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Wayne County, Missouri severe weather history spans 347 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 33.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,511 nationally and #63 in Missouri.
347
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
42
Direct injuries
$48.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Wayne County, Missouri severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Wayne County, Missouri severe weather history averages 5.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 101 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 19 events fall before 1990 and 328 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Wayne County, Missouri record is tornado, responsible for 6 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $20.8M 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 Wayne County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 117 | 0 | $170K | 3 | 1972–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 83 | 0 | $1.4M | 78 | 1980–2025 |
| Flood | 69 | 0 | $13.7M | 0 | 2006–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 38 | 0 | $20.8M | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Tornado | 26 | 6 | $12.5M | F3 | 1957–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 7 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 2010–2015 |
| Funnel Cloud | 5 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2023 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2006 |
Decade by decade
Wayne County, Missouri severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
29 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 24 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-03-14 | EF3 | 3 | 2 | 29.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-03-14 | EF3 | 2 | 0 | 30.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-03-14 | EF3 | 1 | 1 | 28.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-05-25 | EF3 | 0 | 2 | 47.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1964-03-25 | EF3 | 0 | 26 | 46.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2025-04-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-04-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2021-10-24 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 24.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-12-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-12-23 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Wayne County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 15, 2025 | Tornado | GADS HILL | 3 | 0 | $4.0M |
| Mar 15, 2025 | Tornado | LEEPER | 2 | 0 | $3.0M |
| Mar 15, 2025 | Tornado | BURBANK | 1 | 1 | $1.5M |
| Mar 25, 1964 | Tornado | 0 | 26 | $25K | |
| Dec 3, 1982 | Tornado | 0 | 8 | $250K | |
| May 27, 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | GREENVILLE | 0 | 2 | $60K |
| May 25, 2011 | Tornado | LEEPER | 0 | 2 | $500K |
| Jun 1, 2006 | Lightning | LOWNDES | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
An EF-3 tornado touched down 4 miles northeast of Garwood in Reynolds County and proceeded northeast into northwest Wayne County southwest of Gads Hill. Thousands of trees were uprooted or snapped along its path through northwest Wayne County. Significant damage occurred in Gads Hill, where three houses and several manufactured homes and camper/trailer homes were destroyed or sustained significant damage. The estimated peak wind was 155 mph. Three people were killed when their homes were destroyed. The tornado continued to produce extensive tree damage as it progressed northeast to the Iron County line just southwest of Des Arc. The tornado passed through Iron County and into Madison County before lifting. The total path length of the tornado was 38 miles.
An EF-3 tornado touched down just northeast of Eastwood in Carter County and moved quickly northeast to the Wayne County line just southwest of Leeper. The tornado destroyed 3 homes in Leeper, including completely wiping the slab clean on one. A nearby house had its roof mostly removed and another had some broken windows. Three manufactured homes and one barn were destroyed, as well. Two people died when their camper home was thrown into the Black river. The tornado did extensive tree damage with thousands either snapped or uprooted along its path. It continued northeast from Leeper until it dissipated at County Road 361 just west of Maddox Lake. The estimated peak wind was 165 mph. The total path length was around 31 miles.
An EF-2 tornado touched down northeast of Greenville and moved northeast doing profound and extreme tree damage along its path. Thousands of trees were snapped or uprooted. The tornado directly impacted the River Valley Campground on Hidden Valley Road near the Castor River, killing one person and severely injuring another. The most severe structural damage occurred near the campground where a home lost its roof and had most of its exterior walls collapsed in. Several vehicles were tossed 50 to 100 feet. Another nearby home also suffered heavy damage. Numerous outbuildings were destroyed and a wooden power pole was snapped. The estimated peak wind was 134 mph. From the campground the tornado continued northeast and quickly entered Bollinger County where it did EF-3 damage. The total path length was 28.6 miles.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
10,862
Population (ACS)
$107K
Median home value
27
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Sep 21, 2023 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jan 10, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Jul 9, 2020 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 26, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Silva 159
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Wayne County, Missouri?
347 events are on record between 1957 and 2025, causing 6 direct deaths and $48.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Wayne County?
Hail, with 117 recorded events — 33.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Wayne County?
29 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 24 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Wayne County?
27 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Wayne County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Wayne County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wayne County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 67 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Wayne 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
- Washington County 354
- Webster County 856
- Warren County 283
- Worth County 126
- Vernon County 630
- Wright County 752
Cite this page
“Wayne County, Missouri.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/missouri/wayne-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.