Daviess County

Population 8,558 (2025) 563 sq mi

Property owners in Daviess County have filed 37 federal flood insurance claims since 1978, 69th most of 115 counties in Missouri.

Hazard fingerprint for Daviess County Tornado: 49th percentile. Tropical: 0th percentile. Wildfire: 0th percentile. Flood: 61th percentile. Hail & wind: 55th percentile. Heat: 65th percentile. Cold: 50th percentile. Winter: 40th percentile. TORTROPFIREFLOODSEVEREHEATCOLDWINTER

Hazard fingerprint Each spoke is this county’s percentile among U.S. counties where that hazard occurs. How it is computed

2026
  • Tornado damage paths since 195021
  • Major flood years since 19781

At a glance

The record for Daviess County in eight numbers. Each links to its section below.

Flood insurance claims

37

69th of 115 in Missouri

$609,000 paid since 1993

Details

Tornadoes since 1950

21

74th of 115 in Missouri

About as many as the typical Missouri county

Details

Strongest tornado

F4

May 29, 2004, 22.0 mile path

Federal disaster declarations

24

Most recent: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, 2026

Details

Record high

114°F

July 15, 1936

Details

Record low

−26°F

January 22, 1930

Details

Snowiest season

51.2in

Winter of 1978-79

Costliest event since 1996

$500K

Hail, June 7, 2009

Details

Tornadoes

About one every 3.6 years since 1950, one of them rated F3/EF3 or stronger.

Strongest

May 29, 2004

F4, 22.0 mile path

800 yards wide; 3 killed along the whole path.

Most recent

Sunday, October 24, 2021

EF0, 0.1 mile path

5 years ago.

Tornadoes by decade Doppler radar era² 1950s: 1 1 1960s: 6 6 1970s: 1 1 1980s: 2 2 1990s: 0 2000s: 7 7 2010s: 3 3 2020s: 1 1 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
Recorded tornadoes per decade. The 2020s are incomplete.
Tornadoes by month J: 0 F: 0 M: 2 A: 5 5 M: 5 J: 3 J: 3 A: 0 S: 2 O: 1 N: 0 D: 0 JFMAMJJASOND
By month of occurrence, all years.

Every recorded tornado

Tornadoes in Daviess County since 1950
Oct 24, 2021EF00.12000
Apr 27, 2016EF04.32500
Mar 27, 2014EF23.010000
Mar 27, 2014EF19.220000
May 7, 2009EF00.12500
Jun 4, 2005F00.55000
May 29, 2004F06.010000
May 29, 2004F422.080063
May 27, 2004F02.05000
Jul 26, 2002F00.12500
Jul 26, 2002F00.12500
Jun 7, 1984F23.010010
Jun 7, 1984F21.010000
May 12, 1978F11.020010
Apr 21, 1967F00.11000
Apr 21, 1967F28.49000
Apr 19, 1966F12.52000
Apr 10, 1965F211.15010
Sep 22, 1964F14.010000
Sep 22, 1964F10.21000
Jul 7, 1958F10.21000
  1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Daviess County: 0.
  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.

Hurricanes and tropical storms

No tropical storm or hurricane has tracked within 100 miles since records began in 1851.

Wildfire and smoke

No large wildfire has been mapped here since satellite mapping began in 1984.

Smoke overhead

Smokiest year

2023: 69 days

Heavy smoke on 20 days in 2021, the most of any year.

Last 10 years

25.9 days a year

Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.

2025

19 days

Medium or heavy smoke. 39 so far in 2026.

Days with medium or heavy smoke overhead, by year 2011: 13 2012: 22 2013: 14 2014: 10 2015: 14 2016: 2 2017: 12 2018: 11 2019: 9 2020: 25 2021: 53 2022: 24 2023: 69 69 2024: 35 2025: 19 201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Days each year on which a satellite-traced plume of medium or heavy smoke covered the county’s population centre, 2011 to 2025.
  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.

Floods and flood insurance

37 federal flood insurance claims since 1993, with $609,000 paid.

Federal flood insurance claims by year 1993: 33 33 1993
Claims per year since 1993. Years with fewer than five claims are not shown.

Most claims in one year

1993: 33 claims

$557,000 paid.

Claims by ZIP code

Flood insurance claims by ZIP code
6467034$457,000

Flood events since 1996

  • Flood34
  • Flash Flood25

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

Most severe crest

July 8, 1909

Grand River near Gallatin, 45.00 ft

19.00 feet above the 26.0 ft flood stage; major flooding by today’s categories.

Most recent moderate or major crest

June 6, 2026

Grand River near Pattonsburg, 31.40 ft

Moderate flooding.

Highest river crests above flood stage
Jul 8, 1909Grand River near Gallatin45.00+19.00Major
Jun 2, 1929Grand River near Gallatin42.02+16.02Major
Sep 17, 1926Grand River near Gallatin41.80+15.80Major
Jul 7, 1993Grand River near Gallatin41.50+15.50Major
Aug 9, 1909Grand River near Pattonsburg40.00+15.00Major
May 1, 1914Grand River near Gallatin40.50+14.50Major
Nov 19, 1928Grand River near Gallatin40.50+14.50Major
Jun 24, 1947Grand River near Gallatin39.55+13.55Major
May 5, 1919Grand River near Gallatin39.30+13.30Major
May 30, 2019Grand River near Gallatin39.18+13.18Major
May 8, 2007Grand River near Gallatin39.17+13.17Major
Jun 5, 1919Grand River near Gallatin39.10+13.10Major
Jul 8, 1929Grand River near Gallatin39.02+13.02Major
Jul 24, 1993Grand River near Pattonsburg37.60+12.60Major
May 30, 2019Grand River near Pattonsburg36.28+11.28Major
Jun 30, 2017Grand River near Pattonsburg35.94+10.94Major
May 8, 2007Grand River near Pattonsburg34.27+9.27Major
Jun 1, 1947Grand River near Pattonsburg34.25+9.25Major
Sep 14, 1973Grand River near Pattonsburg33.80+8.80Major
Jun 9, 1982Grand River near Pattonsburg32.95+7.95Major
Oct 1, 2019Grand River near Pattonsburg32.79+7.79Major
Sep 12, 2014Grand River near Pattonsburg32.55+7.55Major
Oct 5, 1926Grand River near Gallatin38.90+12.90Moderate
Jun 4, 1935Grand River near Gallatin38.60+12.60Moderate
Apr 21, 1929Grand River near Gallatin38.50+12.50Moderate

River gauges

River gauges and their highest listed crests
Grand River near Gallatin26.045.00 ftJul 8, 190912
Grand River near Pattonsburg25.040.00 ftAug 9, 190910
  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.

Drought

In severe drought or worse for 136 of 1,581 months since 1895 (9%); the longest spell lasted 21 months.

136

Months in severe drought or worse since 1895

63

Months in extreme drought

9%

Share of all months, severe or worse

19

Drought reports to the Weather Service since 1996

Lowest reading

February 1957

−6.54, extreme drought

Longest severe spell

21 months

December 1955 to August 1957.

Latest month

September 2026

+1.40, slightly wet

Last severe month: September 2018.

Months in severe drought or worse, by year 1895: 0 1896: 0 1897: 0 1898: 0 1899: 0 1900: 0 1901: 5 1902: 4 1903: 0 1904: 0 1905: 0 1906: 3 1907: 0 1908: 0 1909: 0 1910: 2 1911: 2 1912: 0 1913: 0 1914: 2 1915: 0 1916: 0 1917: 2 1918: 6 1919: 0 1920: 0 1921: 0 1922: 0 1923: 0 1924: 0 1925: 0 1926: 0 1927: 0 1928: 0 1929: 0 1930: 0 1931: 0 1932: 0 1933: 0 1934: 4 1935: 0 1936: 5 1937: 1 1938: 4 1939: 7 1940: 1 1941: 1 1942: 0 1943: 0 1944: 0 1945: 0 1946: 0 1947: 0 1948: 0 1949: 0 1950: 0 1951: 0 1952: 0 1953: 4 1954: 8 1955: 1 1956: 12 12 1957: 8 1958: 0 1959: 0 1960: 0 1961: 0 1962: 0 1963: 0 1964: 3 1965: 0 1966: 1 1967: 3 1968: 0 1969: 0 1970: 0 1971: 0 1972: 0 1973: 0 1974: 0 1975: 0 1976: 2 1977: 7 1978: 0 1979: 0 1980: 0 1981: 0 1982: 0 1983: 0 1984: 0 1985: 0 1986: 0 1987: 0 1988: 7 1989: 6 1990: 0 1991: 0 1992: 0 1993: 0 1994: 0 1995: 0 1996: 0 1997: 0 1998: 0 1999: 0 2000: 3 2001: 0 2002: 1 2003: 11 2004: 0 2005: 0 2006: 2 2007: 0 2008: 0 2009: 0 2010: 0 2011: 0 2012: 5 2013: 1 2014: 0 2015: 0 2016: 0 2017: 0 2018: 2 2019: 0 2020: 0 2021: 0 2022: 0 2023: 0 2024: 0 2025: 0 18951905191519251935194519551965197519851995200520152025
Months each year with a Palmer index of −3 or lower, 1895 to 2025. Twelve means the whole year.
  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.

Earthquakes

3 earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more within 50 miles since 1995; none reached magnitude 4.

0

Magnitude 2.5+ inside the county since 1973

1

Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973

0

Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900

0

Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900

Largest within 50 miles

February 10, 1995

Magnitude 3.1

6 km E of Clearmont, Missouri; 46.3 miles away, 3.1 miles deep.

Most recent, magnitude 3 or more

February 10, 1995

Magnitude 3.1

6 km E of Clearmont, Missouri; 46.3 miles away.

  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.

Severe weather and other events

476 events in the National Weather Service record, 432 of them since 1996.

110

Hail reports, 1 inch or larger

19

Hail, 2 inches or larger

118

Damaging gusts, 58 mph+

55

Winter weather events since 1996

14

Heat events since 1996

10

Cold events since 1996

Largest hail

May 6, 2023

4.00 inches

Strongest measured or estimated gust

July 3, 1974

81 mph

More event types since 1996

Other Storm Events types since 1996
Lightning100Nov 10, 2006

Costliest events since 1996

  1. Jun 7, 2009Hail$500,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Grapefruit sized hail lasted 10 minutes, on the west shore of Lake Viking. One injury was reported from broken glass. Most homes suffered damage to roofs, windows, siding, and automobiles.

  2. Dec 10, 2007Ice Storm, Daviess$250,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Ice accumulations of 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch were reported across the county. Numerous tree branches and power lines down.

  3. Apr 10, 1997Heavy Snow, Daviess$100,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Heavy wet snow fell across the Northern third of Missouri throughout the day on the 10th followed by a second band of snow during the early morning hours of the 11th. Since temperatures were near or slightly over freezing during the snowfall, some of the snow melted quickly but 6 to 12 inches of snow accumulated with well over a foot in many locations. The heaviest snow fell along and to the north of Highway 136 from Albany in Gentry County to Prineton in Mercer County to Lancaster in Schuyler County. The greatest totals were recorded in Schuyler and Mercer Counties where 20-24 inches of snow was reported. Schuyler County Emergency Management reported 24 inches of snow at…

  4. Mar 12, 2006Hail$50,000
  5. Apr 2, 2010Thunderstorm Wind$45,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A chimney was reported collapsed and several roofs were blown off buildings.

  6. Oct 24, 2021Tornado$20,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A weak and brief tornado formed in Daviess County that destroyed an outbuilding at a residential farm in a rural area. NWS survey also indicated a grain bin caved in at the property.

  7. Jun 7, 2009Hail$10,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A significant episode of severe weather, featuring extremely large and destructive hail and a few brief tornadoes, impacted portions of northwest and north central Missouri during the late afternoon and evening hours on June 7th. The setup for the event featured a slow moving warm front that was draped from far northwest Missouri southeastward into central Missouri. This front had been reinforced by a complex of thunderstorms that had impacted northern Missouri during the overnight and early morning hours prior, allowing abundant low level moisture to become pooled along the front. Strong daytime heating along and south of the front sent temperatures into the middle and upper 80s.…

  8. Jun 7, 2009Thunderstorm Wind$10,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Powerlines were reported down and an elementary school was damaged.

  9. Apr 2, 2010Thunderstorm Wind$10,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A barn was blown down along Business Highway 6. A two foot diameter tree was also uprooted.

  10. Dec 15, 2021Thunderstorm Wind$10,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    There was a report of a carport and a lean-to blown over in Coffey, Missouri.

  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.

Weather records

From Trenton, 22.1 miles from the county’s population centre, with records from 1895.

All-time high
114°FJul 15, 1936
All-time low
−26°FJan 22, 1930
Warmest night
90°F2 times, most recently Jul 3, 1911
Coldest day
−7°F3 times, most recently Jan 15, 2024
Wettest day
6.66 inSep 7, 1914
Snowiest day
12.0 inMar 30, 1899
Hottest year
1938mean 57.1°F
Coldest year
1978mean 48.8°F
Wettest year
200859.03 in
Driest year
193622.98 in
Snowiest season
51.2 in1978-79
Average monthly high and low temperature and precipitation, last 30 years, Trenton 32°F 35° 17° 1.3 Jan 41° 19° 1.6 Feb 53° 31° 2.6 Mar 65° 41° 3.7 Apr 75° 53° 5.3 May 85° 63° 5.2 Jun 89° 67° 4.0 Jul 86° 64° 4.3 Aug 80° 56° 3.5 Sep 67° 44° 3.1 Oct 53° 32° 2.0 Nov 40° 22° 1.8 Dec Precipitation, inches
Average daily high and low by month, and average monthly precipitation, over the last 30 years.
Days reaching 95°F per year 1976: 15 1977: 13 1978: 3 1979: 3 1980: 31 1981: 4 1982: 6 1983: 37 1984: 16 1985: 3 1998: 13 1999: 23 2000: 10 2001: 17 2002: 17 2003: 24 2004: 2 2005: 24 2006: 23 2007: 23 2008: 5 2009: 4 2010: 15 2011: 25 2012: 41 41 2013: 22 2014: 6 2015: 12 2016: 17 2017: 14 2018: 31 2020: 0 2021: 2 2022: 5 2023: 4 2024: 2 2025: 2 1976199820082018
Days reaching 95°F each complete year, last 50 years. Thirty-year average: 14.2.
Snowfall by winter 1976: 22.7 in 1977: 31.7 in 1978: 51.2 in 51.2 1981: 21.8 in 1985: 14.0 in 1998: 12.4 in 1999: 15.3 in 2000: 46.2 in 2001: 1.4 in 2002: 12.0 in 2003: 12.5 in 2004: 8.9 in 2005: 14.0 in 2006: 16.5 in 2007: 35.1 in 2008: 18.7 in 2009: 41.3 in 2014: 15.3 in 2015: 7.1 in 2016: 6.7 in 2017: 10.3 in 2018: 29.0 in 2019: 21.8 in 2020: 28.4 in 2021: 20.1 in 2022: 10.0 in 2023: 13.5 in 2025: 9.2 in 197620032017
Total snowfall each winter (July to June), last 50 winters.

Median first snow

December 4

Earliest: October 26, 2020

Median last snow

March 13

Latest: April 20, 2021

0 of 72 winters had no measurable snow.

Station Trenton (USC00238444), 837 ft elevation, 22.1 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1895 to October 27, 2026; 93.4% 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.

Federal disaster declarations

24 since 1953. The most recent: Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding, August 3, 2026.

Federal disaster declarations
Aug 3, 2026Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and FloodingMajor disasterDR-4929-MO
Sep 1, 2021Severe StormSevere Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and FloodingMajor disasterDR-4612-MO
Mar 26, 2020BiologicalCovid-19 PandemicMajor disasterDR-4490-MO
Mar 13, 2020BiologicalCovid-19EmergencyEM-3482-MO
Jul 9, 2019Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and FloodingMajor disasterDR-4451-MO
Aug 7, 2015Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and FloodingMajor disasterDR-4238-MO
Oct 31, 2014Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and FloodingMajor disasterDR-4200-MO
Feb 3, 2011Severe StormSevere Winter StormEmergencyEM-3317-MO
Aug 17, 2010Severe StormSevere Storms, Flooding, and TornadoesMajor disasterDR-1934-MO
Jan 30, 2009Severe Ice StormSevere Winter StormEmergencyEM-3303-MO
Jun 25, 2008Severe StormSevere Storms and FloodingMajor disasterDR-1773-MO
Dec 27, 2007Severe Ice StormSevere Winter StormsMajor disasterDR-1736-MO
Dec 12, 2007Severe Ice StormSevere Winter StormsEmergencyEM-3281-MO
Jun 11, 2007Severe StormSevere Storms and FloodingMajor disasterDR-1708-MO
Mar 16, 2006Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes and FloodingMajor disasterDR-1631-MO
Sep 10, 2005HurricaneHurricane Katrina EvacuationEmergencyEM-3232-MO
Jun 11, 2004Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and FloodingMajor disasterDR-1524-MO
Feb 6, 2002Severe Ice StormSevere Winter Ice StormMajor disasterDR-1403-MO
Jun 2, 1995Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Hail, FloodingMajor disasterDR-1054-MO
Jul 9, 1993FloodSevere Storms & FloodingMajor disasterDR-995-MO
Sep 24, 1976DroughtDroughtEmergencyEM-3017-MO
Nov 1, 1973FloodSevere Storms & FloodingMajor disasterDR-407-MO
Apr 19, 1973Severe StormHeavy Rains, Tornadoes & FloodingMajor disasterDR-372-MO
Jul 27, 1965FloodSevere Storms & FloodingMajor disasterDR-203-MO

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.

How this compares

Where Daviess County stands among 115 counties in Missouri and 3,143 in the United States.

Ranks
Tornadoes since 19502174 / 1151,514 / 3,143
Tornadoes rated F3/EF3 or stronger168 / 1151,281 / 3,143
Tropical cyclones within 50 mi0——
Hurricane-strength passes within 50 mi0——
Wildfire acres since 19840——
Flood insurance claims3769 / 1151,791 / 3,143
Flood insurance paid$609,00066 / 1151,704 / 3,143
Disaster declarations2468 / 115900 / 3,143
Flood events since 19965966 / 1151,200 / 3,143
Hail and wind events since 199626251 / 1151,465 / 3,143
Winter storm events since 19965537 / 1151,832 / 3,143
Reported damage since 1996$1.1 million98 / 1152,935 / 3,143
River crests at major flood stage226 / 115175 / 3,143
High tide flooding days a year, last 10 years0.0——
Months in severe drought since 189513631 / 1151,287 / 3,143
Medium or heavy smoke days a year, last 10 years25.98 / 115554 / 3,143
Earthquakes M4+ within 50 mi since 19000——
Earthquakes M2.5+ in the county since 19730——

Neighbouring counties

Neighbouring counties
Caldwell County1108971
DeKalb County21006
Gentry County20002
Grundy County19004
Harrison County27006
Livingston County130024

Sources and vintage

Every number on this page comes from these public records.

  • 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 USC00238444.
  • 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.