash flood in McDonald County with 40 recorded events, while Oct 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 4, 2005 | NOEL | 0 | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 23, 2019 | ANDERSON | 0 | 1 | 0 | $800K |
| Aug 8, 2013 | JANE | 0 | 1 | 0 | $500K |
| Jun 12, 2007 | PINEVILLE | 0 | 1 | 0 | $10K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 23, 2025 | BETHLEHEM | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 30, 2025 | MC NATT | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 20, 2025 | MC NATT | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 20, 2025 | MAY | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 4, 2025 | MOUNTAIN | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 4, 2025 | BETHLEHEM | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 4, 2025 | POWELL | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 4, 2025 | POWELL | 0 | $0 |
| May 7, 2024 | MC NATT | 0 | $0 |
| May 7, 2024 | BETHLEHEM | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from McDonald County
- Hail 207
- Thunderstorm Wind 177
- Flood 59
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Excessive heavy rainfall caused rapid rises to occur on the Beaver Branch and Indian Creek. A home along Beaver Branch was swept off its foundation and washed downstream. An elderly woman in the home was unable to escape and perished in the flood waters. A bridge on Main Street received significant damage from rapidly moving high water where Beaver Branch flows through the middle of town. Significant damage occurred to a building in the vicinity of the bridge. Numerous evacuations were performed by emergency crews from homes, apartments and businesses. Around 80 homes and businesses received water damage as water several inches deep entered the structures. Some structures had as much as 3 feet of water in them. The dollar damage amount is a summary for all damages in McDonald County for this event.
This storm report will contain the total estimated damages and cost for the flooding event including one fatality for the county. A vehicle was washed off the road on Highway 90 at Brush Creek just west of Jane. She was driving eastbound at 4:50 am when her car was swept into the stream, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Multiple people had to be rescued at campgrounds along the Elk River near Noel. Several roads and low water crossings were severely damaged due to flooding. Several homes were flooded.
A 66 year old male died after driving into a flooded low water crossing. Witnesses report he drove a truck into 5 feet of swiftly flowing water at the intersection of Klondike Road and the Beamon Hollow Branch of the Buffalo Creek. Numerous other locations across McDonald County experienced flash flooding.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in McDonald County, Missouri?
154 flash flood events are recorded in McDonald County between 1996 and 2025, causing 5 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in McDonald County?
The strongest flash flood on record in McDonald County measured 0.
Where does the flash flood data for McDonald 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
“Flash Flood in McDonald County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/mcdonald-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.