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Mercer County, Missouri severe weather history spans 189 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 47.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,505 nationally and #109 in Missouri.
189
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$525K
Property damage
The record
What the Mercer County, Missouri severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Mercer County, Missouri severe weather history averages 2.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 75 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 28 events fall before 1990 and 161 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $429K 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 Mercer County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 89 | 0 | $30K | 3 | 1962–2024 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 67 | 0 | $66K | 74 | 1956–2025 |
| Tornado | 17 | 0 | $429K | F4 | 1955–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 12 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2004–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2014 |
| Flood | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2014–2014 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2025–2025 |
Decade by decade
Mercer County, Missouri severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
16 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984-06-07 | EF4 | 3 | 64 | 134.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-04-21 | EF4 | 0 | 1 | 14.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-04-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 29.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1960-04-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 29.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1959-09-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-03-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-06-29 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1960-06-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1959-05-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1955-04-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Mercer County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 21, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A weak EF0 tornado began southeast of Spickard east of 7th Avenue, producing sporadic and intermittent tree damage along its path. The tornado tracked north-northeast across Hwy B and County Line Road into Mercer County before dissipating north of Jasper Road.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
3,482
Population (ACS)
$105K
Median home value
19
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Oct 31, 2014 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Feb 3, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | EM |
| Aug 17, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Princeton 102
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Mercer County, Missouri?
189 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $525K in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Mercer County?
Hail, with 89 recorded events — 47.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Mercer County?
16 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 12 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Mercer County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Mercer County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Mercer County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Mercer County as very low risk, placing it in the 12 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Mercer 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
- Marion County 298
- Miller County 479
- Maries County 287
- Mississippi County 233
- Madison County 179
- Moniteau County 254
Cite this page
“Mercer County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/mercer-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.