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Scotland County, Missouri severe weather history spans 266 recorded events between 1959 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 41.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,997 nationally and #88 in Missouri.
266
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$5.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Scotland County, Missouri severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Scotland County, Missouri severe weather history averages 4.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 108 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 20 events fall before 1990 and 246 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is hail, with $3.6M 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 Scotland County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 109 | 0 | $468K | 70 | 1966–2025 |
| Hail | 104 | 0 | $3.6M | 2.75 | 1976–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 30 | 0 | $300K | 0 | 2001–2023 |
| Tornado | 14 | 0 | $719K | F3 | 1959–2024 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $275K | 0 | 2003–2011 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2018 |
| Flood | 2 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 2010–2014 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2021–2021 |
Decade by decade
Scotland 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: 13 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967-01-24 | EF4 | 0 | 2 | 25.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-04-20 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 9.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-05-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 22.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1995-05-13 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-10-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-04-27 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2015-11-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-10-02 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1959-03-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-27 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Scotland County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 28, 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | MEMPHIS | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A lightning strike is believed to have sparked a fire that destroyed the Harmony Grove Baptist Church in rural Scotland County during the late evening of June 12 or early morning of June 13. The fire was reported around 1:30 am, at which time it was in its later stages of burning.
A trained spotter reported a tornado north of Arbela. A barn and a cattle shed were destroyed along with several other outbuildings in the area. The tornado was on the ground for 0.2 miles and was around 30 yards wide. It was rated EF0 with a peak wind speed of 80 MPH.
A brief EF-1 tornado with winds of 90 MPH moved from Knox County into Scotland County. The tornado caused damage mainly to trees. As the tornado neared its end, a manufactured home was blown off its foundation blocks and destroyed. A door on a nearby barn was also ripped off. The tornado was on the ground 0.2 miles with a maximum width of 40 yards.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
4,686
Population (ACS)
$159K
Median home value
24
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 21, 2023 | 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 |
| Aug 7, 2015 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 18, 2013 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Memphis 106
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Scotland County, Missouri?
266 events are on record between 1959 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $5.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Scotland County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 109 recorded events — 41.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Scotland County?
16 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 13 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Scotland County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Scotland County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Scotland County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Scotland County as very low risk, placing it in the 33 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Scotland 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
- Schuyler County 97
- Scott County 400
- Saline County 353
- Shannon County 480
- Shelby County 193
- Stoddard County 423
Cite this page
“Scotland County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/scotland-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.