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St. Francois County, Missouri severe weather history spans 378 recorded events between 1952 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 47.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,342 nationally and #53 in Missouri.
378
Recorded events
15
Direct deaths
71
Direct injuries
$59.3M
Property damage
The record
What the St. Francois County, Missouri severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, St. Francois County, Missouri severe weather history averages 5.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 112 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 55 events fall before 1990 and 323 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the St. Francois County, Missouri record is tornado, responsible for 13 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $58.2M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in St. Francois County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 179 | 0 | $679K | 66 | 1958–2026 |
| Hail | 135 | 0 | $18K | 3 | 1957–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 30 | 0 | $340K | 0 | 1996–2026 |
| Tornado | 27 | 13 | $58.2M | F4 | 1952–2025 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2006 |
| Flood | 2 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 1 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2003 |
Decade by decade
St. Francois County, Missouri severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
27 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 22 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969-06-22 | EF4 | 4 | 14 | 15.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-05-21 | EF3 | 8 | 50 | 22.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2021-10-24 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 16.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-12-18 | EF2 | 1 | 1 | 2.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2006-09-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 25.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2006-09-22 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 25.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-06-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-05-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 25.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1963-05-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-06-10 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in St. Francois County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 1957 | Tornado | 8 | 49 | $25.0M | |
| Jun 23, 1969 | Tornado | 4 | 14 | $2.5M | |
| Dec 18, 1957 | Tornado | 1 | 1 | $25K | |
| Jan 13, 2007 | Flood | BONNE TERRE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Feb 26, 1997 | Heavy Rain | COUNDYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Dec 3, 1982 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Jun 11, 1963 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Jun 19, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | DOE RUN | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Several inches of rain caused flooding of small creeks and streams and low-water crossings across much of St. Francois County. A 71 year-old man was killed near Bonne Terre when he tried to cross a low-water crossing on Cedar Run Road through Terre Blue Creek.
Between 4 and 6 inches of rain fell over St. Francois County in a 48 hour period. The heaviest rain fell in the early morning hours of December 28th causing flash flooding. Numerous roads were flooded including Highway 221 over the St. Francis River and Route F from Old Jackson Road to Wolf Creek Bridge. Around 10 structures were damaged by the flash flooding. Damage was estimated around $275,000.
Widespread wind damage in Desloge, Park Hills and Leadington areas. Numerous trees, tree limbs and power lines were blown down. One tree was blown down onto a house briefly trapping 5 occupants in the home. No one was injured. Otherwise, the home will need extensive repairs before family can return to it.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
66,999
Population (ACS)
$169K
Median home value
21
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 30, 2026 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 26, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jan 21, 2016 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jan 2, 2016 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | EM |
| May 9, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in St. Francois County, Missouri?
378 events are on record between 1952 and 2026, causing 15 direct deaths and $59.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in St. Francois County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 179 recorded events — 47.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed St. Francois County?
27 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 22 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover St. Francois County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include St. Francois County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is St. Francois County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates St. Francois County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 79 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the St. Francois 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
- Ste. Genevieve County 202
- St. Clair County 412
- St. Louis County 1,454
- St. Charles County 816
- Ripley County 309
- Reynolds County 192
Cite this page
“St. Francois County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/st-francois-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.