Barton County, Missouri: hazard risk
FEMA rates Barton County's overall risk Relatively Low (score 43.6 of 100, higher than 43% of rated U.S. counties); 2 of its 14 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by drought, ice storm. Its storm record holds 730 events since 1950.
FEMA's rating for each hazard
These are FEMA's county-wide model ratings and this county's storm record. They are not an assessment of any property, address or building, and not insurance advice: a property's risk depends on its own elevation, construction and location.
FEMA gives each hazard its own rating, and a rating does not follow the score from one hazard to the next: a hazard with a higher score can carry a lower rating than another. The table sorts by FEMA's rating, then by score (0 to 100, the county against every other county for that hazard).
| Hazard | Risk rating | Score | Expected annual loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | Relatively High | 92.8 | $1.7M |
| Ice Storm | Relatively High | 82.6 | $426K |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | 71.3 | $852K |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | 64.5 | $1.7M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | 62.0 | $533K |
| Hail | Relatively Low | 52.6 | $245K |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | 49.5 | $53K |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | 48.5 | $753K |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Low | 45.9 | $5.0M |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 51.9 | $255K |
| Landslide | Very Low | 34.1 | $355 |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 28.7 | $11K |
| Lightning | Very Low | 18.7 | $54K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 10.2 | $3K |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. A model of future loss, not a count of past events. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
What the record holds
| Hazard | Records | Deaths | Damage | Rank in state | Rank in U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 222 | 0 | $315K | 16th of 114 | 241st of 3,080 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 182 | 0 | $7.3M | 37th of 114 | 1261st of 3,080 |
| Floods | 154 | 1 | $1.5M | 22nd of 114 | 262nd of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 51 | 0 | $12M | 62nd of 114 | 1704th of 3,077 |
| Drought | 43 | 0 | $69M | 4th of 114 | 574th of 3,063 |
| Tornadoes | 40 | 5 | $121M | 15th of 114 | 352nd of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 9 | 0 | $4.8M | 59th of 114 | 1389th of 3,076 |
| Heat | 9 | 0 | – | 91st of 114 | 1156th of 3,076 |
| Heavy rain | 7 | 0 | – | 35th of 114 | 769th of 3,080 |
| High wind and dust storms | 6 | 0 | $8.2M | 62nd of 114 | 2556th of 3,080 |
| Wildfires | 2 | 0 | – | 18th of 114 | 653rd of 2,972 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $18K | 63rd of 114 | 2017th of 3,080 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Barton County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.