Cape Girardeau County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Cape Girardeau County: 1.
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.

River crests

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.

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. May 6, 2003Tornado$12.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado touched down at the intersection of Highway 34 and Business Loop I-55 in Jackson, then moved northeast across downtown Jackson and the Bent Creek Golf Course. The damage path ended about 300 yards short of Interstate 55. Several trees blocked Interstate 55 near Jackson. Peak tornado winds were estimated near 180 MPH. The police and fire headquarters building was near the beginning of the damage path. The roof was blown off the building and windows were blown out, allowing rain to flood the building and cause extensive damage. The hazardous materials trailer and communications van were overturned. City police and fire operations were moved to alternate quarters. Streets…

2. Jan 1, 2016Flood$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Mississippi River levels continued their climb from December, and record flooding occurred early in the month. At the Cape Girardeau river gage, the river crested at a new record of 48.86 feet on the evening of New Year's Day. The old record was 48.49 feet, which was set in August of 1993. Records at Cape Girardeau go back at least a century. The 2016 crest would likely have been higher if there had not been a levee break in Alexander County, Illinois. Flood stage at Cape Girardeau is 32 feet. The estimated acreage that was flooded was 24,000 acres, of which 17,000 was cropland. Much of the flooded acreage was in the diversion channel floodplain, which extends from Allenville east…

3. May 8, 2009Thunderstorm Wind$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Widespread damaging winds affected northern parts of the county. Over 1,000 trees were blown down, along with power lines. Many roads were blocked. The trees fell on homes, vehicles, and power lines. Power poles were snapped. Extended power outages lasting up to several days were reported. Barns and sheds were blown down. Just west of Oak Ridge, 259 trees were blown down on a single farm. The house and a garage on the farm received holes in their roofs. Windows were blown out of at least one house in Oak Ridge. Towns that experienced the worst damage were north of Jackson, including Daisy and Pocahontas. Several trees were blown down in Jackson, including one that landed on a car.

4. Feb 11, 2008Winter Storm, Cape Girardeau$3.0 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…

5. Mar 18, 2008Flood$2.8 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Historic flooding occurred after 12 to 14 inches of rain fell in 48 hours. Widespread flooding of creeks and roads occurred. A dramatic water rescue was conducted on Highway 34 at the Byrd Creek Bridge, where a pickup truck was swept off the road. A passing driver made a risky attempt to pull the driver to safety. Nobody was injured. At least four vehicles in other areas around the county became stranded in floodwaters, requiring emergency personnel to conduct water rescues. The county emergency management director estimated that 200 homes and 13 businesses were evacuated. Evacuation shelters were opened in the county. The villages of Allenville and Delta were under voluntary…

6. Sep 14, 2008High Wind, Cape Girardeau$2.0 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…

7. May 1, 2011Flood$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Major flooding that began in April continued along the Mississippi River. At Cape Girardeau, the river crested at 46.28 feet on May 2. This was the fourth highest crest on record, surpassed only by the floods of 1993 and 1995. The activation of the New Madrid Floodway by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spared Cape Girardeau County from an even higher crest. With the detonation of the Mississippi River levee at Birds Point, Missouri, the river began to drop. Floodwaters backed up creeks and diversion channels across southern parts of Cape Girardeau County, threatening areas along Highway 74 out to Dutchtown. A combination of Mississippi River backwater and headwater from small…

8. Jan 11, 2020Tornado$750,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado touched down just south of U.S. Highway 61, where trees and small outbuildings were damaged. The tornado crossed Highway 61 and produced damage to several businesses. Windows were broken out, and damage occurred to roofs. One business was destroyed. A tire store was heavily damaged as the tornado was at its peak intensity. The back was wall was blown out, and much of the roof was destroyed and thrown several hundred yards. Light concrete and styrofoam blew onto Interstate 55, which was closed for a brief time until cleanup was complete. East of Interstate 55, several barns and outbuildings were damaged or destroyed. Numerous trees were uprooted or snapped along the…

9. Jan 26, 2009Winter Storm, Cape Girardeau$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This prolonged, major winter storm was termed the worst in decades for southeast Missouri. The storm dumped 6 to 10 inches of sleet and snow along and north of a line from Van Buren through Greenville to Cape Girardeau. This resulted in very difficult driving conditions along with at least two dozen roof collapses. South of that line, at least one inch of ice accumulated. Locally 1.5 to 2 inches of ice accumulated south of a line from Poplar Bluff to Dexter to Benton. This resulted in catastrophic damage to trees, power lines, and utility poles in places such as Dexter, Sikeston, Charleston, and New Madrid. A utility company serving much of the region reported this was the most…

10. May 1, 2017Flood$500,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Major flooding occurred along the Mississippi River early in the month. At the Cape Girardeau river gage, the river crested at 45.99 feet on the 6th. Flood stage is 32 feet. This flood crest was only a few inches below the major flood crest in the spring of 2011, but it was nearly three feet below the record set in 2016. The river remained above flood stage for the entire month. There was extensive flooding of low-lying areas of Cape Girardeau County, including dozens of roads, thousands of acres of agricultural land, and some homes and businesses. About 14,000 acres of cropland were flooded, along with another 7,000 acres of land not used for crops. Floodwaters backed up creeks…

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, 9.1 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.