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Barry County, Missouri severe weather history spans 1,021 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 34.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #135 nationally and #5 in Missouri.
1,021
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
51
Direct injuries
$137.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Barry County, Missouri severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Barry County, Missouri severe weather history averages 14.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 320 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 83 events fall before 1990 and 938 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Barry County, Missouri record is tornado, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $95.9M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Barry County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 351 | 0 | $95.9M | 3.5 | 1956–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 319 | 0 | $7.0M | 80 | 1957–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 184 | 0 | $12.2M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 76 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2026 |
| Tornado | 49 | 4 | $21.9M | F3 | 1954–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 35 | 0 | $10K | 396 | 2004–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2017 |
| Lightning | 2 | 1 | $10K | 0 | 2015–2019 |
| Wildfire | 1 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Barry County, Missouri severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
48 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 41 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-05-10 | EF4 | 21 | 350 | 75.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1954-03-24 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-02-29 | EF2 | 1 | 4 | 1.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-11-15 | EF2 | 1 | 12 | 28.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-01-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-11-23 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-10-30 | EF2 | 0 | 9 | 24.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-04-12 | EF2 | 0 | 7 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-12-30 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 3.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-04-11 | EF1 | 1 | 0 | 2.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Barry County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 15, 1988 | Tornado | 1 | 12 | $2.5M | |
| Feb 29, 2012 | Tornado | EXETER | 1 | 4 | $575K |
| Jun 26, 2015 | Lightning | SCHOLTEN | 1 | 0 | $5K |
| May 10, 2008 | Tornado | PIONEER | 1 | 0 | $10.0M |
| Apr 11, 1994 | Tornado | Seligman | 1 | 0 | $50K |
| Oct 31, 1979 | Tornado | 0 | 9 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 13, 1972 | Tornado | 0 | 7 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 28, 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | EXETER | 0 | 4 | $500K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado is an extension of the Newton County tornado. A National Weather Service storm survey revealed that an EF-2 tornado tracked across much of Barry County and directly impacted the community of Purdy. One man was killed as he was taking shelter in a mobile home. Numerous structures, trees, and power poles were destroyed.
An EF-2 rated tornado with a maximum wind speed of 120 mph tracked across northwestern portions of the city of Cassville. The tornado destroyed four mobile homes and one frame home. Another frame home was significantly damaged. This tornado also flipped over a tractor trailer as it crossed Highway 37. The tornado killed one person in a mobile home. There were four other injuries.
A tornado touched down near the Missouri-Arkansas border and moved northeast towards the community of Seligman. A mobile home roof was damaged just inside the Missouri border north of Gateway, AR, as the storm moved northeast at 35 to 45 mph. The next touchdown was on the south edge of Seligman where a 60-year-old woman was killed in her mobile home. The storm destroyed a total of three mobile homes in the Heritage Heights Mobile Home Park. Several people observed debris rotating within the funnel. Another touchdown was in a deep ravine just east of town and uprooted several large trees laying them in a criss-cross pattern. (F60M)
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
35,033
Population (ACS)
$188K
Median home value
29
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 9, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 23, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 21, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, 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
- Mc Dowell 296
- Cassville 222
- Monett 193
- Eagle Rock 134
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Barry County, Missouri?
1,021 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 5 direct deaths and $137.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Barry County?
Hail, with 351 recorded events — 34.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Barry County?
48 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 41 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Barry County?
29 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Barry County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Barry County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Barry County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 75 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Barry 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
- Audrain County 346
- Barton County 604
- Atchison County 340
- Bates County 362
- Andrew County 267
- Benton County 560
Cite this page
“Barry County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/barry-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.