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Cooper County, Missouri severe weather history spans 353 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 41.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,474 nationally and #59 in Missouri.
353
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$1.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Cooper County, Missouri severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Cooper County, Missouri severe weather history averages 5.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 143 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 74 events fall before 1990 and 279 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Cooper County, Missouri record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $1.3M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Cooper County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 148 | 0 | $20K | 4.25 | 1970–2024 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 123 | 0 | $208K | 76 | 1956–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 33 | 1 | $2K | 0 | 2000–2021 |
| Flood | 28 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2021 |
| Tornado | 19 | 0 | $1.3M | F2 | 1968–2025 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2000–2000 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
Decade by decade
Cooper County, Missouri severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
18 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 17 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-04-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-09-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-05-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-04-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-04-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-04-08 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-04-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-03-06 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 17.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-05-25 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Cooper County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 27, 2015 | Flash Flood | PISGAH | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jul 3, 1992 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
F0 tornado crossed from Pettis county into Cooper county at 1604 CST…3 miles south-southwest of Blackwater. The tornado moved northeast over rural areas…and dissipated 4 miles east-northeast of Blackwater at 1617 CST. The tornado crossed Interstate 70 near mile marker 88 and blew over a tractor trailer. This closed the west bound lanes of I-70 for a time.
Heavy spring rains caused ongoing flooding along the Missouri River to Continue through the month. Some locations along the Missouri River experienced major flooding at times during the month. Damage estimates from roads washed out and crop damage are unknown at this time.
Heavy spring rains caused ongoing flooding along the Missouri River to Continue through the month. Some locations along the Missouri River experienced major flooding at times during the month. Damage estimates from roads washed out and crop damage are unknown at this time.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
16,824
Population (ACS)
$204K
Median home value
24
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 1, 2021 | 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 |
| Jan 2, 2016 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Boonville 113
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Cooper County, Missouri?
353 events are on record between 1956 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $1.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Cooper County?
Hail, with 148 recorded events — 41.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Cooper County?
18 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 17 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Cooper County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Cooper County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Cooper County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Cooper County as very low risk, placing it in the 20 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Cooper 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
- Cole County 343
- Crawford County 352
- Clinton County 345
- Dade County 437
- Clay County 958
- Dallas County 501
Cite this page
“Cooper County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/cooper-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.