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Knox County, Missouri severe weather history spans 166 recorded events between 1962 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 41.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,629 nationally and #112 in Missouri.
166
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$993K
Property damage
The record
What the Knox County, Missouri severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Knox County, Missouri severe weather history averages 2.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 64 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 29 events fall before 1990 and 137 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $775K in reported property damage. In total, 5 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Knox County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 69 | 0 | $11K | 87 | 1962–2025 |
| Hail | 62 | 0 | $5K | 3.25 | 1974–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 25 | 0 | $202K | 0 | 1997–2019 |
| Tornado | 9 | 0 | $775K | F2 | 1967–2023 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2008 |
Decade by decade
Knox County, Missouri severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
10 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 8 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967-04-21 | EF4 | 0 | 2 | 59.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-08-04 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 1.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-05-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 22.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-04-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 17.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1970-05-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-04-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-08-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 16.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-05-13 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 9.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2009-05-13 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 3.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-08-18 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Knox County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 5, 2023 | Tornado | BARING | 0 | 2 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Up to 5 inches of rain fell onto already saturated soils causing flash flooding. Numerous roads were flooded including Highway 15 just north of Edina. The heavy rains caused the South Fabius River to rise rapidly. There was a levee breach on the South Fork of the South Fabius River upstream from Edina. The flood waters caused flooding on the south side of Edina. About 7 businesses had to be evacuated due to the flood waters.
The tornado began on the southeast side of town just southeast of the Highway K and Dairy Avenue intersection. The tornado quickly strengthened as it moved northwest producing EF2 damage southwest of the intersection. A farm outbuilding was completely destroyed, several grain bins were thrown 1/4 to 1/2 mile downwind, and a home was heavily damaged with the roof and several walls removed. The tornado then crossed Highway K and the railroad tracks and moved through the center of the town of Baring. In Baring, 6-7 businesses and 62 homes were damaged. Notable was the post office which was heavily damaged with the removal of the roof and several walls. The tornado then exited town tracking to the northwest producing damage to a farm outbuilding on the east side of Highway 15 and damage to trees on the west side of the highway. The tornado dissipated shortly thereafter. Overall the tornado was rated EF2 with a path length of 1.64 miles. The max path width was 450 yards. Two people sustained minor injuries and no deaths were reported.
A tornado touched down in extreme northern Knox County causing minor tree damage before crossing into Scotland County (WFO Davenport's forecast area). In Knox County, the tornado was rated EF-0 with a path length of approximately 158 feet with a max path width of 40 yards. Overall, the tornado was rated EF-1 with winds of 90 MPH. The entire path length was 0.2 miles with a maximum path width of 40 yards.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
3,756
Population (ACS)
$101K
Median home value
25
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 21, 2023 | 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 |
| Aug 7, 2015 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Oct 31, 2014 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Knox County, Missouri?
166 events are on record between 1962 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $993K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Knox County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 69 recorded events — 41.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Knox County?
10 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 8 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Knox County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Knox County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Knox County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Knox County as very low risk, placing it in the 21 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Knox 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
- Laclede County 687
- Johnson County 644
- Lafayette County 392
- Jefferson County 654
- Lawrence County 749
- Jasper County 1,115
Cite this page
“Knox County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/knox-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.