Live
Active alerts for this county
Heat Advisory
Greene; Macoupin; Montgomery; Bond; Fayette; Clinton; Marion; Washington; Randolph; Adams; Brown; Pike; Calhoun; Jersey; Knox; Lewis; Shelby; Marion; Monroe; Ralls; Pike; Boone; Audrain; Moniteau; Cole; Osage; Callaway; Montgomery; Lincoln; Gasconade; Warren; Franklin; Crawford; Washington; St. Francois; Ste. Genevieve; Iron; Madison; Reynolds
Ralls County, Missouri severe weather history spans 224 recorded events between 1958 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 48.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,291 nationally and #101 in Missouri.
224
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
14
Direct injuries
$1.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Ralls County, Missouri severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Ralls County, Missouri severe weather history averages 3.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 84 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 27 events fall before 1990 and 197 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is thunderstorm wind, with $1.4M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Ralls County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 109 | 0 | $1.4M | 96 | 1958–2025 |
| Hail | 73 | 0 | $0 | 2.75 | 1964–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 17 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2021 |
| Tornado | 12 | 0 | $65K | F2 | 1973–2017 |
| Flood | 10 | 0 | $257K | 0 | 2007–2025 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2004 |
Decade by decade
Ralls County, Missouri severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
17 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-05-10 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2006-04-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1993-06-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-04-23 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-05-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-03-25 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 6.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-06-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-12-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-12-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-05-30 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Ralls County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 22, 1985 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 13 | $0 | |
| Aug 4, 1996 | Lightning | CENTER | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Rainfall of 7 – 10 inches fell across North Central Missouri causing flooding at Mark Twain Lake and along the Salt River. This represented the first flooding of the Salt River since the completion of Clarence Cannon Dam which created Mark Twain Lake in 1984. The crest at New London represented the 8th highest crest of record, resulting in the flooding of numerous farm houses and state roads. Thirty families had to be evacuated from their homes due to the flooding. At least 30 roads had to be closed. Agricultural losses were estimated at $10 million. Initial public assistance damage estimates were put at $200,000.
The Mississippi River at Saverton, MO crested at 27.97 feet on 6/18/2008. This is the second highest crest ever recorded. Ten homes in the Saverton area were flooded. The lock and dam at Saverton was over topped by the river. Highway 79 was closed at a couple of locations. There were no other towns affected as the rest of the county along the river is open flood plain. The County estimated public infrastructure damage at $55,000. No agricultural losses were reported.
Widespread wind damage across Ralls County, especially in Center, New London and portions of Hannibal in northeastern Ralls County. There were numerous tree limbs blown down as well as power lines. In Center, a tree was blown down onto a house causing moderate roof damage. In New London, another large tree was blown down onto a house causing moderate roof damage. A tree was blown down onto Highway HH north of New London.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
10,428
Population (ACS)
$168K
Median home value
26
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2021 | 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 2, 2016 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | EM |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Ralls County, Missouri?
224 events are on record between 1958 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $1.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Ralls County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 109 recorded events — 48.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Ralls County?
17 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 15 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Ralls County?
26 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Ralls County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Ralls County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Ralls County as very low risk, placing it in the 14 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Ralls 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
- Putnam County 161
- Randolph County 228
- Pulaski County 564
- Ray County 296
- Polk County 855
- Reynolds County 192
Cite this page
“Ralls County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/ralls-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.