Ozark County, Missouri
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 29153 · population 8,514 · 745 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 820 records for Ozark County, Missouri from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 481 days; the most frequent are floods and flash floods (289 records). The deadliest single record is the March 14, 2025 tornado: 3 deaths, 4 injuries and $2.0 million in damage in 2025 dollars. FEMA has issued 27 declarations naming the county since 1973, 25 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storms and Flooding” on July 22, 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
- 820on 481 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 711 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $119Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 36strongest F4
- FEMA declarations
- 27latest 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 Ozark County most?
The most frequent records are floods and flash floods: 289 since 1996. 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.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floods | 289 | 170 | 1996-2026 | 1 | 0 | $17M | 10 of 114 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 201 | 142 | 1970-2025 | 1 | 0 | $6.4M | 49 of 114 |
| Hail | 188 | 108 | 1960-2026 | 0 | 0 | $214K | 67 of 114 |
| Winter storms | 43 | 42 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $393K | 104 of 114 |
| Tornadoes | 36 | 31 | 1955-2025 | 3 | 11 | $93M | 35 of 114 |
| Drought | 21 | 21 | 1999-2026 | 0 | 0 | $1.1M | 73 of 114 |
| Heavy rain | 13 | 11 | 2004-2025 | 0 | 0 | – | 30 of 114 |
| Heat | 9 | 9 | 1999-2012 | 2 | 0 | – | 104 of 114 |
| Extreme cold | 8 | 8 | 2000-2025 | 0 | 0 | $57K | 89 of 114 |
| Wildfires | 5 | 3 | 2011-2025 | 0 | 0 | $656K | 14 of 114 |
| High wind and dust storms | 3 | 3 | 2001-2025 | 0 | 0 | $21K | 94 of 114 |
| Lightning | 3 | 3 | 2000-2018 | 0 | 0 | $367K | 35 of 114 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 1 | 1 | 2013-2013 | 0 | 0 | – | 60 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 Ozark County had?
NOAA records 36 tornadoes in Ozark County from 1955 to 2025, the strongest rated F4, with 3 deaths and 11 injuries recorded in the county. That is 35th of 114 Missouri 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 35 tornadoes whose track touched Ozark County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 36: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 7 people, 3 of them in Ozark County.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-03-14 19:34, as SPC files it | BakersfieldCrossed AR, MO | EF3 | 35.52 mi | 3 |
| 1982-04-02 18:15, as SPC files it | West Plains | F4 | 20 mi | 2 |
| 2007-03-01 06:24, as SPC files it | West Plains | EF3 | 15 mi | 1 |
| 1961-03-12 19:00, as SPC files it | West Plains | F2 | 21.1 mi | 1 |
| 1961-05-07 02:15, as SPC files it | Mountain HomeCrossed AR, MO | F3 | 43.8 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Missouri.
Every tornado record filed for Ozark County (36)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-03-14 | Dawt, Ozark County | EF3 3.34 mi x 1,200 yd | 3 | 4 | $2.0M |
| 2024-05-26 | Willholt, Ozark County | EF0 4.86 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $5K |
| 2019-10-21 | Trail, Ozark County | EF1 6.23 mi x 450 yd | 0 | 0 | $115K |
| 2019-04-30 | Ocie, Ozark County | EF1 3.68 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $29K |
| 2015-05-24 | Lutie, Ozark County | EF1 4.66 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $93K |
| 2010-04-30 | Pontiac, Ozark County | EF1 14.62 mi x 440 yd | 0 | 0 | $14K |
| 2010-04-30 | Lawndale, Ozark County | EF1 11.05 mi x 1,320 yd | 0 | 0 | $1.2M |
| 2010-04-30 | Hardenville, Ozark County | EF0 0.82 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2010-04-30 | Hardenville, Ozark County | EF1 3.72 mi x 440 yd | 0 | 0 | $108K |
| 2009-05-08 | Toledo, Ozark County | EF1 1.65 mi x 440 yd | 0 | 0 | $275K |
| 2008-03-31 | Willholt, Ozark County | EF0 0.18 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2007-12-02 | Willholt, Ozark County | EF0 0.4 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2007-03-01 | Bakersfield, Ozark County | EF1 1 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $14K |
| 2005-11-27 | Bakersfield, Ozark County | F1 1 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2005-01-12 | Tecumseh, Ozark County | F0 1 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $76K |
| 2003-05-05 | Bakersfield, Ozark County | F0 0.2 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2002-08-12 | Wasola, Ozark County | F1 8 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $82K |
| 1994-04-27 | Gainesville, Ozark County | F0 0.2 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $100 |
| 1993-03-30 | Gainesville, Ozark County | F0 0.5 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | $102K |
| 1984-10-16 | Ozark County | F1 0.5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1983-03-26 | Ozark County | F0 0.5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $250 step |
| 1982-12-24 | Ozark County | F2 3 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 2 | $250K step |
| 1982-12-02 | Ozark County | F1 1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $250 step |
| 1982-04-02 | Ozark County | F4 6 mi x 500 yd | 0 | 0 | $25M step |
| 1979-04-11 | Ozark County | 0 | 2 | $250K step | |
| 1977-03-11 | Ozark County | F1 7.3 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 2 | $25K step |
| 1973-05-07 | Ozark County | F1 5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1968-07-09 | Ozark County | F0 0.3 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $30 step |
| 1967-12-20 | Ozark County | F1 6.4 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1964-06-17 | Ozark County | F1 0.2 mi x 17 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1961-05-07 | Ozark County | F3 8 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 1 | $250K step |
| 1961-05-07 | Ozark County | F3 3.6 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1961-03-12 | Ozark County | F1 2.8 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1961-03-12 | Ozark County | F2 1.3 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1959-05-09 | Ozark County | F0 0.2 mi x 17 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1955-07-05 | Ozark County | F0 0.2 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $30 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 Ozark County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the November 1, 2025 drought ($5,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-27 | FloodLawndale, Ozark County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-27 | FloodSycamore, Ozark County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-27 | FloodRockbridge, Ozark County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-28 | FloodRockbridge, Ozark County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-27 | HailTecumseh, Ozark County | 1.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-27 | HailTecumseh, Ozark County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-01 | DroughtOzark County · forecast zone Ozark | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-07 | FloodMammoth, Ozark County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-07 | FloodRockbridge, Ozark County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-05 | FloodLawndale, Ozark County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-05 | FloodRockbridge, Ozark County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-01 | DroughtOzark County · forecast zone Ozark | 0 | 0 | – |
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
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-03-14 | TornadoDawt, Ozark County This is the continued path of the tornado that came out of Baxter County Arkansas. An EF-3 tornado with peak winds of 145 mph moved through Bakersfield, Missouri resulting in three fatalities and four injuries. In Ozark County, the tornado destroyed several homes and damaged dozens of other homes. Multiple cars were ... | EF3 3.34 mi x 1,200 yd | 3 | 4 | $2.0M |
| 1999-08-01 | HeatOzark County · forecast zone Ozark Periodic excessive heat continued from July into early and mid August with temperatures exceeding 95 deg F on 8 (non consecutive) days. Daytime heat index values frequently reached 100 deg F or greater. Two deaths were attributed to the heat in Ozark County on the 4th and 10th. | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-09-22 | Thunderstorm WindElijah, Ozark County A thunderstorm with a wet microburst created very localized winds estimated at 40 to 50 mph. These winds overturned a camper at a campground in eastern Ozark County. Adjacent campers were not affected by these winds. | 40 kt wind | 1 | 0 | $9K |
| 2011-04-23 | Flash FloodMammoth, Ozark County A vehicle driven by a 54 year old male was swept off County Road 528 along Lick Creek. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1982-12-24 | TornadoOzark County | F2 3 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 2 | $250K step |
| 1979-04-11 | TornadoOzark County | 0 | 2 | $250K step | |
| 1977-03-11 | TornadoOzark County | F1 7.3 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 2 | $25K step |
| 1961-05-07 | TornadoOzark County | F3 8 mi x 300 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.
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-11-04 | Flash FloodRockbridge, Ozark County | 0 | 0 | $5.6M | |
| 2011-04-25 | Flash FloodGainesville, Ozark County | 0 | 0 | $5.2M | |
| 2010-04-30 | TornadoLawndale, Ozark County | EF1 11.05 mi x 1,320 yd | 0 | 0 | $1.2M |
| 1993-08-01 | Thunderstorm WindPontiac, Ozark County | 0 | 0 | $1.0M | |
| 2011-03-23 | WildfireOzark County · forecast zone Ozark | 0 | 0 | $656K | |
| 2015-12-28 | Flash FloodHowards Ridge, Ozark County | 0 | 0 | $623K | |
| 2012-07-19 | Thunderstorm WindMammoth, Ozark County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $257K |
| 2019-10-21 | TornadoTrail, Ozark County | EF1 6.23 mi x 450 yd | 0 | 0 | $115K |
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 2, 1982 (tornado, Ozark 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 Ozark 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).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 13 | 54 | 90 | 132 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 0 | 4 | 8 | 23 | 69 | 64 | 33 |
| Hail | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 41 | 75 | 44 | 20 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 4 | 15 | 9 | 15 |
| Tornadoes | 2 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 8 | 7 | 2 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 1 | 3 | 6 | 11 |
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 Ozark County. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 38 · Feb 49 · Mar 116 · Apr 140 · May 126 · Jun 69 · Jul 66 · Aug 65 · Sep 35 · Oct 44 · Nov 36 · Dec 36 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Ozark County
FEMA's register lists 27 declarations that include Ozark County: 20 major disasters, 7 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (16) and flood (4).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-07-22 | DR-4885 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2025-05-21 | DR-4867 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Wildfires |
| 2025-05-21 | DR-4872 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2025-01-01 | DR-4855 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding |
| 2023-09-21 | DR-4741 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2020-03-26 | DR-4490 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3482 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2019-07-09 | DR-4451 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2017-06-02 | DR-4317 | Flood | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds and Flooding |
| 2016-01-21 | DR-4250 | Flood | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding |
| 2016-01-02 | EM-3374 | Flood | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding |
| 2015-08-07 | DR-4238 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding |
| 2013-09-06 | DR-4144 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds and Flooding |
| 2011-05-09 | DR-1980 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2011-02-03 | EM-3317 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2009-06-19 | DR-1847 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2009-02-17 | DR-1822 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2009-01-30 | EM-3303 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2008-11-13 | DR-1809 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, and A Tornado |
| 2008-03-19 | DR-1749 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2008-03-12 | DR-1748 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storms and Flooding |
| 2007-12-12 | EM-3281 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storms |
| 2005-09-10 | EM-3232 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2002-05-06 | DR-1412 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding |
| 1993-07-09 | DR-995 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1976-09-24 | EM-3017 | Drought | Drought |
| 1973-04-19 | DR-372 | Severe Storm | Heavy 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 Ozark County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 289 flood or flash flood records for Ozark County from 1996 to 2026, on 170 days, with 1 death. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Ozark County ranks 2523rd of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $335,000 on 6 claims filed in Ozark County; the most in one year was 4 in 2017. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1985: 1 · 2011: 1 · 2017: 4; 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 Ozark County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Ozark County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $6.7 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.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Storm | Relatively High | $292K | 1.9 a year (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | $1.2M | 13 modeled event-days a year |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | $377K | 4.1 a year (modeled) |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | $8K | 2.1 a year (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | $353K | once in about 270 years (modeled) |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | $783K | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | $3.1M | 5.2 a year (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | $29K | 9.8 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 Ozark County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Tornadoes in MissouriEvery Missouri tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- Floods in MissouriThe state's floods and flash floods, by county, year and month
- The Missouri recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Ozark CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Ozark County's FEMA declarations (CSV)27 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis