PlainHazard

Missouri heat

Every recorded heat record since 1996 · 115 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 3,763 heat records in Missouri from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 135 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the July 18, 1999 heat: 42 deaths and 397 injuries across 13 records. Missouri ranks 3rd of 51 states and territories by count and 8th of 50 per square mile.

Heat in Missouri, 1996 to 2026

Heat records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.

  • recorded, no damage figure
  • under $1 million
  • $1 million or more
  • $10 million or more
  • $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
  • $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
  • a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
  • a year with a death
Records
3,7631996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
135average
Deaths
2726,583 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$566Kas filed
Busiest year
2001432 records

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.

Are heat records common in Missouri?

Missouri averages about 135 heat records a year since 2000, 3rd of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2001 (432). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Missouri records 547 heat records since 1996, 8th of 50 states and territories by that measure.

  1. 1. New Jersey 2320
  2. 2. Delaware 1555
  3. 3. Maryland 1330
  4. 4. Oklahoma 685
  5. 5. Illinois 590
  6. 6. Mississippi 584
  7. 7. Louisiana 576
  8. 8. Missouri 547
  9. 9. Tennessee 540
  10. 10. Puerto Rico 537

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.

Which counties in Missouri have the most heat records?

Per square mile, Scott County leads Missouri: 96 days with a heat record since 1996, 228.6 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Dunklin County has the most heat records (114 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).

  1. Scott County 228.6 (96)
  2. Mississippi County 225.9 (93)
  3. Pemiscot County 223.3 (113)
  4. Dunklin County 204.8 (114)
  5. St. Louis County 185.0 (95)
  6. Carter County 179.4 (91)
  7. Perry County 179.2 (85)
  8. Ripley County 155.7 (98)
  9. Cape Girardeau County 155.6 (90)
  10. Butler County 145.4 (101)
  11. New Madrid County 145.2 (98)
  12. Bollinger County 142.4 (88)

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.

When is the heat season in Missouri?

85% of its heat records since 1996 fell in July and August. The busiest month is July (1,909 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 0 · Feb 11 · Mar 0 · Apr 1 · May 6 · Jun 408 · Jul 1,909 · Aug 1,276 · Sep 141 · Oct 0 · Nov 0 · Dec 11 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.

What were the deadliest heat records in Missouri?

Missouri: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1999-07-18 HeatSt. Louis (city) · forecast zone St. Louis (C) One storm episode: 13 records in 13 places; the totals are the episode's. A heat wave gripped the area for the last 2 weeks of July. Temperatures stayed in the middle to upper 90s with a few days topping 100. Columbia set a record high with 104 degrees on 7/29/99. St. Louis tied a record with 103 degrees on 7/30/99. The Heat Index generally ranged from 105 to near 115. Most of the deaths ... 42 397 –
1999-07-18 HeatJackson County · forecast zone Jackson One storm episode: 5 records in 5 places; the totals are the episode's. Northwest Missouri suffered through two weeks of oppressive heat and humidity in late July as temperatures topped the 90 degree mark for 14 consecutive days. Dew points in the lower to middle 70s pushed afternoon heat indices above 100 degrees each day. The heat wave was most intense from July 23rd through the 30th, ... 22 0 –
2012-07-01 Excessive HeatSt. Louis (city) · forecast zone St. Louis (C) One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. A record setting heat wave continued from late June into July, finally breaking on July 9. Columbia, MO was over 100 degrees from June 27 - July 7. St. Louis, MO was over 100 degrees from June 28 - July 7. St. Louis had a high of at least 105 degrees from July 4 - 7, peaking at 107 on the 7th. The heat wave was not ... 17 172 –
2007-08-04 Excessive HeatSt. Louis (city) · forecast zone St. Louis (C) One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places, 2007-08-04 to 2007-08-05; the totals are the episode's. The first and only Heat Wave of the summer started in August 4th and lasted through August 16th. Eight deaths were reported in the St. Louis Metro area. The city of St. Louis reported 422 heat related injuries. St. Louis County reported 519 heat related injuries. At least 450 people were injured at an outdoor concert ... 8 953 –
2011-07-17 Excessive HeatSt. Louis (city) · forecast zone St. Louis (C) One storm episode: 2 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. A major Heat Wave started on July 17th and continued into August. High temperatures ranged from the lower 90s to around 100. Columbia hit 100 on July 28 while St. Louis topped the century mark on six days, including four in a row from July 20 - 23. Low temperatures at night were generally around 80. The Heat Index ... 8 389 –
2012-07-18 Excessive HeatJackson County · forecast zone Jackson High temperatures in the 100 to 110 degree range, combined with humidity, produced afternoon and early evening heat indices in the 100 to 110 degree range. Overnight low temperatures were in the 70s to lower 80s. There were seven heat related deaths reported. 7 0 –
1999-07-23 HeatJasper County · forecast zone Jasper One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. 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, ... 6 0 –
2001-07-07 HeatSt. Louis (city) · forecast zone St. Louis (C) One storm episode: 4 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. The first real heat wave of the summer hit the area July 7 through July 10. Temperatures peaked in the middle to upper 90s with the Heat Index ranging from 105 to 110. At least 5 people died from the heat. 5 61 –
2002-07-06 HeatJackson County · forecast zone Jackson 5 0 –
2006-07-13 HeatSt. Louis (city) · forecast zone St. Louis (C) A major heat wave hit the St. Louis area in mid-July. Temperatures ranged from the middle 90s to the around 100 with the Heat Index ranging from around 100 to 115. On July 17, 101 people were treated at Busch Stadium during the St. Louis Cardinals baseball game. To make matters worse, severe thunderstorms roared ... 4 437 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.

The costliest heat records in Missouri

Missouri: the most damaging storms since 1993, 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2011-08-03 Excessive HeatJasper County · forecast zone Jasper 0 0 $425K

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.

Are heat records becoming more frequent in Missouri?

Missouri's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.

Heat: Missouri and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeMissouriUnited StatesMissouri's share
1996-992384,3555.5%
2000s1,3829,16315.1%
2010s1,53216,4459.3%
2020-2661126,7962.3%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent heat records in Missouri

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-06-30 HeatPemiscot County · forecast zone Pemiscot 0 0 –
2026-06-30 HeatDunklin County · forecast zone Dunklin 0 0 –
2026-06-29 HeatPemiscot County · forecast zone Pemiscot 0 0 –
2026-06-29 HeatDunklin County · forecast zone Dunklin 0 0 –
2026-06-09 HeatDunklin County · forecast zone Dunklin 0 0 –
2025-08-19 Excessive HeatPemiscot County · forecast zone Pemiscot 0 0 –
2025-08-19 Excessive HeatDunklin County · forecast zone Dunklin 0 0 –
2025-08-18 HeatPemiscot County · forecast zone Pemiscot 0 0 –
2025-08-18 HeatDunklin County · forecast zone Dunklin 0 0 –
2025-08-17 HeatPemiscot County · forecast zone Pemiscot 0 0 –
2025-08-17 HeatDunklin County · forecast zone Dunklin 0 0 –
2025-08-16 HeatPemiscot County · forecast zone Pemiscot 0 0 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.

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