Live
Active alerts for this county
Heat Advisory
Bourbon; Crawford; Cherokee; Benton; Morgan; Miller; Maries; Vernon; St. Clair; Hickory; Camden; Pulaski; Phelps; Barton; Cedar; Polk; Dallas; Laclede; Texas; Dent; Jasper; Dade; Greene; Webster; Wright; Newton; Lawrence; Christian; Douglas; Howell; Shannon; McDonald; Barry; Stone; Taney; Ozark; Oregon
Newton County, Missouri severe weather history spans 923 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 37.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #189 nationally and #10 in Missouri.
923
Recorded events
17
Direct deaths
245
Direct injuries
$87.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Newton County, Missouri severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Newton County, Missouri severe weather history averages 12.8 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 290 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 86 events fall before 1990 and 837 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Newton County, Missouri record is tornado, responsible for 17 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $73.4M 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 Newton County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 343 | 0 | $288K | 4.5 | 1957–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 267 | 0 | $5.1M | 75 | 1957–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 189 | 0 | $5.9M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Tornado | 54 | 17 | $73.4M | F4 | 1954–2025 |
| Flood | 42 | 0 | $2.9M | 0 | 2008–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 23 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2005–2017 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $53K | 0 | 2010–2011 |
Decade by decade
Newton County, Missouri severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
59 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 48 touched down inside it and 11 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-05-22 | EF5 | 158 | 1,150 | 21.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-05-10 | EF4 | 21 | 350 | 75.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1975-04-24 | EF4 | 3 | 22 | 11.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-04-03 | EF4 | 0 | 59 | 41.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2003-05-04 | EF3 | 7 | 48 | 49.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-03-26 | EF3 | 1 | 3 | 29.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-04-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 16.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-05-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 14.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-10-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1974-04-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Newton County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 10, 2008 | Tornado | HORNET | 14 | 200 | $35.0M |
| Apr 25, 1975 | Tornado | 3 | 22 | $25.0M | |
| Jun 9, 1974 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $2.5M | |
| Mar 13, 1961 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $250K | |
| Mar 31, 2008 | Tornado | BELFAST | 0 | 3 | $100K |
| Sep 2, 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | FREDVILLE | 0 | 2 | $250K |
| Jun 28, 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | NEOSHO | 0 | 2 | $10K |
| Jul 8, 2016 | Thunderstorm Wind | REDINGS MILL | 0 | 1 | $20K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado is an extension of the Ottawa County, Oklahoma tornado. A National Weather Service storm survey revealed that an EF-4 tornado crossed into Missouri just north of Iris Road, and tracked east southeast all the way across Newton County to just north of Fairview. Several people were killed in automobiles, including a firefighter who was storm spotting, as the tornado briefly reached EF4 intensity near the intersection of Highway 43 and Iris Road. One vehicle at this location was thrown 5/8s of a mile. The tornado then extended to a mile wide and EF3 intensity as it tracked across the intersection of Highway 86 and BB. Many of the 14 fatalities and 200 injuries occurred from just west of Highway 43 to Highway 86. The communities of Granby and Newtonia were also directly impacted from this tornado.
Severe thunderstorm wind gusts ranging between 60 and 80 mph caused widespread damage to trees, power poles, and structures across much of Newton County. A roof was destroyed on a mobile home located near the intersection of Iris Road and Highway NN. Rain fell into the home, destroying the rest of the structure. In Diamond there were two buisinesses that had significant roof damage. The Dollar General Store in Neosho sustained roof damage and allowed water to enter the store. One building was destroyed at a fiberglass company in Neosho. A few thousand residences had lost power due to fallen power poles and lines.
Multiple rail cars floated off of the tracks due to flooding of Shoal Creek. At least three families were stranded by high water. Several homes sustained flood damage. Several mobile homes were washed away by flooding along Shoal Creek near Reddings Mill. Numerous roads and low water crossings suffered flood damage. This storm report will contain the damage estimates for the entire county for this event.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
60,118
Population (ACS)
$191K
Median home value
28
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 9, 2025 | 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 |
| Jun 2, 2017 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jan 21, 2016 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Neosho 408
- Seneca 138
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Newton County, Missouri?
923 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 17 direct deaths and $87.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Newton County?
Hail, with 343 recorded events — 37.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Newton County?
59 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 48 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Newton County?
28 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Newton County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Newton County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Newton County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 78 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Newton 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
- New Madrid County 290
- Nodaway County 497
- Morgan County 552
- Oregon County 344
- Montgomery County 293
- Osage County 223
Cite this page
“Newton County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/newton-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.