Phelps County, Missouri
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 29161 · population 44,560 · 672 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 678 records for Phelps County, Missouri from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 392 days; the most frequent are hail reports (203 records). The deadliest single record is the December 31, 2010 tornado: 2 deaths, 6 injuries and $1.4 million in damage in 2025 dollars. FEMA has issued 25 declarations naming the county since 1976, 23 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 392 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 319 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $55Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 35strongest EF3
- FEMA declarations
- 25latest 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 Phelps County most?
The most frequent records are hail reports: 203 since 1955. 51% of its hail reports since 1955 fell in April and May. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 203 | 109 | 1955-2026 | 0 | 0 | $75K | 53 of 114 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 178 | 127 | 1961-2026 | 0 | 0 | $2.5M | 53 of 114 |
| Floods | 119 | 85 | 1997-2026 | 0 | 1 | $8.6M | 45 of 114 |
| Winter storms | 54 | 53 | 1996-2026 | 1 | 7 | $7.8M | 76 of 114 |
| Tornadoes | 35 | 25 | 1951-2025 | 2 | 11 | $27M | 44 of 114 |
| Heavy rain | 32 | 13 | 2009-2024 | 0 | 0 | – | 23 of 114 |
| Drought | 23 | 23 | 1999-2026 | 0 | 0 | $1.3M | 59 of 114 |
| Extreme cold | 9 | 9 | 2000-2025 | 0 | 0 | $7.3M | 75 of 114 |
| Heat | 9 | 9 | 1999-2012 | 0 | 0 | – | 99 of 114 |
| Lightning | 5 | 5 | 2001-2016 | 0 | 0 | $372K | 19 of 114 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 5 | 3 | 2009-2011 | 0 | 0 | – | 22 of 114 |
| High wind and dust storms | 4 | 3 | 2001-2025 | 0 | 0 | $6K | 88 of 114 |
| Wildfires | 2 | 2 | 2000-2022 | 0 | 0 | $17K | 22 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 Phelps County had?
NOAA records 35 tornadoes in Phelps County from 1951 to 2025, the strongest rated EF3, with 2 deaths and 11 injuries recorded in the county. That is 44th 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 34 tornadoes whose track touched Phelps County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 35: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 4 people, 2 of them in Phelps County.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-12-31 10:06, as SPC files it | Rolla | EF3 | 11 mi | 2 |
| 2010-12-31 10:12, as SPC files it | Unnamed | EF1 | 6.78 mi | 2 |
| 2008-01-07 20:09, as SPC files it | Doolittle | EF3 | 4.67 mi | 0 |
| 1999-06-01 17:20, as SPC files it | St. James | F3 | 7 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Missouri.
Every tornado record filed for Phelps County (35)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-03-14 | Rolla Downtown Airport, Phelps County | EF2 10.3 mi x 500 yd | 0 | 1 | $2.5M |
| 2025-03-14 | Flat, Phelps County | EF1 10.24 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K |
| 2024-05-07 | Sugartree, Phelps County | EF0 0.48 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | $941 |
| 2024-04-01 | St James, Phelps County | EF0 0.26 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $24K |
| 2022-05-19 | Vida, Phelps County | EF1 0.97 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022-05-19 | Duke, Phelps County | EF1 2.96 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $40K |
| 2019-05-21 | Freemans Store, Phelps County | EF1 5.87 mi x 800 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2019-04-30 | Beulah, Phelps County | EF0 0.4 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2019-04-30 | Craddock, Phelps County | EF0 5.08 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2019-04-30 | Sugartree, Phelps County | EF0 0.59 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $29K |
| 2012-02-29 | Seaton, Phelps County | EF1 5 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2012-02-29 | Edgar Spgs, Phelps County | EF1 4 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2010-12-31 | Seaton, Phelps County | EF1 5.55 mi x 440 yd | 0 | 0 | $68K |
| 2010-12-31 | Rolla Downtown Airport, Phelps County | EF3 11 mi x 500 yd | 2 | 6 | $1.4M |
| 2008-01-07 | Doolittle, Phelps County | EF1 3.77 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $7K |
| 2008-01-07 | Powellville, Phelps County | EF3 4.67 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 0 | $151K |
| 2007-08-24 | Dillon, Phelps County | EF0 1 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $14K |
| 2006-09-22 | St James, Phelps County | F1 8 mi x 350 yd | 0 | 2 | $2.2M |
| 2006-03-11 | Vida, Phelps County | F0 3 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2003-05-06 | Rolla, Phelps County | F0 0.2 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2003-05-04 | Rolla, Phelps County | F0 0.2 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1999-06-01 | Edgar Spgs, Phelps County | F2 1 mi x 250 yd | 0 | 0 | $310K |
| 1999-06-01 | Flat, Phelps County | F1 5 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 0 | $177K |
| 1999-06-01 | St James, Phelps County | F3 7 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $6.2M |
| 1982-12-02 | Phelps County | F1 0.3 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $250 step |
| 1982-12-02 | Phelps County | F1 0.3 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1978-05-12 | Phelps County | F2 5.6 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $2.5M step |
| 1973-06-04 | Phelps County | F2 0.3 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 1 | $250K step |
| 1969-08-20 | Phelps County | F1 0.1 mi x 17 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1967-07-28 | Phelps County | F1 0.2 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1966-12-08 | Phelps County | F2 0.2 mi x 17 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1966-05-11 | Phelps County | F0 0.1 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $30 step |
| 1966-04-27 | Phelps County | F1 0.5 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1960-11-15 | Phelps County | F1 1.9 mi x 17 yd | 0 | 1 | $25K step |
| 1951-06-08 | Phelps County | F1 | 0 | 0 | $3K 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 Phelps County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the March 15, 2026 thunderstorm wind ($1,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-26 | Flash FloodDillon, Phelps County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-26 | Flash FloodDillon, Phelps County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-27 | Thunderstorm WindVilean, Phelps County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-27 | Thunderstorm WindVilean, Phelps County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-27 | Flash FloodRolla, Phelps County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-27 | HailRolla, Phelps County | 1.25 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-27 | HailDillon, Phelps County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-27 | HailRolla, Phelps County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-15 | Thunderstorm WindNorthwye, Phelps County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-15 | Thunderstorm WindRolla, Phelps County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-15 | Thunderstorm WindRolla, Phelps County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-15 | Thunderstorm WindSt James, Phelps County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-12-31 | TornadoRolla Downtown Airport, Phelps County A NWS survey team determined that an EF-3 tornado occurred north of Rolla. The heaviest damage occurred between state Highway E and County Road 8040. Two single wide mobile homes were completely destroyed with debris thrown upstream while the frames were detached. Two fatalities occurred in one of these homes. A two ... | EF3 11 mi x 500 yd | 2 | 6 | $1.4M |
| 2011-02-01 | BlizzardPhelps County · forecast zone Phelps A major winter storm produced heavy snow and blizzard conditions at times across southwest Missouri. Heavy snow accumulations of 2 to 6 inches were observed. Significant accumulations of sleet preceded the snow with accumulations up to 3 inches. Freezing rain accumulated up to one tenth of an inch. Northwest winds of ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2022-02-17 | Winter WeatherPhelps County · forecast zone Phelps A mixture of freezing rain, sleet and snow changed over to all snow during the early morning hours of February 17th. The Cooperative Observer in Rolla reported 0.4 inches of sleet and snow along with a glaze of ice. Roads were snow and ice covered and hazardous, especially across the northern sections of the county. ... | 0 | 2 | – | |
| 2019-02-15 | Winter WeatherPhelps County · forecast zone Phelps Widespread 3 to 5 inch snow amounts were reported across Phelps County. 3.3 inches was measured in Rolla by fire rescue and 4.0 inches was reported by the public 4 miles north of Rolla and a measured 5 inches 7 miles south of Newburg. In addition, several accidents were reported with minor injuries. | 0 | 2 | – | |
| 2006-09-22 | TornadoSt James, Phelps County A National Weather Service storm survey revealed that a tornado tracked across a section of northeast Phelps County, and through the community of St. James. Several structures were heavily damaged including a Walmart distribution center, the Manchester Packing Plant, and the St. James Middle School. The tornado ... | F1 8 mi x 350 yd | 0 | 2 | $2.2M |
| 2025-03-14 | TornadoRolla Downtown Airport, Phelps County An EF-2 tornado moved through Phelps County, including the city of Rolla. The tornado started in the Mark Twain National Forest approximately 7 miles southeast of Newburg, MO with damage diminishing to the north of Dillion, MO. The tornado caused an intermittent path of damaged and uprooted trees before causing damage ... | EF2 10.3 mi x 500 yd | 0 | 1 | $2.5M |
| 2023-01-24 | Winter StormPhelps County · forecast zone Phelps Precipitation started as rain during the afternoon of January 24th before changing over to snow during the late afternoon, with the snow then continuing into the morning of January 25th. Widespread snow amounts between 3 and around 6 inches fell across the county. A COOP observer report of a measured storm total of ... | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 2022-02-23 | Winter StormPhelps County · forecast zone Phelps Two rounds of wintry precipitation fell across the county. The first round began around midday February 23, which was mainly sleet and a little snow and the second round fell during the morning hours of February 24 and was sleet and snow. Thunder was reported with the second round, which produced brief, but heavy ... | 0 | 1 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-04-07 | Frost/FreezePhelps County · forecast zone Phelps | 0 | 0 | $6.2M | |
| 1999-06-01 | TornadoSt James, Phelps County | F3 7 mi x 300 yd | 0 | 0 | $6.2M |
| 2015-12-26 | Flash FloodFlat, Phelps County | 0 | 0 | $3.1M | |
| 2025-03-14 | TornadoRolla Downtown Airport, Phelps County | EF2 10.3 mi x 500 yd | 0 | 1 | $2.5M |
| 2006-09-22 | TornadoSt James, Phelps County | F1 8 mi x 350 yd | 0 | 2 | $2.2M |
| 2024-11-05 | FloodBeulah, Phelps County | 0 | 0 | $1.9M | |
| 1993-04-24 | Thunderstorm WindEdgar Springs, Phelps County | 0 | 0 | $1.0M | |
| 2013-08-07 | Flash FloodNewburg, Phelps County | 0 | 0 | $950K |
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 12, 1978 (tornado, Phelps 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 Phelps 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 4 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 22 | 73 | 50 | 39 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 2 | 8 | 11 | 20 | 49 | 46 | 42 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 4 | 42 | 43 | 30 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 5 | 16 | 10 | 23 |
| Tornadoes | 1 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 8 | 6 |
| Heavy rain | – | – | – | – | 0 | 1 | 20 | 11 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
51% of its hail reports since 1955 fell in April and May. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 36 · Feb 36 · Mar 80 · Apr 94 · May 123 · Jun 64 · Jul 50 · Aug 79 · Sep 32 · Oct 26 · Nov 31 · Dec 27 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Phelps County
FEMA's register lists 25 declarations that include Phelps County: 18 major disasters, 7 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (13) and flood (5).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-05-21 | DR-4867 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Wildfires |
| 2025-01-01 | DR-4855 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding |
| 2020-03-26 | DR-4490 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3482 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 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 |
| 2009-01-30 | EM-3303 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2008-03-19 | DR-1749 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2008-02-05 | DR-1742 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2007-12-12 | EM-3281 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storms |
| 2007-01-15 | DR-1676 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storms and Flooding |
| 2006-03-16 | DR-1631 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding |
| 2005-09-10 | EM-3232 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2003-05-06 | DR-1463 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2002-05-06 | DR-1412 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding |
| 1994-04-21 | DR-1023 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Flooding |
| 1993-07-09 | DR-995 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1982-12-10 | DR-672 | Flood | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 1976-09-24 | EM-3017 | Drought | Drought |
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 Phelps County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 119 flood or flash flood records for Phelps County from 1997 to 2026, on 85 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Phelps County ranks 738th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $11.6 million on 305 claims filed in Phelps County; the most in one year was 41 in 2008. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1979: 1 · 1981: 3 · 1982: 1 · 1984: 1 · 1985: 15 · 1986: 1 · 1990: 1 · 1991: 5 · 1993: 29 · 1994: 2 · 1996: 1 · 1997: 15 · 1998: 33 · 2002: 13 · 2003: 7 · 2007: 1 · 2008: 41 · 2009: 7 · 2010: 1 · 2011: 12 · 2013: 39 · 2015: 38 · 2016: 1 · 2017: 29 · 2019: 1 · 2024: 7; 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 Phelps County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Phelps County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $18.7 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 | $716K | 1 a year (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | $3.2M | 12 modeled event-days a year |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | $3.3M | 2.4 a year (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | $190K | 12 a year (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | $348K | 54 a year (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | $759K | 3.4 a year (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | $1.6M | once in about 322 years (modeled) |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | $6K | 1 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 Phelps 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
- Hail in MissouriThe state's hail reports, 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 Phelps CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Phelps County's FEMA declarations (CSV)25 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis