156
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$13.1M
Property damage
Flash Flood in Polk County, Missouri: 156 recorded events between 1996 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 0. That places the county #65 nationally and #7 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Flash Flood in Polk County, Missouri: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for flash flood in Polk County is the 2010s, when 63 of the county's 156 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Polk County archive, flash flood makes up 18.2% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #65 for this hazard and #7 within Missouri, putting it in the 97.9 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for flash flood in Polk County with 36 recorded events, while Feb is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 27, 2015 | PLEASANT HOPE | 0 | 1 | 0 | $500K |
| Jun 2, 2007 | PLEASANT HOPE | 0 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 15, 2026 | VAN | — | $0 |
| Apr 15, 2026 | RIMBY | — | $0 |
| Apr 15, 2026 | POLK | — | $0 |
| Apr 15, 2026 | GOODSON | — | $0 |
| Apr 15, 2026 | GOODSON | — | $0 |
| Jun 16, 2025 | RONDO | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 20, 2025 | RONDO | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 4, 2025 | PLEASANT HOPE | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 4, 2025 | TIN TOWN | 0 | $0 |
| Apr 4, 2025 | TIN TOWN | 0 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Polk County
- Hail 304
- Thunderstorm Wind 266
- Flood 54
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A 56 year old man was swept off of Highway H by flash flooding of the Pomme De Terre River. Nearly all low water crossings across the county were flooded and several suffered damage. Several county roads sustained damaged from flood water. This storm report will contain the damage estimates for the entire county for this event.
The remnants of Tropical Storm Erin caused serious flooding across southern and central Polk County. Numerous secondary roads were washed out along with many low water crossings. Specific locations that were flooded include a bridge on Highway W near its intersection with Highway 123, a section of Highway 215 west of Eudora where the Turkey Creek intersects the highway, a section Highway 123 south of Eudora, a few streets in the city of Bolivar, a section of Highway 13 near the Polk and Greene county Line experienced 5 feet of flash flood water, all roads leading in and out of Pleasant Hope became impassable, and areas of Pleasant Hope flooded with a few houses impacted.
A widespread flood event occurred in Polk County during the early morning hours of June 9th. Between 4 and 6 inches of rainfall fell in Polk County which caused the Pomme De Terre River and its tributaries to rapidly increase. There was damage to over 450 miles of gravel roads in the county which caused 2.2 million dollars in damage. Several low water bridges were damaged and a new bridge was damaged which caused 720,000 dollars in damage.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many flash flood events are on record in Polk County, Missouri?
156 flash flood events are recorded in Polk County between 1996 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths.
What is the strongest flash flood recorded in Polk County?
The strongest flash flood on record in Polk County measured 0.
Where does the flash flood data for Polk County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Flash Flood in Polk County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/polk-county/flash-flood/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.