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Pemiscot County, Missouri severe weather history spans 273 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 48.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,941 nationally and #85 in Missouri.
273
Recorded events
25
Direct deaths
254
Direct injuries
$67.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Pemiscot County, Missouri severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Pemiscot County, Missouri severe weather history averages 3.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 85 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 33 events fall before 1990 and 240 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Pemiscot County, Missouri record is tornado, responsible for 24 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $64.7M 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 Pemiscot County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 132 | 0 | $2.2M | 87 | 1956–2026 |
| Hail | 82 | 0 | $83K | 2.75 | 1959–2026 |
| Tornado | 40 | 24 | $64.7M | F4 | 1952–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 13 | 0 | $83K | 0 | 1998–2012 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $250K | 0 | 2011–2019 |
| Lightning | 1 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 2015–2015 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2019–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2023–2023 |
Decade by decade
Pemiscot County, Missouri severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
41 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 34 touched down inside it and 7 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1952-03-21 | EF4 | 17 | 100 | 6.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-10 | EF4 | 8 | 14 | 81.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2006-04-02 | EF3 | 2 | 177 | 77.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2004-10-18 | EF2 | 3 | 7 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-03-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 19.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-04-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1955-03-20 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 89.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1952-02-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-02-20 | EF1 | 0 | 5 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-02-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Pemiscot County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 22, 1952 | Tornado | 17 | 100 | $2.5M | |
| Oct 19, 2004 | Tornado | COOTER | 3 | 7 | $300K |
| Apr 2, 2006 | Tornado | DEERING | 2 | 130 | $60.0M |
| Dec 11, 2021 | Tornado | SAMFORD | 2 | 9 | $1.3M |
| May 15, 2015 | Lightning | HAYTI | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Feb 20, 2014 | Tornado | DEERING | 0 | 5 | $75K |
| Jul 6, 2012 | Thunderstorm Wind | WARDELL | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| May 25, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | WARDELL | 0 | 1 | $150K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado struck just south of Cooter and moved east. The tornado produced substantial damage to a farm house and a couple of modular homes. The tornado killed three persons who lived at the farm another injured seven others. A large grain trailer and several trees were blown over.
The tornado continued east out of Dunklin County into Pemiscot County. The tornado lifted near the Mississippi River. There were two fatalities in Braggadocio. One hundred thirty people were injured. The most affected area was the southern portion of Caruthersville. Two hundred twenty-six homes were destroyed and five hundred forty-two homes were damaged. In addition, the city of Caruthersville's water tower was destroyed, cutting off water access to the entire city.
The tornado seemed to reach its peak intensity as it moved into Pemiscot County, Missouri from Dunklin County, Missouri. A home along County Road 454 was substantially damaged. Further northeast, near Highway J and County Road 407, two homes were completely destroyed with debris carried off to the northeast. A fatality occurred in one of these homes. Several vehicles, including semi-tractor-trailers, were blown off of the road as the tornado crossed Interstates 55 and 155, resulting in another fatality. An indirect fatality occurred when a vehicle struck a downed utility pole. Aerial and satellite imagery showed ground scouring marks in this area across the Mississippi River. The tornado then moved into Lake County, Tennessee. Peak winds in Pemiscot County were estimated at 170 mph.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
14,958
Population (ACS)
$97K
Median home value
26
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jan 10, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Pemiscot County, Missouri?
273 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 25 direct deaths and $67.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Pemiscot County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 132 recorded events — 48.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Pemiscot County?
41 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 34 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Pemiscot County?
26 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Pemiscot County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Pemiscot County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Pemiscot County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 78 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Pemiscot 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
- Ozark County 713
- Perry County 253
- Osage County 223
- Pettis County 495
- Oregon County 344
- Phelps County 566
Cite this page
“Pemiscot County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/pemiscot-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.