Bollinger County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Bollinger County: 6.
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 storm within 100 miles

1. Tropical storms and hurricanes (34 kt or more, still tropical) at closest approach. Post-tropical remnants with gale-force winds are listed but not counted. Direct: track within 50 miles; near: within 100 miles. Distance is measured to the county boundary for counties and to the city centre for cities, using positions interpolated hourly between HURDAT2 fixes.

National Hurricane Center HURDAT2, 1851 to 2025.

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.

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.

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.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

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 county boundary (or inside the county).
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.

More event types since 1996

Costliest events since 1996

1. Aug 14, 2023Flash Flood$20.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Significant flash flooding was reported from the Marble Hill area west-southwest along Highway 34 to the county line. Between 40 and 50 homes and businesses were damaged by flooding in the county. Highway 34 was shut down as a nearby creek flowed over it. At one point, 22 county highways and roads were flooded. Several county roadways were washed out, including bridges. Some of the washouts were 8 to 10 feet deep. Flooding occurred at the main bridge in Marble Hill. Sixteen individuals were rescued from floodwaters throughout the county. Up to 6 feet of water was flowing in some locations. Water flowing 3 to 4 feet deep was observed in Marble Hill. Water was in buildings in…

2. May 8, 2009Thunderstorm Wind$8.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Thousands of trees were blown down, primarily across northern parts of the county. A lot of structural damage occurred along Highway 72. About 250 homes received some degree of damage, ranging from loose shingles to roofs lifted off. Many barns and outbuildings were destroyed. The Patton and Sedgewickville areas were the hardest hit. In particular, the area from Sedgewickville west to the Madison County line suffered extreme damage. Trees fell on houses, roads, and power lines. Power poles were snapped. Extended power outages lasting 3 to 5 days were widespread. A 28-foot camper was overturned in Sedgewickville. Nearby, a manufacturing company was heavily damaged. Six cars parked…

3. Mar 18, 2008Flood$4.8 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Historic flooding occurred after 12 to 14 inches of rain fell in 48 hours. One man was killed in Marble Hill when his pickup truck was swept off a highway into Crooked Creek. Most of the major highways in the county were closed for at least part of the day. Evacuations were conducted in some places, especially in Glenallen. About 23 people were rescued from a subdivision near Zalma due to flooding of the Castor River. Evacuation shelters were opened. Numerous water rescues were conducted around the county. Marble Hill was described as cut in half by severe flooding of Crooked Creek, which rose 8 to 10 feet above a major state highway into town. Much of Marble Hill was inundated.…

4. Apr 27, 2002Tornado$4.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This strong tornado with peak winds near 180 MPH touched down in a rural area southwest of Marble Hill. A total of 19 residences were severely damaged, and 6 were destroyed. Approximately 10 of the residences were mobile homes and 15 were single-family homes. Another 50 outbuildings, such as barns and sheds, were destroyed or damaged. Seven people were inside a house that was demolished. One of the victims, a 12-year-old boy, was thrown about 50 yards from the house and fatally injured. Several others in the immediate area, possibly the other occupants of the house, were thrown into a nearby lake and swam to safety. Of the 16 people injured in the tornado, four were air lifted to…

5. Mar 14, 2025Tornado$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An EF-3 tornado touched down northeast of Greenville in Wayne County and proceeded northeast to the Bollinger County line southeast of Gravelton. It continued northeast to near the southeast corner of Madison County and eventually dissipated just west of Hurricane. The tornado snapped or uprooted thousands of trees along its path. Two houses sustained major damage and over a dozen homes had at least some minor damage. One barn lost its roof and one wooden power pole was destroyed. The estimated peak wind speed was 140 mph. The total path length was 28.6 miles.

6. Feb 11, 2008Winter Storm, Bollinger$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Low pressure developed over the southern Plains, spreading widespread heavy precipitation across southeast Missouri. At the same time, high pressure over the upper Ohio Valley produced a cold easterly wind flow. The result was a crippling ice storm. Around one inch of ice caused extensive damage across much of southeast Missouri. The hardest hit areas extended from Greenville (Wayne County) through Marble Hill (Bollinger County) to Jackson (Cape Girardeau County). North of a Marble Hill to Jackson line, four to six inches of sleet and snow fell, along with up to one-half inch of freezing rain. Thunder accompanied the wintry precipitation at times. Numerous trees and power lines…

7. Apr 5, 2023Tornado$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado moved northeast across central Bollinger County, passing just north and west of Marble Hill. The most severe damage occurred in Glenallen (near Marble Hill), where several fatalities and injuries occurred. All five occupants of a demolished mobile home were killed there, including two teenagers, a middle-aged adult, and two older adults. Several manufactured homes were totally destroyed. Approximately a couple of dozen homes suffered major structural damage, including roof damage, broken windows, and collapse of walls. Severe tree damage occurred in the vicinity of Glenallen, where hundreds of trees were snapped at the base. A dozen or so farm outbuildings sustained…

8. May 23, 2000Hail$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Spotters reported golf ball size hail in Marble Hill, and baseball size hail in Leopold. Two car dealerships in Marble Hill reported their entire inventory of vehicles received damage. One insurance agent in Marble Hill received hail-damage claims on 10 homes and 60 vehicles. Of those 60 vehicles, 20 were declared total losses. Damage to homes consisted almost entirely of roof damage. Newspaper photos showed baseball size hail covering the ground on Highway 51, 2 miles south of the Marble Hill city limit.

9. Sep 14, 2008High Wind, Bollinger$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Frequent wind gusts from 60 to 75 mph caused widespread damage in parts of southeast Missouri. The low pressure center that was the remnant of Hurricane Ike raced northeast at 40 to 50 mph across Missouri and Illinois. The center passed between Carbondale and St. Louis on its way toward the northeastern states. The rapid speed of the low pressure system contributed to this high wind event.||Extensive tree damage occurred. A very large number of trees were uprooted, and large limbs were broken. Some trees fell on homes, businesses, and public buildings. Downed trees and limbs landed on many vehicles. Numerous streets and highways were blocked. More than half the streets in some…

10. Nov 15, 2005Flash Flood$750,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Several water rescues were conducted after 6 to 9 inches of rain fell, causing major flooding of the Castor River. The river flooded across Highway 34 near the Wayne County line, leaving several people trapped. Boats from the sheriff department, the State Water Patrol, and the Department of Conservation were involved in the rescues. Four people were stranded when their vehicle was swept off a flooded county road south of the Twin Bridges Campground. The four people were picked up by a passing boat, but the boat motor was not strong enough for the current. The four people were finally rescued by a state trooper in another boat. The Twin Bridges Campground was completely flooded.…

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

107°FJun 29, 2012

All-time low

−18°FJan 11, 1977

Warmest night

81°F2 times, most recently Jun 13, 2022

Coldest day

2°FJan 20, 1985

Wettest day

11.49 inMar 18, 2008

Snowiest day

24.0 inFeb 25, 1979

Hottest year

2024mean 60.5°F

Coldest year

1979mean 55.2°F

Wettest year

201174.39 in

Driest year

201227.00 in

Station Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport (USW00003935), 334 ft elevation, 24.5 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1960 to October 17, 2026; 98.7% 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.

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.

Neighbouring counties

• 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 USW00003935.
• 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.
• 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.