Live
Active alerts for this county
Heat Advisory
Bourbon; Crawford; Cherokee; Benton; Morgan; Miller; Maries; Vernon; St. Clair; Hickory; Camden; Pulaski; Phelps; Barton; Cedar; Polk; Dallas; Laclede; Texas; Dent; Jasper; Dade; Greene; Webster; Wright; Newton; Lawrence; Christian; Douglas; Howell; Shannon; McDonald; Barry; Stone; Taney; Ozark; Oregon
Barton County, Missouri severe weather history spans 604 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 36.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #575 nationally and #31 in Missouri.
604
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
22
Direct injuries
$54.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Barton County, Missouri severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Barton County, Missouri severe weather history averages 8.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 206 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 60 events fall before 1990 and 544 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Barton County, Missouri record is tornado, responsible for 5 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $48.9M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Barton County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 222 | 0 | $88K | 3 | 1956–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 182 | 0 | $5.3M | 75 | 1957–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 82 | 0 | $395K | 0 | 1996–2026 |
| Flood | 66 | 1 | $110K | 0 | 2008–2026 |
| Tornado | 40 | 5 | $48.9M | F4 | 1954–2026 |
| Heavy Rain | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2015–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2013 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Barton County, Missouri severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
38 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 31 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-05-04 | EF4 | 4 | 30 | 33.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2003-05-04 | EF3 | 5 | 47 | 86.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-05-22 | EF3 | 3 | 1 | 11.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-03-15 | EF3 | 2 | 8 | 70.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1958-11-17 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 30.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-05-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-12-18 | EF1 | 1 | 7 | 9.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2019-05-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2013-05-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-02-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 16.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Barton County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 23, 2019 | Tornado | KENOMA | 3 | 1 | $740K |
| May 4, 2003 | Tornado | LIBERAL | 1 | 10 | $13.0M |
| Dec 18, 2002 | Tornado | LAMAR MUNI ARPT | 1 | 7 | $138K |
| Dec 15, 2015 | Flood | BOSTON | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Mar 6, 2026 | Thunderstorm Wind | IRWIN | 0 | 1 | $12K |
| Jul 31, 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | NEWPORT | 0 | 1 | $150K |
| Dec 6, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | BOSTON | 0 | 1 | $45K |
| Dec 2, 1982 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A National Weather Service storm survey confirmed an EF-3 tornado with maximum winds of 142 mph. This tornado was the last in a series of at least four tornadoes produced by a supercell that had tracked out of northeast Oklahoma into southwest Missouri. The tornado touched down near the intersection of Redbud and CR 100 in Jasper County and then continued northeast into Barton County just west of SE 70th Lane. Wind speeds increased to 140 mph as the tornado caused significant damage to three homes as it tracked across SE 80th Lane, causing one injury and two fatalities. A third fatality occurred as the tornado destroyed a single wide manufactured home on Highway 126. The roof of another home suffered damage on 126 as well as others on SE 90th Lane before the tornado weakened as it tracked across SE 100th Lane and County Road U before lifting near Highway 160 and 45th Road.
A man drowned while attempting to cross a low water crossing on Farm Road SE 80 approximately two miles south of the community of Boston, Missouri. This area is a tributary of the North Fork of the Spring River. Time was estimated.
Widespread structural, tree, and power pole damage occurred across the majority of Barton County. The city of Lamar was impacted the greatest with numerous structures sustaining roof damage. A storage building at a lumber store was completely destroyed while the Lamar High School sustained major roof damage, causing rain to flood the gymnasium. Over 2000 residences lost power throughout the county. The community of Liberal had numerous structures that sustained damage, while it was estimated that Golden City had approximately 12 homes with damage.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
11,690
Population (ACS)
$137K
Median home value
24
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Jun 2, 2017 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jan 21, 2016 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Lamar 172
- Boston 157
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Barton County, Missouri?
604 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 6 direct deaths and $54.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Barton County?
Hail, with 222 recorded events — 36.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Barton County?
38 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 31 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Barton County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Barton County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Barton County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Barton County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 44 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Barton 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
- Barry County 1,021
- Bates County 362
- Audrain County 346
- Benton County 560
- Atchison County 340
- Bollinger County 328
Cite this page
“Barton County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/barton-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.