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Douglas County, Missouri severe weather history spans 941 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 27.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #176 nationally and #9 in Missouri.
941
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$34.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Douglas County, Missouri severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Douglas County, Missouri severe weather history averages 13.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 345 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 21 events fall before 1990 and 920 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Douglas County, Missouri record is flash flood, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $18.6M 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 Douglas County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 258 | 0 | $6.4M | 72 | 1975–2026 |
| Hail | 240 | 0 | $2.0M | 4.5 | 1963–2026 |
| Flood | 190 | 1 | $10K | 0 | 2008–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 176 | 3 | $18.6M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 40 | 0 | $7.3M | F3 | 1957–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 27 | 0 | $0 | 1.5 | 2004–2025 |
| Lightning | 8 | 0 | $125K | 0 | 2001–2022 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2011 |
Decade by decade
Douglas County, Missouri severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
43 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 35 touched down inside it and 8 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979-04-11 | EF3 | 0 | 9 | 35.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-12-24 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 17.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-12-02 | EF2 | 0 | 9 | 23.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-04-13 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 9.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-03-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1960-05-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-05-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 14.5 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Douglas County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 7, 1998 | Flash Flood | ANN | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| May 1, 2019 | Flash Flood | SWEDEN | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Dec 28, 2015 | Flood | SMALLETT | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Dec 24, 1982 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A young man and woman died when their truck was washed off Highway EE at the North Fork of the White River. The flooded section of Highway EE was at the bottom of a hill at the river. The truck ran into the water and apparently stalled and then was washed off. One inch of rain occurred in the area that evening on top of an already saturated ground from the previous days rain.
Heavy rainfall across portions of Douglas County caused Hunter Creek to rise quickly out of its banks during the late evening of April 30th and continued into May 1st. Nearly 7.00 inches of rain fall across portions of the Hunter Creek basin. A 59 year old male was camping in the Vera Cruz Conservation Area and was overtaken by flood waters during the night.
Highway Y at Cowskin Creek was closed due to flooding. Additional county property damages were reported throughout the entire county, primarily to dirt roads and bridges. Damage cost estimates are a reflection of the county as a whole.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
11,965
Population (ACS)
$168K
Median home value
25
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 22, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| May 21, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jan 1, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Ava 465
- Ava Muni Meml Arpt 333
- Ann 253
- Olathe 224
- Arno 104
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Douglas County, Missouri?
941 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 4 direct deaths and $34.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Douglas County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 258 recorded events — 27.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Douglas County?
43 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 35 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Douglas County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Douglas County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Douglas County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Douglas County as very low risk, placing it in the 24 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Douglas 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
- Dent County 398
- Dunklin County 442
- DeKalb County 263
- Franklin County 733
- Daviess County 353
- Gasconade County 309
Cite this page
“Douglas County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/douglas-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.