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Hickory County, Missouri severe weather history spans 372 recorded events between 1959 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 35.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,377 nationally and #54 in Missouri.
372
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
24
Direct injuries
$7.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Hickory County, Missouri severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Hickory County, Missouri severe weather history averages 5.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 109 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 26 events fall before 1990 and 346 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $4.5M 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 Hickory County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 131 | 0 | $1.3M | 3 | 1959–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 127 | 0 | $4.5M | 78 | 1969–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 51 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Flood | 37 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 2007–2025 |
| Tornado | 16 | 0 | $1.8M | F3 | 1967–2020 |
| Heavy Rain | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2015–2024 |
| Wildfire | 2 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 1999–2000 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2018–2018 |
Decade by decade
Hickory County, Missouri severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
14 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-03-12 | EF3 | 0 | 19 | 17.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-01-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-03-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-01-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 8.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2010-11-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-12-18 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 11.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2000-02-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-04-13 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 5.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1967-10-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-04-30 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Hickory County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 13, 2006 | Tornado | HERMITAGE | 0 | 19 | $1.0M |
| Mar 30, 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | WHEATLAND | 0 | 3 | $0 |
| Dec 18, 2002 | Tornado | WEAUBLEAU | 0 | 1 | $43K |
| Apr 14, 1972 | 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 National Weather Service storm survey determined multiple swaths of straight line winds occurred across Hickory County. One swath that started as a downburst at the ball fields on the southwest side of Wheaton continued east damaging outbuildings and homes through Wheaton. Winds increased to 90 mph as the storm approached the Lucas Oil race track, damaging grandstands, overturning over 20 recreational vehicles, and snapping dozens of trees.
A large tornado touched down over rural southwest Hickory County and tracked near the Pomme De Terre lake damn. The tornado eventually tore through an intersection known as Carsons Corner causing signficant structural damage along with 19 injuries.
NWS storm survey team determined that an EF-1 tornado touched down two miles east of Cross Timbers. Winds were estimated at 100 mph. The path of the tornado was approximately 150 yards wide and three miles long. Damage occurred to two structure homes and three out buildings as well as to farm equipment.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
8,585
Population (ACS)
$176K
Median home value
22
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Jan 21, 2016 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jan 2, 2016 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Preston 118
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Hickory County, Missouri?
372 events are on record between 1959 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $7.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Hickory County?
Hail, with 131 recorded events — 35.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Hickory County?
14 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 10 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Hickory County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Hickory County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Hickory County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Hickory County as very low risk, placing it in the 23 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Hickory 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
- Henry County 371
- Holt County 250
- Harrison County 310
- Howard County 228
- Grundy County 366
- Howell County 957
Cite this page
“Hickory County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/hickory-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.