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Scott County, Missouri severe weather history spans 400 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 39.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,255 nationally and #48 in Missouri.
400
Recorded events
10
Direct deaths
79
Direct injuries
$59.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Scott County, Missouri severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Scott County, Missouri severe weather history averages 5.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 123 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 59 events fall before 1990 and 341 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Scott County, Missouri record is tornado, responsible for 10 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $52.9M 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 Scott County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 159 | 0 | $2.7M | 87 | 1957–2025 |
| Hail | 99 | 0 | $715K | 2.75 | 1955–2025 |
| Tornado | 49 | 10 | $52.9M | F2 | 1955–2025 |
| Flood | 40 | 0 | $3.2M | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 22 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 15 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2003–2015 |
| Funnel Cloud | 12 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2021 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $140K | 0 | 2006–2019 |
Decade by decade
Scott County, Missouri severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
48 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 37 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-05-16 | EF3 | 2 | 10 | 16.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-05-26 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 19.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2013-11-17 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 14.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-06-04 | EF2 | 3 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-12-18 | EF2 | 3 | 1 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-05-15 | EF2 | 1 | 15 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-12-15 | EF2 | 1 | 26 | 27.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-03-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-05-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 25.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-07-24 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Scott County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 18, 1957 | Tornado | 3 | 1 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 5, 2012 | Tornado | DIEHLSTADT | 3 | 0 | $100K |
| May 16, 2025 | Tornado | CROWDER | 2 | 10 | $15.0M |
| Dec 15, 1971 | Tornado | 1 | 24 | $25K | |
| May 16, 1986 | Tornado | 1 | 15 | $2.5M | |
| May 15, 1986 | Tornado | 0 | 19 | $25.0M | |
| Jul 24, 2023 | Tornado | PORTER | 0 | 2 | $400K |
| May 29, 1962 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A single wide mobile home was demolished. The undercarriage was blown 100 yards. A father and his two adult sons, who were inside the home, were killed. Highway 77 was shut down in Diehlstadt. Numerous power lines were down. Several large warehouse buildings sustained partial roof loss and moderate structural damage. Several trees were snapped or uprooted. Propane leaks were reported. Fencing and signs were blown down. The tornado damage was on the eastern edge of a larger area of downburst wind damage. Peak winds were estimated near 115 mph.
A 16 mile long EF3 tornado started in eastern Stoddard County along County Highway Y, tracking eastward into Scott County. As it crossed Highway 61, it damaged approximately 10 power poles. The worst damage was found in the Sloanville Drive area where numerous homes were heavily damaged or completely destroyed, this included a brick home and several mobile homes. Two fatalities occurred along this|road. Numerous more homes were either significantly damaged or completely destroyed west of I-55 in Sandywoods, with the tornado continuing east to Woodhaven Estates. Dozens of trees were snapped or uprooted. Many outbuildings suffered some degree of damage or were a complete loss. Max width was 200 yards. The tornado lifted just east of Highway O about 3 miles west of Diehlstadt. There were 10 injuries with this tornado as well.
An EF-3 tornado (max EF-2 for this second Scott County portion) formed in Stoddard County, then tracked northeastward through New Madrid County into Scott County at Butler St in southwest Sikeston, then crossing back briefly into New Madrid County, re-entering Scott County near the intersection of Montgomery St and W Murray Ln. The tornado did extensive and severe tree damage through the south side of Sikeston. Approaching and crossing Malone Ave, the tornado removed part of the roof of a school building and a nearby former farm supply store, where cinder block walls also collapsed. North of Malone Ave, the tornado collapsed a tall wooden light pole at a ball field, and removed most of the roof of a house. The tornado turned more northeast as it exited Sikeston, doing damage to trees, power lines, and outbuildings before ending in the community of Diehlstadt. Peak winds for this second Scott County portion were 120 mph.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
37,933
Population (ACS)
$154K
Median home value
30
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 9, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| May 21, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| May 21, 2025 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND WILDFIRES | DR |
| Jul 23, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 21, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 26, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Scott County, Missouri?
400 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 10 direct deaths and $59.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Scott County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 159 recorded events — 39.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Scott County?
48 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 37 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Scott County?
30 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Scott County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Scott County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Scott County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 80 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Scott 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
- Scotland County 266
- Shannon County 480
- Schuyler County 97
- Shelby County 193
- Saline County 353
- Stoddard County 423
Cite this page
“Scott County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/scott-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.