Wright County, Missouri
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 29229 · population 18,138 · 682 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 860 records for Wright County, Missouri from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 502 days; the most frequent are floods and flash floods (279 records). The deadliest single record is the March 23, 2023 flash flood: 2 deaths and 2 injuries. 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
- 860on 502 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 720 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $60Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 31strongest F4
- 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 Wright County most?
The most frequent records are floods and flash floods: 279 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 | 279 | 161 | 1996-2026 | 7 | 2 | $9.1M | 7 of 114 |
| Hail | 208 | 128 | 1964-2026 | 0 | 0 | $2.3M | 34 of 114 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 201 | 151 | 1964-2025 | 0 | 0 | $7.7M | 38 of 114 |
| Winter storms | 59 | 57 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 2 | $809K | 65 of 114 |
| Heavy rain | 39 | 23 | 2009-2025 | 0 | 0 | – | 5 of 114 |
| Tornadoes | 31 | 26 | 1959-2025 | 0 | 12 | $24M | 42 of 114 |
| Drought | 15 | 15 | 1999-2026 | 0 | 0 | $1.1M | 83 of 114 |
| Extreme cold | 9 | 9 | 2000-2025 | 0 | 0 | $15M | 78 of 114 |
| Heat | 9 | 9 | 1999-2012 | 0 | 0 | – | 101 of 114 |
| Lightning | 8 | 5 | 2004-2023 | 0 | 4 | $170K | 20 of 114 |
| High wind and dust storms | 1 | 1 | 2008-2008 | 0 | 0 | – | 109 of 114 |
| Wildfires | 1 | 1 | 2014-2014 | 0 | 0 | – | 35 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 Wright County had?
NOAA records 31 tornadoes in Wright County from 1959 to 2025, the strongest rated F4, with 0 deaths and 12 injuries recorded in the county. That is 42nd 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 31 tornadoes whose track touched Wright County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 31, the same count); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959-09-26 14:45, as SPC files it | Grovespring | F4 | 7.8 mi | 0 |
| 2006-03-12 23:15, as SPC files it | Grovespring | F3 | 32 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Missouri.
Every tornado record filed for Wright County (31)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-06-03 | Grovespring, Wright County | EF0 0.44 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $8K |
| 2025-04-20 | Rayborn, Wright County | EF1 2.07 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-04-20 | Mansfield, Wright County | EF0 1.77 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K |
| 2025-03-14 | Odin, Wright County | EF1 12.78 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K |
| 2024-05-26 | Midway, Wright County | EF1 2.25 mi x 1,200 yd | 0 | 0 | $94K |
| 2024-05-26 | Dawson, Wright County | EF1 3.04 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 0 | $14K |
| 2021-12-10 | Grovespring, Wright County | EF1 2.57 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $109K |
| 2019-05-21 | Cedar Gap, Wright County | EF1 23.75 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $5.8M |
| 2019-04-30 | Norwood, Wright County | EF1 2.17 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $69K |
| 2019-04-30 | Macomb, Wright County | EF1 1.43 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $289K |
| 2019-04-30 | Mountain Grve Mem Ar, Wright County | EF0 2.41 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $115K |
| 2018-12-01 | Boyer, Wright County | EF0 0.28 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2018-04-13 | Dawson, Wright County | EF1 5 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $29K |
| 2018-04-13 | Macomb, Wright County | EF2 9 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $353K |
| 2017-05-19 | Dawson, Wright County | EF0 0.25 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $6K |
| 2009-05-08 | Loring, Wright County | EF1 3.75 mi x 440 yd | 0 | 0 | $69K |
| 2008-01-08 | Dawson, Wright County | EF0 2.86 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | $137K |
| 2006-03-12 | Hartville, Wright County | F2 20 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $659K |
| 2002-12-18 | Grovespring, Wright County | F0 10 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $123K |
| 2001-02-24 | Cedar Gap, Wright County | F0 1.5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1999-06-01 | Hartville, Wright County | F0 0.2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1994-04-26 | Grovespring, Wright County | F1 1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $100K |
| 1990-05-12 | Wright County | F2 8 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $2.5M step |
| 1983-04-28 | Wright County | F1 2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1982-12-02 | Wright County | F2 7 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 9 | $2.5M step |
| 1976-02-21 | Wright County | F1 0.3 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 1 | $25K step |
| 1974-04-13 | Wright County | F2 9.2 mi x 177 yd | 0 | 2 | $25K step |
| 1973-05-26 | Wright County | F1 2 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1971-05-01 | Wright County | F1 0.3 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $250 step |
| 1962-06-09 | Wright County | F0 0.5 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | $30 step |
| 1959-09-26 | Wright County | F4 7.8 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $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 Wright County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the April 28, 2026 hail ($400,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
Golf ball sized hail was reported in downtown. Several vehicles, homes and businesses suffered minor damage.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1332064)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-27 | Flash FloodMansfield, Wright County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-27 | Flash FloodMountain Grove, Wright County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-13 | Flash FloodOwens, Wright County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-06-13 | Flash FloodMansfield, Wright County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-28 | HailMacomb, Wright County | 2.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-28 | HailNorwood, Wright County | 1.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $400K |
| 2026-04-18 | FloodRayborn, Wright County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-04-18 | FloodJerktail, Wright County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-07 | FloodJerktail, Wright County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-05 | FloodMansfield, Wright County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-05 | FloodFuson, Wright County | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-03-04 | HailGrovespring, Wright County | 1.00 in hail | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-03-23 | Flash FloodGrovespring, Wright County Shortly after midnight a vehicle containing 6 occupants attempted to cross a low water crossing on Highway M at Parks Creek. The vehicle was swept off the roadway by high water. Four of the occupants were able to self rescue but two became trapped and drowned as a result. | 2 | 2 | – | |
| 2024-11-05 | FloodManes, Wright County A vehicle driving on Highway H two miles east of Manes in Wright County was swept off the road into flood waters at Beaver Creek. The two occupants, ages 70 and 73 attempted to swim to dry ground and reportedly drowned. | 2 | 0 | $24K | |
| 2020-11-22 | FloodMansfield, Wright County A vehicle was swept of the low water crossing on Highway AB at Wolfe Creek during the early morning. An 18-year old female drove into the flooded low water crossing around 12:30 AM, and drowned while trying to escape her vehicle. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2008-04-10 | Flash FloodLoring, Wright County One to three inches of rain fell over Wright County. Any areas that typically flood during periods of excessive rainfall were flooded. A 54 year old male attempted to cross Austin Ford Bridge, which was experiencing significant flooding. Austin Ford Bridge is a bridge along Highway E that crosses the Gasconade River. ... | 1 | 0 | $14K | |
| 2002-05-08 | Flash FloodGrovespring, Wright County This extraordinary event consisted of three primary waves of severe weather and flooding. The first occurred during the early morning of May 7th. The second consisted of four separate severe and flooding events which overlapped and lasted from the mid-morning of May 7th, to near sunrise on May 8th. The last wave of ... | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1982-12-02 | TornadoWright County | F2 7 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 9 | $2.5M step |
| 2022-02-23 | Winter StormWright County · forecast zone Wright Two rounds of wintry precipitation fell across the county. The first round began during the late morning hours of February 23, which was mainly sleet and snow and the second round fell during the morning hours of February 24 and was sleet, freezing rain and snow. Thunder was reported with the second round, which ... | 0 | 2 | – | |
| 2012-08-16 | LightningLoring, Wright County A rather strong cold front and upper level shortwave moved across the Missouri Ozarks causing strong to severe storms to develop. These storms mainly produced damaging wind gusts and a several reports of large hail. Two people were injured from a lightning strike. | 0 | 2 | – |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-04-07 | Frost/FreezeWright County · forecast zone Wright | 0 | 0 | $15M | |
| 2019-05-21 | TornadoCedar Gap, Wright County | EF1 23.75 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $5.8M |
| 2001-04-03 | Thunderstorm WindHartville, Wright County | 0 | 0 | $5.0M | |
| 2024-11-04 | Flash FloodMansfield, Wright County | 0 | 0 | $1.7M | |
| 2015-07-10 | Flash FloodNorwood, Wright County | 0 | 0 | $1.2M | |
| 2012-08-01 | DroughtWright County · forecast zone Wright | 0 | 0 | $976K | |
| 2001-04-03 | HailMountain Grove, Wright County | 2.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $833K |
| 2006-03-12 | TornadoHartville, Wright County | F2 20 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $659K |
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: December 2, 1982 (tornado, Wright County); May 12, 1990 (tornado, Wright 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 Wright 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 | – | – | – | – | 9 | 35 | 123 | 112 |
| Hail | 0 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 29 | 80 | 61 | 27 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 1 | 6 | 12 | 26 | 58 | 70 | 28 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 6 | 17 | 13 | 23 |
| Heavy rain | – | – | – | – | 0 | 1 | 22 | 16 |
| Tornadoes | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 7 |
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 Wright County. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 57 · Feb 58 · Mar 99 · Apr 154 · May 138 · Jun 91 · Jul 58 · Aug 84 · Sep 26 · Oct 22 · Nov 31 · Dec 42 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Wright County
FEMA's register lists 25 declarations that include Wright County: 18 major disasters, 7 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (13) and flood (4).
| 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 |
| 2020-07-09 | DR-4552 | 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 |
| 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 |
| 2009-01-30 | 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
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 Wright County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 279 flood or flash flood records for Wright County from 1996 to 2026, on 161 days, with 7 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Wright County ranks 2436th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $93,000 on 8 claims filed in Wright County; the most in one year was 3 in 2013. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1979: 1 · 2008: 1 · 2013: 3 · 2015: 1 · 2017: 1 · 2019: 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 Wright County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wright County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $13.3 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 | $597K | 1.4 a year (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | $1.1M | 12 modeled event-days a year |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | $800K | 4.7 a year (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | $1.8M | 2.3 a year (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | $74K | 11 a year (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | $205K | 56 a year (modeled) |
| Earthquake | Relatively Low | $838K | once in about 336 years (modeled) |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | $80K | once in about 449 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Wright 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 Wright CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Wright County's FEMA declarations (CSV)25 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis