Columbia

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond this area.
2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Every large fire

1. Large fires mapped by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity program since 1984: 1,000 acres or more in the West, 500 or more in the East. Prescribed burns are excluded. Acres here are the part of each perimeter inside this place.

Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (USGS and U.S. Forest Service), 1984 to 2026.

Smoke overhead

1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Flood insurance figures are for Boone County, the county that contains Columbia.

Claims by ZIP code

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

River crests

River gauges in Boone County, the county that contains Columbia.

River gauges

1. Crests are the highest and the recent crests the National Weather Service lists for each river gauge in the county that has a flood stage, not every flood. Flood categories use each gauge's current flood stages; crests from before levees, dams or channel changes may not be comparable. Crests measured on an old datum are left out of the rankings.

NOAA National Water Prediction Service gauge records, retrieved October 30, 2026.

The drought index is for Boone County, the county that contains Columbia.

1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the city centre.
2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Mapped landslides

Landslides mapped in Boone County.

Mapped by MO DNR (15).

1. Landslides mapped in the USGS compilation of landslide inventories across the United States (version 3.0, 2025), rated probable or better. The compilation joins inventories made by federal and state agencies for different purposes and areas, so the number mapped in a county reflects how closely it has been surveyed as much as how often its slopes fail. An area with few records may simply not have been mapped. Deaths are as recorded in the inventories; a slide listed in two inventories is counted once.

USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0, retrieved October 27, 2026.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Nov 10, 1998Tornado$6.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Close to 50 homes or businesses were destroyed or suffered major damage from an early morning tornado that hit on the southeast side of Columbia. Miraculously, only 16 people were injured, most minor cuts and bruises, by the the multiple-vortex tornado which reached F3 intensity. The tornado first touched down in the South Ridge Subdivision where at least 20 homes were virtually destroyed. On Lakespur Court, 5 homes here suffered considerable roof and wall damage as the tornado quickly reached F2 strength. The tornado moved north-northeast and crossed Churchill Street. The upper half of a two-story house in this area was completely destroyed. As the tornado continued northeast, it…

2. Jan 12, 2007Ice Storm, Boone$653,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An arctic boundary settled south of the area on the 12th and 13th of January bringing subfreezing temperatures to the northwestern half of the county warning area. Three rounds of precipitation occurred during this period, with the first being the most destructive of all. Significant tree and limb damage was reported as a result of this storm, together with widespread power outages. More than 100,000 homes and businesses lost power during this storm. About 1.5 inches of sleet fell and a 1/2 inch of ice accumulation hit parts of Central and Northeast Missouri. From 1/4 to 1/2 inch of ice accumulated from freezing rain across Eastern Missouri and parts of Southwest Illinois.…

3. Dec 1, 2006Winter Storm, Boone$539,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A major winter storm hit Central, Northeast, East Central and parts of Southeast Missouri from November 30 through Dcember 1. Over a foot of snow fell across parts of Central Missouri while a major ice storm hit parts of East Central and Southeast Missouri, including the St. Louis area. Ice accumulations of 1 inch or more downed trees and power lines resulting in at least 300,000 electric customers losing service for up to a week. Downed limbs and trees damaged homes and automobiles across the area as well. Many rural schools were closed for several days due to slick roads and power outages. The National Guard was called out to several counties to assist with debris removal and…

4. Mar 26, 2004Flash Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Three to four inches of rain fell across Central Missouri causing flash flooding. Boone County was the hardest hit. At least 50 roads across the county were flooded during the event. Initial damage estimates indicate it will take up to $500,000 to repair roads across the county. The Boone County Fire Protection District reported 8 water rescues from about 9 am to 5 pm. Several of the rescues occurred in places that normally do not flood. Area parks and recreation areas also were damaged by the heavy rain. The MKT Nature Fitness Trail and the Bear Creek Trail in Columbia had large sections washed out by flooding creeks.

5. Jul 19, 2007Lightning$150,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A lighting strike around 3:00 pm CDT caused a fire at the Creative Photo Photography Studio at 2201 Old Highway 63. Five employees and a dog were able to escape unharmed. The fire is believed to have started in the attic. Damage was estimated at $150,000.

6. Apr 23, 2008Lightning$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Lightning struck a very large home south of Columbia which ignited a fire in the void between the roof and the peaked ceiling. Three family members were in the home at the time of the lightning strike & subsequent fire and escaped unharmed. The fire caused an estimated $100,000 in damage.

7. Nov 29, 2006Winter Storm, Boone$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A major winter storm hit Central, Northeast, East Central and parts of Southeast Missouri from November 30 through Dcember 1. Over a foot of snow fell across parts of Central Missouri while a major ice storm hit parts of East Central and Southeast Missouri, including the St. Louis area. Ice accumulations of 1 inch or more downed trees and power lines resulting in at least 300,000 electric customers losing service for up to a week. Downed limbs and trees damaged homes and automobiles across the area as well. Many rural schools were closed for several days due to slick roads and power outages. The National Guard was called out to several counties to assist with debris removal and…

8. May 30, 2008Lightning$100,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Lighting struck a house on May 30. This strike apparently caused a smoldering fire that erupted the next day. The fire caused an estimated $100,000 in damage.

9. Jul 5, 1998Lightning$80,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A lightning strike was blamed for a fire at a residence in southwest Columbia. Firefighters arrived to find flames shooting through a hole in the roof.

10. Jun 7, 2026Flash Flood$60,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Flash flooding caused two swift water rescues in Columbia with three individuals rescued in total. No injuries were reported.

1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

All-time high

111°FJul 30, 1980

All-time low

−20°FDec 22, 1989

Warmest night

84°FJul 10, 1980

Coldest day

−7°FDec 24, 1983

Wettest day

5.94 inJul 30, 1989

Snowiest day

18.0 inJan 19, 1995

Hottest year

2012mean 59.4°F

Coldest year

1979mean 52.4°F

Wettest year

199362.49 in

Driest year

198023.66 in

Snowiest season

54.9 in1977-78

Station Columbia Regional Airport (USW00003945), 893 ft elevation, 10.8 miles from the city centre. Daily records from 1969 to October 27, 2026; 99.9% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

Declarations for Boone County.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

• Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
• Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
• Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
• Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
• Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
• Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USW00003945.
• River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
• Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
• Landslides USGS Landslide Inventories across the United States, version 3.0 (2025).
• Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.