Cape Girardeau County, Missouri: hazard risk
FEMA rates Cape Girardeau County's overall risk Relatively Moderate (score 85.7 of 100, higher than 85% of rated U.S. counties); 2 of its 14 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by ice storm, winter weather. Its storm record holds 1,210 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ice Storm | Relatively High | 94.3 | $1.7M |
| Winter Weather | Relatively High | 91.7 | $540K |
| Earthquake | Relatively Moderate | 96.6 | $29M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 92.3 | $4.4M |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | 78.4 | $3.8M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | 78.1 | $21M |
| Tornado | Relatively Moderate | 77.6 | $4.1M |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | 75.3 | $1.3M |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | 73.3 | $764K |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 61.4 | $412K |
| Landslide | Relatively Low | 82.6 | $27K |
| Drought | Relatively Low | 61.0 | $355K |
| Hurricane | Very Low | 38.3 | $32K |
| Wildfire | Very Low | 32.7 | $20K |
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. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 223 | 0 | $9.4M | 13th of 114 | 685th of 3,080 |
| Floods | 191 | 0 | $31M | 1st of 114 | 63rd of 3,080 |
| Hail | 146 | 0 | $543K | 32nd of 114 | 518th of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 118 | 1 | $5.3M | 7th of 114 | 676th of 3,077 |
| High wind and dust storms | 116 | 0 | $2.9M | 3rd of 114 | 132nd of 3,080 |
| Heat | 90 | 5 | $8K | 9th of 114 | 167th of 3,076 |
| Extreme cold | 75 | 0 | $4.3M | 6th of 114 | 107th of 3,076 |
| Tornadoes | 49 | 1 | $43M | 4th of 114 | 161st of 3,080 |
| Drought | 34 | 0 | $2.9M | 20th of 114 | 786th of 3,063 |
| Heavy rain | 27 | 0 | $39K | 2nd of 114 | 201st of 3,080 |
| Lightning | 9 | 0 | $89K | 7th of 114 | 470th 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 Cape Girardeau County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.