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Iron County, Missouri severe weather history spans 222 recorded events between 1950 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 39.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,306 nationally and #103 in Missouri.
222
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
27
Direct injuries
$10.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Iron County, Missouri severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Iron County, Missouri severe weather history averages 3.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 77 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 27 events fall before 1990 and 195 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Iron County, Missouri record is flash flood, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $6.2M 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 Iron County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 88 | 1 | $62K | 87 | 1965–2025 |
| Hail | 80 | 0 | $10K | 2.75 | 1958–2025 |
| Tornado | 27 | 0 | $3.9M | F4 | 1950–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 22 | 2 | $6.2M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2013 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2024 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2000 |
Decade by decade
Iron County, Missouri severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
27 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 21 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967-12-21 | EF4 | 3 | 52 | 27.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-03-14 | EF3 | 3 | 2 | 29.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-05-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-03-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 35.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2006-09-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 25.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2006-09-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1982-12-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1972-04-21 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 26.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1950-01-25 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-05-19 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Iron County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 14, 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | GLOVER | 1 | 1 | $30K |
| Nov 4, 2024 | Flash Flood | MIDDLE BROOK | 1 | 0 | $60K |
| May 13, 2002 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $5.5M |
| Jul 29, 2001 | Flash Flood | ANNAPOLIS | 0 | 6 | $0 |
| Dec 21, 1967 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $2.5M | |
| Jan 26, 1950 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $250K | |
| Jul 15, 2000 | Lightning | ARCADIA | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Apr 21, 1972 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Flash flooding caused 1 fatality near Knob Creek in Ironton. It also resulted in swift water rescues along County Road 207 in Arcadia and on State Highway C near Annapolis. A car was pushed off a bridge and into the St. Francois River at State Highway U and County Road 31. Water was covering the bridge at the time.
A dead tree fell onto a vehicle that was traveling southbound on Highway 21, injuring the driver and killing the passenger. A witness trailing the vehicle reported there was only light wind and rain, as did a Missouri State Trooper. The vehicle was destroyed.
In Iron County the tornado caused some of its most significant damage in Des Arc where residences were significantly damaged. Two injuries were confirmed here. The tornado continued to track northeast beyond Des Arc where it caused damage to a few more residences, an outbuilding, and numerous trees. It then exited into Madison County. In Iron County the tornado was rated EF-3 with a path length of 7.64 miles and a maximum path width of 800 yards.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
9,446
Population (ACS)
$119K
Median home value
26
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| May 21, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND WILDFIRES | DR |
| Sep 21, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jan 10, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Mar 26, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Iron County, Missouri?
222 events are on record between 1950 and 2025, causing 3 direct deaths and $10.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Iron County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 88 recorded events — 39.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Iron County?
27 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 21 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Iron County?
26 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Iron County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Iron County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Iron County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 70 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Iron 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
- Howell County 957
- Jackson County 1,605
- Howard County 228
- Jasper County 1,115
- Holt County 250
- Jefferson County 654
Cite this page
“Iron County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/iron-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.