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Bates County, Missouri severe weather history spans 362 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 51.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,421 nationally and #57 in Missouri.
362
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$15.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Bates County, Missouri severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Bates County, Missouri severe weather history averages 5.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 134 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 38 events fall before 1990 and 324 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Bates County, Missouri record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is heavy rain, with $7.0M 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 Bates County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 188 | 0 | $6.9M | 4.25 | 1963–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 117 | 1 | $564K | 78 | 1955–2025 |
| Tornado | 28 | 0 | $1.4M | F3 | 1953–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 20 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2021 |
| Flood | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2019 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $2K | 0 | 2009–2009 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2007 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $7.0M | 0 | 2007–2007 |
Decade by decade
Bates County, Missouri severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
29 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 25 touched down inside it and 4 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977-05-04 | EF3 | 2 | 15 | 29.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-03-12 | EF2 | 1 | 13 | 26.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-05-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-04-04 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 18.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1956-12-04 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-04-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-04-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-05-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-02-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 12.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-05-26 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 5.5 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Bates County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 4, 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | LACYVILLE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Dec 5, 1956 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Sep 4, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A gradually decaying supercell produced a significant downburst as it crossed into western Missouri. The worst of the damage occurred in the Amsterdam and Passaic area, where a single fatality occurred due to a large tree falling into a home.
A total of 14.75 inches of rain was reported over a three day period. Major flooding of the Marais Des Cygnes River was reported across the southern part of the county. Damage was reported to many homes and businesses, as well as to railroad tracks and roads. Agricultural losses were significant.
Tornado crossed into Bates county from Linn county Kansas at 1424 CST…2 miles west-southwest of Amsterdam. The F0 tornado caused damage to several buildings in Amsterdam. The tornado then continued northeast over rural areas with damage limited to trees. The tornado then lifted 1 mile northwest of Adrian at 1442 CST.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
16,186
Population (ACS)
$171K
Median home value
23
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 21, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, 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 |
| Aug 7, 2015 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Bates County, Missouri?
362 events are on record between 1953 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $15.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Bates County?
Hail, with 188 recorded events — 51.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Bates County?
29 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 25 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Bates County?
23 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Bates County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Bates County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Bates County as very low risk, placing it in the 30 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Bates 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
- Barton County 604
- Benton County 560
- Barry County 1,021
- Bollinger County 328
- Audrain County 346
- Boone County 830
Cite this page
“Bates County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/bates-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.