Jasper County, Missouri

County storm and disaster record · FIPS 29097 · population 122,722 · 639 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 1,283 records for Jasper County, Missouri from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 708 days; the most frequent are severe thunderstorm wind events (456 records). The deadliest single record is the May 22, 2011 tornado: 161 deaths, 1,150 injuries and $3.7 billion in damage in 2025 dollars. FEMA has issued 23 declarations naming the county since 1973, 21 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding” on August 3, 2026.

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
1,283on 708 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
1791,297 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$3.9Bas filed (scale steps before 1993)
Tornadoes
54strongest EF5
FEMA declarations
23latest 2026

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 Jasper County most?

The most frequent records are severe thunderstorm wind events: 456 since 1957. 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.

Jasper County: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Severe thunderstorm wind 456 277 1957-2026 0 10 $11M 5 of 114
Hail 341 199 1955-2026 0 1 $3.7M 7 of 114
Floods 242 155 1996-2026 3 0 $4.8M 6 of 114
Winter storms 59 58 1996-2026 2 25 $8.2M 55 of 114
Tornadoes 54 46 1951-2026 166 1,258 $3.8B 5 of 114
Drought 38 38 1999-2026 0 0 $71M 16 of 114
Heavy rain 32 15 2009-2025 0 0 – 17 of 114
Lightning 18 18 1996-2023 2 3 $1.6M 2 of 114
High wind and dust storms 17 13 1996-2025 0 0 $135K 15 of 114
Heat 12 12 1999-2022 6 0 $425K 80 of 114
Extreme cold 10 10 2000-2025 0 0 $9.7M 57 of 114
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds 3 2 2011-2015 0 0 – 32 of 114
Wildfires 1 1 2006-2006 0 0 – 34 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 Jasper County had?

NOAA records 54 tornadoes in Jasper County from 1951 to 2026, the strongest rated EF5, with 166 deaths and 1,258 injuries recorded in the county. That is 5th of 114 Missouri counties and 167th 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 52 tornadoes whose track touched Jasper County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 54: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 169 people, 166 of them in Jasper County.

The deadliest and strongest tornadoes that touched Jasper County, whole tracks
DateTornadoRatingPathKilled
2011-05-22 16:34, as SPC files itJoplinEF521.62 mi158
2003-05-04 16:45, as SPC files itCrestlineCrossed KS, MOF325 mi5
2019-05-22 19:51, as SPC files itJasper to GoldenEF311.29 mi3
1976-03-26 16:00, as SPC files itSarcoxieF329.1 mi1
1971-05-05 17:55, as SPC files itJoplinF313.1 mi1
2008-05-10 17:08, as SPC files itAvillaEF13.02 mi1
1956-04-03 00:10, as SPC files itMiamiCrossed KS, MO, OKF441.8 mi0
2019-05-22 19:05, as SPC files itCarl Junction to OronogoCrossed KS, MOEF39.22 mi0
1982-03-15 20:45, as SPC files itOpolisCrossed KS, MOF39 mi0

Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Missouri.

Every tornado record filed for Jasper County (54)
Every tornado recorded in Jasper County, newest first
DatePlaceCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-13 Fidelity, Jasper County EF1 1.23 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $80K
2026-04-23 Chitwood, Jasper County EF1 1.1 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $250K
2025-04-20 Belleville, Jasper County EF1 17.83 mi x 250 yd 0 0 $500K
2024-05-06 Joplin, Jasper County EF1 4.49 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $151K
2024-05-06 Morgan Hgts, Jasper County EF1 2.03 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $47K
2024-05-02 Joplin Municipal Arp, Jasper County EF1 0.77 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $28K
2021-10-11 Dudenville, Jasper County EF0 2.11 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $87K
2019-05-22 Jasper County EF3 4.03 mi x 880 yd 0 0 $317K
2019-05-22 Belle Center, Jasper County EF3 8.77 mi x 440 yd 0 0 $6.1M
2019-05-22 Oronogo, Jasper County EF0 7.88 mi x 200 yd 0 0 –
2019-05-20 Dudenville, Jasper County EFU 0.24 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
2015-04-02 Prosperity, Jasper County EF0 0.12 mi x 75 yd 0 0 $12K
2013-05-19 Carthage, Jasper County EF1 0.5 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $253K
2011-05-22 Central City, Jasper County EF5 8.8 mi x 1,600 yd 161 1,150 $3.7B
2008-05-10 Kendricktown, Jasper County EF1 3.02 mi x 440 yd 1 10 $1.4M
2006-04-06 Waco, Jasper County F1 4 mi x 250 yd 0 0 $146K
2005-11-27 Dudenville, Jasper County F0 0 0 –
2004-06-12 Carl Jct, Jasper County F0 0.1 mi x 25 yd 0 0 –
2003-05-04 Joplin Municipal Airport, Jasper County F0 0.2 mi x 20 yd 0 0 –
2003-05-04 Carl Jct, Jasper County F3 5 mi x 880 yd 2 15 $34M
2002-12-18 Jasper County F1 1.5 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $82K
1999-06-28 Joplin, Jasper County F1 0.2 mi x 40 yd 0 0 $390K
1996-04-28 Joplin, Jasper County F1 0.1 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $1.9M
1996-04-28 Joplin, Jasper County F1 2.5 mi x 200 yd 0 12 $23M
1994-04-09 Carterville, Jasper County F0 0.25 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $995
1993-10-08 Jasper County F2 7 mi x 200 yd 0 0 $1.0M
1993-10-08 Joplin To, Jasper County F2 6 mi x 220 yd 0 0 $10M
1991-06-22 Jasper County F0 0.5 mi x 30 yd 0 0 –
1991-04-26 Jasper County F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd 0 0 –
1990-03-14 Jasper County F1 0.5 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $25K step
1988-11-15 Jasper County F1 1 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $25K step
1986-04-07 Jasper County F1 0.7 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $250 step
1986-04-07 Jasper County F1 0.5 mi x 50 yd 0 0 –
1982-03-15 Jasper County F3 8 mi x 150 yd 0 0 $250K step
1976-03-26 Jasper County F3 4.3 mi x 40 yd 1 1 $250K step
1974-06-08 Jasper County F0 0 0 $25K step
1973-09-27 Jasper County F1 0 0 –
1973-04-21 Jasper County F2 5 mi x 100 yd 0 2 $25K step
1971-06-02 Jasper County F0 0.5 mi x 17 yd 0 1 $250 step
1971-05-05 Jasper County F3 13.1 mi x 70 yd 1 60 $2.5M step
1971-02-04 Jasper County F1 0.2 mi x 17 yd 0 0 $25K step
1968-05-15 Jasper County F1 2.5 mi x 50 yd 0 3 $25K step
1965-04-05 Jasper County F1 1.5 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $25K step
1964-07-26 Jasper County F1 0.2 mi x 17 yd 0 0 $25K step
1962-07-05 Jasper County F0 0.2 mi x 10 yd 0 0 $250 step
1961-04-25 Jasper County F2 9 mi x 250 yd 0 0 $25K step
1959-06-11 Jasper County F1 1 mi x 30 yd 0 0 $25K step
1959-02-09 Jasper County F1 1.3 mi x 800 yd 0 1 $25K step
1959-02-09 Jasper County F1 3 mi x 800 yd 0 0 $25K step
1958-09-16 Jasper County F1 0.5 mi x 100 yd 0 0 $3K step
1956-04-03 Jasper County F4 12.2 mi x 50 yd 0 2 $250K step
1955-05-26 Jasper County F1 2.7 mi x 50 yd 0 0 $30 step
1954-03-24 Jasper County F1 0.5 mi x 17 yd 0 0 $3K step
1951-07-04 Jasper County F2 0.1 mi x 100 yd 0 1 $250K 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 Jasper County?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the June 13, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($20,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

The 12 most recent records kept for Jasper County
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-25 Flash FloodCarl Jct, Jasper County 0 0 –
2026-06-25 HailJoplin, Jasper County 1.00 in hail 0 0 –
2026-06-14 FloodJasper County 0 0 –
2026-06-13 FloodGulfton, Jasper County 0 0 –
2026-06-13 Thunderstorm WindJoplin, Jasper County 61 kt wind 0 0 $20K
2026-06-13 Thunderstorm WindAtlas, Jasper County 52 kt wind 0 0 $5K
2026-06-13 Flash FloodJoplin, Jasper County 0 0 –
2026-06-13 Thunderstorm WindFidelity, Jasper County 52 kt wind 0 0 $2K
2026-06-13 Thunderstorm WindAtlas, Jasper County 52 kt wind 0 0 $5K
2026-06-13 Thunderstorm WindAtlas, Jasper County 52 kt wind 0 0 $5K
2026-06-13 Thunderstorm WindOronogo, Jasper County 54 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-06-13 Thunderstorm WindProsperity, Jasper County 52 kt wind 0 0 $2K

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 Jasper County, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2011-05-22 TornadoCentral City, Jasper County National Weather Service survey teams rated the tornado that tracked across the southwest through east central portion of Joplin, Missouri, as an EF5 tornado. Maximum winds were estimated to have exceeded 200 miles per hour. The tornado had a maximum width of one mile and an overall path length of nearly 21.6 miles, ... EF5 8.8 mi x 1,600 yd 161 1,150 $3.7B
1999-07-23 HeatJasper County · forecast zone Jasper A prolonged period of excessive heat occurred in central, southwest, and south central Missouri. Afternoon high temperatures during this period averaged 95 degrees or higher with heat index values of 105 to 115 degrees. Six deaths were attributed to the heat: Three in Jasper County and one each in Greene, McDonald, ... 3 0 –
2003-05-04 TornadoCarl Jct, Jasper County This tornado is a continuation of the Cherokee County, Kansas tornado. This feature crossed the Kansas-Missouri state line near the community of Smithfield, and then wreaked havoc through the center of Carl Junction. Around 112 homes and outbuildings were destroyed while 487 were damaged. The tornado claimed the lives ... F3 5 mi x 880 yd 2 15 $34M
1971-05-05 TornadoJasper County F3 13.1 mi x 70 yd 1 60 $2.5M step
2008-05-10 TornadoKendricktown, Jasper County A National Weather Service storm survey revealed that an EF-1 tornado impacted rural areas east of Carthage. One fatality occurred from a large tree falling on a mobile home. A 17 year old female was struck by the tree when taking cover. Five other homes had moderate damage while numerous trees were snapped and ... EF1 3.02 mi x 440 yd 1 10 $1.4M
2016-12-16 Winter WeatherJasper County · forecast zone Jasper Numerous car accidents were reported across the county due to slick road conditions from light freezing drizzle. There was one indirect fatality and several indirect injuries due to accidents on slick roads around the county. A driver slid off the road and died about 2 miles north of Carthage on I-49. 1 2 $123K
2011-05-23 LightningJoplin, Jasper County Emergency management officials relayed to the NWS that two law enforcement officers were struck by lightning while aiding in the recovery efforts from the EF-5 tornado in Joplin. Both officers were injured and taken to the hospital. One of the officers later died on June 2nd at the hospital from injuries he suffered ... 1 1 –
1976-03-26 TornadoJasper County F3 4.3 mi x 40 yd 1 1 $250K 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.

The costliest records in Jasper County since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2011-05-22 TornadoCentral City, Jasper County EF5 8.8 mi x 1,600 yd 161 1,150 $3.7B
2012-08-01 DroughtJasper County · forecast zone Jasper 0 0 $41M
2003-05-04 TornadoCarl Jct, Jasper County F3 5 mi x 880 yd 2 15 $34M
1996-04-28 TornadoJoplin, Jasper County F1 2.5 mi x 200 yd 0 12 $23M
1993-10-08 TornadoJoplin To, Jasper County F2 6 mi x 220 yd 0 0 $10M
2007-04-07 Frost/FreezeJasper County · forecast zone Jasper 0 0 $9.7M
2023-02-01 DroughtJasper County · forecast zone Jasper 0 0 $6.5M
2019-05-22 TornadoBelle Center, Jasper County EF3 8.77 mi x 440 yd 0 0 $6.1M

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 $2.5M, in the dollars of the day) holds: May 5, 1971 (tornado, Jasper County, 1 killed).

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 Jasper 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).

Jasper County: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Severe thunderstorm wind610332265101103116
Hail11221204310510237
Floods––––17659169
Winter storms––––5161325
Tornadoes85749777
Drought––––161318

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 Jasper County. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 34 · Feb 44 · Mar 133 · Apr 227 · May 289 · Jun 181 · Jul 122 · Aug 82 · Sep 52 · Oct 38 · Nov 43 · Dec 38 (records).

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

Federal disaster declarations for Jasper County

FEMA's register lists 23 declarations that include Jasper County: 17 major disasters, 6 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (11) and flood (5).

Declarations including Jasper County, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2026-08-03DR-4929Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, 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
2009-06-19DR-1847Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2009-01-30EM-3303Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storm
2008-05-23DR-1760Severe StormSevere Storms and Tornadoes
2008-03-19DR-1749Severe StormSevere Storms and Flooding
2007-12-27DR-1736Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storms
2007-12-12EM-3281Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storms
2007-01-15DR-1676Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Storms and Flooding
2005-09-10EM-3232HurricaneHurricane Katrina Evacuation
2003-05-06DR-1463Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding
2002-05-06DR-1412Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding
1995-06-02DR-1054Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Hail, Flooding
1993-07-09DR-995FloodSevere Storms & Flooding
1976-07-21DR-516FloodSevere Storms & 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 Jasper County had?

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 242 flood or flash flood records for Jasper County from 1996 to 2026, on 155 days, with 3 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Jasper County ranks 1019th of 2,942 U.S. counties.

The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $2.9 million on 175 claims filed in Jasper County; the most in one year was 21 in 2019. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.

The values, year by year

1978: 1 · 1980: 4 · 1981: 1 · 1983: 2 · 1984: 1 · 1985: 1 · 1986: 4 · 1987: 7 · 1988: 9 · 1993: 15 · 1994: 1 · 1995: 9 · 1998: 9 · 1999: 3 · 2001: 1 · 2002: 1 · 2004: 1 · 2005: 1 · 2007: 12 · 2008: 11 · 2009: 2 · 2013: 7 · 2015: 18 · 2016: 2 · 2017: 19 · 2019: 21 · 2021: 10 · 2024: 2; 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 Jasper County

FEMA's National Risk Index rates Jasper County Relatively Moderate overall, with an expected annual loss of $58.5 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 Jasper County (December 2025 release), by FEMA's rating, then score
HazardRisk ratingExpected annual lossModeled frequency
Ice StormVery High$2.3M1.1 a year (modeled)
TornadoRelatively High$13Monce in about 2 years (modeled)
DroughtRelatively High$2.0M12 modeled event-days a year
LightningRelatively High$1.1M56 a year (modeled)
Strong WindRelatively High$1.9M6 a year (modeled)
Winter WeatherRelatively High$339K10 a year (modeled)
Heat WaveRelatively Moderate$5.4M16 modeled event-days a year
HailRelatively Moderate$1.9M7.5 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 Jasper County

  1. Jasper County 1,283
  2. Newton County 1,055
  3. Lawrence County 897
  4. Cherokee County, KS 874
  5. Crawford County, KS 790
  6. Barton County 730
  7. Dade County 549

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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