Dunklin County, Missouri

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 29069 · population 28,216 · 542 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 678 records for Dunklin County, Missouri from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 512 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (213 records). The deadliest single record is the November 24, 1973 tornado: 2 deaths. FEMA has issued 22 declarations naming the county since 1973, 20 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Wildfires” on May 21, 2025.

The record, 1950 to 2026

Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).

  • recorded, no damage figure
  • under $100,000
  • $100,000 or more
  • $1 million or more
  • $10 million or more, or a death
  • $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
  • a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
  • a year with a death
  • 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
  • 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
Storm records
678on 512 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
339 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$137Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
39strongest F4
FEMA declarations
22latest 2025

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.

What hazards hit Dunklin County most?

The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 213 since 1955. The rank column places the county among Missouri's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.

Dunklin County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Severe thunderstorm wind 213 163 1955-2026 0 3 $2.3M 14 of 114
Hail 149 112 1961-2026 0 0 $202K 30 of 114
Heat 114 111 2007-2026 0 0 – 4 of 114
Winter storms 69 68 1997-2026 0 0 $34M 18 of 114
Tornadoes 39 36 1954-2026 2 36 $99M 9 of 114
Floods 38 36 1997-2025 1 0 $1.3M 77 of 114
Drought 29 29 2007-2026 0 0 – 27 of 114
Extreme cold 12 12 2007-2026 0 0 – 29 of 114
High wind and dust storms 10 10 2003-2025 0 0 $39K 17 of 114
Heavy rain 3 2 2006-2019 0 0 $15 59 of 114
Hurricanes and tropical storms 1 1 2008-2008 0 0 $206K 2 of 114
Lightning 1 1 1997-1997 0 0 $2K 58 of 114

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.

How many tornadoes has Dunklin County had?

NOAA records 39 tornadoes in Dunklin County from 1954 to 2026, the strongest rated F4, with 2 deaths and 36 injuries recorded in the county. That is 9th of 114 Missouri counties and 229th of 3,080 U.S. counties by days with tornadoes per 1,000 square miles since 1950. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.

Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 39 tornadoes whose track touched Dunklin County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 39, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 14 people, 2 of them in Dunklin County.

The deadliest and strongest tornadoes that touched Dunklin County, whole tracks
DateTornadoRatingPathKilled
2021-12-10 19:07, as SPC files itCaruthersvilleCrossed AR, MO, TNEF481.17 mi8
2006-04-02 16:37, as SPC files itLafeCrossed AR, MOF377 mi2
1973-11-24 22:25, as SPC files itGideon to East PrairieF257.3 mi2
1981-04-22 16:50, as SPC files itSikestonF463 mi1
2018-02-24 17:21, as SPC files itKnobel to PollardCrossed AR, MOEF241.93 mi1

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Missouri.

Every tornado record filed for Dunklin County (39)
Every tornado recorded in Dunklin County, newest first
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-03-15 Clarkton, Dunklin County EF0 2.02 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $125K
2025-04-02 Glennonville, Dunklin County EF1 1.54 mi x 125 yd 0 0 $25K
2025-03-14 Octa, Dunklin County EF1 12.98 mi x 550 yd 0 0 $350K
2022-04-13 Hornersville Mem Arp, Dunklin County EF0 4.75 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $262K
2021-12-10 Hornersville Mem Arp, Dunklin County EF3 11.54 mi x 1,800 yd 0 0 $1.6M
2018-04-03 Arbyrd, Dunklin County EF1 6.7 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $1.8M
2018-02-24 Wilhelmina, Dunklin County EF2 12.44 mi x 150 yd 0 5 $2.4M
2017-04-30 Cardwell, Dunklin County EF1 0.31 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2017-04-30 Hornersville, Dunklin County EF1 1.2 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $301K
2012-09-01 Bucoda, Dunklin County EF0 0.03 mi x 25 yd 0 0 $129K
2010-05-16 Gibbons, Dunklin County EF0 0.8 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
2008-05-02 Senath, Dunklin County EF0 0.29 mi x 25 yd 0 0 $27K
2006-04-02 Senath, Dunklin County F3 14.4 mi x 880 yd 0 0 $2.2M
2003-05-04 Hornersville, Dunklin County F0 3 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $16K
1999-06-03 Arbyrd, Dunklin County F0 11 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $18K
1999-01-21 Kennett, Dunklin County F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 $89
1999-01-21 Cardwell, Dunklin County F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 $89
1994-04-15 Arbyrd, Dunklin County F0 0.3 mi x 20 yd 0 0 $995
1989-06-02 Dunklin County F1 0.5 mi x 23 yd 0 0 –
1985-04-23 Dunklin County F1 1.8 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $250K step
1984-04-29 Dunklin County F0 0.5 mi x 3 yd 0 0 $3K step
1984-04-03 Dunklin County F0 1 mi x 27 yd 0 0 –
1981-08-27 Dunklin County F1 1 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $25K step
1981-06-04 Dunklin County F0 0.1 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
1981-04-22 Dunklin County F4 1.3 mi x 400 yd 0 26 $25M step
1973-11-24 Dunklin County F2 3 mi x 33 yd 2 0 $250K step
1973-05-27 Dunklin County F1 0.5 mi x 30 yd 0 0 $250K step
1973-04-26 Dunklin County F2 2 mi x 100 yd 0 2 $25K step
1968-05-15 Dunklin County F1 1.5 mi x 17 yd 0 0 $250 step
1967-04-23 Dunklin County F1 0.3 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $25K step
1964-03-04 Dunklin County F2 11.5 mi x 100 yd 0 2 $25K step
1957-05-21 Dunklin County F1 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 $3K step
1957-05-21 Dunklin County F1 18.5 mi x 33 yd 0 0 $25K step
1957-04-03 Dunklin County F1 1 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $3K step
1957-01-22 Dunklin County F1 1 mi x 100 yd 0 1 $25K step
1955-04-23 Dunklin County F1 0.2 mi x 10 yd 0 0 $3K step
1955-03-20 Dunklin County F2 51.4 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $250K step
1954-09-06 Dunklin County F1 0.5 mi x 10 yd 0 0 $3K step
1954-04-15 Dunklin County F2 1 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $25K step

A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.

When was the last damaging storm in Dunklin County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the April 28, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($2,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

The 12 most recent records kept for Dunklin County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-30 HeatDunklin County · forecast zone Dunklin 0 0 –
2026-06-29 HeatDunklin County · forecast zone Dunklin 0 0 –
2026-06-09 HeatDunklin County · forecast zone Dunklin 0 0 –
2026-06-01 DroughtDunklin County · forecast zone Dunklin 0 0 –
2026-05-01 DroughtDunklin County · forecast zone Dunklin 0 0 –
2026-04-28 Thunderstorm WindGibson, Dunklin County 50 kt wind 0 0 $2K
2026-04-28 HailHolcomb, Dunklin County 1.75 in hail 0 0 –
2026-04-16 HailKennett, Dunklin County 1.00 in hail 0 0 –
2026-04-01 DroughtDunklin County · forecast zone Dunklin 0 0 –
2026-03-15 Thunderstorm WindGlennonville, Dunklin County 51 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-15 Thunderstorm WindHornersville, Dunklin County 50 kt wind 0 0 $10K
2026-03-15 TornadoClarkton, Dunklin County EF0 2.02 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $125K

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.

The deadliest and costliest records

Records with deaths or injuries in Dunklin County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1973-11-24 TornadoDunklin County F2 3 mi x 33 yd 2 0 $250K step
2015-12-31 FloodWilhelmina, Dunklin County A person drowned when attempting to swim in the St. Francis River while it was flooded. 1 0 –
1981-04-22 TornadoDunklin County F4 1.3 mi x 400 yd 0 26 $25M step
2018-02-24 TornadoWilhelmina, Dunklin County The tornado tracked from Clay County, AR to Dunklin County. Most of the damage was in Malden where a number of homes were damaged. A few homes, trees and power poles were damaged from the St. Francis River to Malden. The path was intermittent. The tornado crossed into New Madrid County and then lifted. Estimated peak ... EF2 12.44 mi x 150 yd 0 5 $2.4M
1984-11-01 Thunderstorm WindDunklin County 0 2 –
1973-04-26 TornadoDunklin County F2 2 mi x 100 yd 0 2 $25K step
1964-03-04 TornadoDunklin County F2 11.5 mi x 100 yd 0 2 $25K step
1985-04-30 Thunderstorm WindDunklin County 0 1 –

A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.

The costliest records in Dunklin County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2009-01-26 Ice StormDunklin County · forecast zone Dunklin 0 0 $34M
2018-02-24 TornadoWilhelmina, Dunklin County EF2 12.44 mi x 150 yd 0 5 $2.4M
2006-04-02 TornadoSenath, Dunklin County F3 14.4 mi x 880 yd 0 0 $2.2M
2018-04-03 TornadoArbyrd, Dunklin County EF1 6.7 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $1.8M
2021-12-10 TornadoHornersville Mem Arp, Dunklin County EF3 11.54 mi x 1,800 yd 0 0 $1.6M
2025-03-14 TornadoOcta, Dunklin County EF1 12.98 mi x 550 yd 0 0 $350K
2020-05-04 Thunderstorm WindCampbell, Dunklin County 87 kt wind 0 0 $342K
2006-09-22 Flash FloodNorth Portion, Dunklin County 0 0 $315K

Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $25M, in the dollars of the day) holds: April 22, 1981 (tornado, Dunklin County).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.

Is it getting more frequent?

Records per decade for Dunklin County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).

Dunklin County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Severe thunderstorm wind48151628594241
Hail052629542231
Heat––––013776
Winter storms––––1183416
Tornadoes83374365
Floods––––514163

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).

What time of year?

Records by month in Dunklin County. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 51 · Feb 46 · Mar 52 · Apr 96 · May 108 · Jun 82 · Jul 109 · Aug 59 · Sep 19 · Oct 13 · Nov 20 · Dec 23 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.

Federal disaster declarations for Dunklin County

FEMA's register lists 22 declarations that include Dunklin County: 16 major disasters, 6 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (13) and flood (3).

Declarations including Dunklin County, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2025-05-21DR-4867Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Wildfires
2025-05-21DR-4872Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2022-01-10DR-4636Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes
2020-07-09DR-4552Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding
2020-03-26DR-4490BiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic
2020-03-13EM-3482BiologicalCovid-19
2019-07-09DR-4451Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2017-06-02DR-4317FloodSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds and Flooding
2016-01-21DR-4250FloodSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding
2016-01-02EM-3374FloodSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding
2011-05-09DR-1980Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2011-02-03EM-3317Severe StormSevere Winter Storm
2009-02-17DR-1822Severe StormSevere Winter Storm
2009-01-30EM-3303Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storm
2008-11-13DR-1809Severe StormSevere Storms, Flooding, and A Tornado
2008-03-19DR-1749Severe StormSevere Storms and Flooding
2007-12-12EM-3281Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storms
2006-04-05DR-1635Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2005-09-10EM-3232HurricaneHurricane Katrina Evacuation
2002-05-06DR-1412Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding
1979-04-21DR-579TornadoTornadoes, Torrential Rain & Flooding
1973-04-19DR-372Severe StormHeavy Rains, Tornadoes & Flooding

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.

How many floods has Dunklin County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 38 flood or flash flood records for Dunklin County from 1997 to 2025, on 36 days, with 1 death. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Dunklin County ranks 1596th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $399,000 on 58 claims filed in Dunklin County; the most in one year was 8 in 2011. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1978: 1 · 1979: 2 · 1980: 1 · 1982: 3 · 1983: 1 · 1984: 1 · 1985: 2 · 1990: 1 · 1992: 1 · 1996: 1 · 1997: 1 · 1998: 4 · 2001: 3 · 2002: 1 · 2003: 2 · 2006: 4 · 2008: 4 · 2010: 1 · 2011: 8 · 2013: 2 · 2014: 2 · 2017: 2 · 2018: 2 · 2019: 1 · 2021: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2025: 4 · 2026: 1; the other years: 0.

Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.

FEMA's modeled risk for Dunklin County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Dunklin County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $30.8 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.

National Risk Index ratings for Dunklin County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
Ice StormRelatively High$1.2M1.2 a year (modeled)
DroughtRelatively High$1.7M13 modeled event-days a year
EarthquakeRelatively Moderate$18Monce in about 75 years (modeled)
Heat WaveRelatively Moderate$2.1M18 modeled event-days a year
Winter WeatherRelatively Moderate$163K7.6 a year (modeled)
TornadoRelatively Moderate$2.1Monce in about 2 years (modeled)
LightningRelatively Moderate$280K58 a year (modeled)
Strong WindRelatively Moderate$494K2 a year (modeled)

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.

Counties that share a border with Dunklin County

  1. Butler County 1,035
  2. Stoddard County 922
  3. Craighead County, AR 898
  4. New Madrid County 772
  5. Mississippi County, AR 758
  6. Dunklin County 678
  7. Greene County, AR 578
  8. Clay County, AR 572
  9. Pemiscot County 497

Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.

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