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Cape Girardeau County, Missouri severe weather history spans 624 recorded events between 1952 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 35.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #525 nationally and #30 in Missouri.
624
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
13
Direct injuries
$34.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Cape Girardeau County, Missouri severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Cape Girardeau County, Missouri severe weather history averages 8.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 207 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 83 events fall before 1990 and 541 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Cape Girardeau County, Missouri record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $18.3M 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 Cape Girardeau County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 222 | 0 | $6.6M | 87 | 1959–2025 |
| Hail | 145 | 0 | $377K | 2.5 | 1957–2025 |
| Flood | 106 | 0 | $8.1M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 53 | 0 | $1.3M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Tornado | 47 | 1 | $18.3M | F3 | 1952–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 27 | 0 | $29K | 0 | 2003–2015 |
| Funnel Cloud | 14 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2019 |
| Lightning | 9 | 0 | $62K | 0 | 2002–2014 |
| Dust Devil | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2007 |
Decade by decade
Cape Girardeau County, Missouri severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
53 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 47 touched down inside it and 6 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-05-06 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-04-05 | EF2 | 5 | 4 | 20.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1963-04-29 | EF2 | 1 | 3 | 10.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-04-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 14.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-05-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-01-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-02-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2012-02-29 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 31.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-04-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-05-24 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 9.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Cape Girardeau County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 29, 1963 | Tornado | 1 | 3 | $25K | |
| Jan 3, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | DUTCHTOWN | 0 | 3 | $250K |
| May 7, 2003 | Tornado | JACKSON | 0 | 2 | $12.0M |
| Jun 8, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Countywide | 0 | 2 | $200K |
| Feb 29, 2012 | Tornado | OAK RIDGE | 0 | 1 | $150K |
| Dec 18, 1957 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K | |
| Apr 22, 1955 | 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
Widespread damaging winds affected northern parts of the county. Over 1,000 trees were blown down, along with power lines. Many roads were blocked. The trees fell on homes, vehicles, and power lines. Power poles were snapped. Extended power outages lasting up to several days were reported. Barns and sheds were blown down. Just west of Oak Ridge, 259 trees were blown down on a single farm. The house and a garage on the farm received holes in their roofs. Windows were blown out of at least one house in Oak Ridge. Towns that experienced the worst damage were north of Jackson, including Daisy and Pocahontas. Several trees were blown down in Jackson, including one that landed on a car.
The tornado touched down just south of U.S. Highway 61, where trees and small outbuildings were damaged. The tornado crossed Highway 61 and produced damage to several businesses. Windows were broken out, and damage occurred to roofs. One business was destroyed. A tire store was heavily damaged as the tornado was at its peak intensity. The back was wall was blown out, and much of the roof was destroyed and thrown several hundred yards. Light concrete and styrofoam blew onto Interstate 55, which was closed for a brief time until cleanup was complete. East of Interstate 55, several barns and outbuildings were damaged or destroyed. Numerous trees were uprooted or snapped along the way. The path may have extended farther east of State Route 177 near the Mississippi River, but flooding prevented surveying. Peak winds were estimated near 125 mph near U.S. Highway 61.
A tornado touched down briefly causing light damage to at least 27 homes and several other buildings, including a hardware store, a nearby school, and farm elevators. Several cars were also damaged and utility poles knocked down. Damage was reported a 0.5 mile west of Delta and again to the east of the community. Reported by Cape Girardeau county officials and local newspapers.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
82,735
Population (ACS)
$221K
Median home value
28
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 2025 | 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 |
| May 20, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jun 2, 2017 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Cape Girardeau 319
- Gulf Jct 153
- Jackson 111
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri?
624 events are on record between 1952 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $34.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Cape Girardeau County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 222 recorded events — 35.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Cape Girardeau County?
53 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 47 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Cape Girardeau County?
28 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Cape Girardeau County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Cape Girardeau County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Cape Girardeau County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 86 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Cape Girardeau 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
- Camden County 636
- Carroll County 233
- Callaway County 485
- Carter County 267
- Caldwell County 219
- Cass County 778
Cite this page
“Cape Girardeau County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/cape-girardeau-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.