New Madrid County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within New Madrid 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.

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.

Tsunamis

1. Places where NOAA's Global Historical Tsunami Database records a tsunami's water arriving, with the greatest height it reached above sea level at the time. Only tsunamis NOAA rates probable or definite are counted. Heights from eyewitness accounts and tide gauges are mixed, and older events are less completely recorded.

NOAA NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Mapped landslides

Mapped by MO DNR (3).

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. May 2, 2011Flash Flood$70.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers activated the New Madrid Floodway by detonating a levee at Birds Point in Mississippi County. The intentional levee breach relieved pressure on levees along the lower Ohio River and portions of the Mississippi River. The blast that opened the levee shattered windows in Mississippi County and rattled windows as far away as Paducah, Kentucky. The flash flood caused by the levee breach was anticipated for days, and evacuations had been completed beforehand. Over 130,000 acres of prime farmland were submerged. Dozens of homes were flooded. A primary national insurer estimated property losses were around 100 million dollars within the floodway. The…

2. Jan 26, 2009Winter Storm, New Madrid$21.7 million
   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…

3. Sep 14, 2008High Wind, New Madrid$5.8 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…

4. May 4, 2020Thunderstorm Wind$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A very intense macroburst caused extensive damage across southwest New Madrid County, including the Gideon area. Peak winds were estimated near 110 mph, based on NWS storm surveys. About eight miles of the 19-mile long damage swath was in New Madrid County. Most of the remainder of the path was in Pemiscot County. The width of the macroburst averaged about six miles in New Madrid County. Several large grain bins were destroyed, with some blown a hundred yards or more from their anchored position. A couple of large storage buildings collapsed or partially collapsed. Several garages, farm sheds and similar structures were heavily damaged or destroyed. At least a half dozen homes or…

5. May 1, 2011Flood$3.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Widespread flooding continued from April into May across southeast Missouri. Following excessive rain in April, a final dose of heavy rain came between April 30 and May 2. Numerous rounds of showers and thunderstorms produced additional average rainfall amounts of 4 to 6 inches. Between 9 and 22 inches of rain fell across the region between April 22 and May 3. Most creeks and streams flooded for an extended period of time. Some of the flooding was major. Numerous roads were flooded and closed, including some major state highways in each county. About 150 state roads were closed in southeast Missouri at the peak of the flooding. A number of road washouts were reported across…

6. Mar 15, 2025Tornado$900,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   An EF-1 tornado began just south of County Road 824 and west of Highway FF near Browns, and moved east northeast into the south side of Sikeston where it dissipated near Ingram Road. The tornado did mainly roof damage to homes, businesses, apartment buildings, and a nursing home on the south side of Sikeston. It also broke several wooden power poles and damaged a few barns and outbuildings. The estimated peak wind was 105 mph.

7. Sep 23, 2006Flood$750,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Flooding from excessive rainfall the previous night caused widespread damage across the county, especially in Lilbourn. An estimated 75 to 110 residents of Lilbourn were displaced. Water in the houses ranged up to three feet deep. Streets were flooded, and houses were sandbagged. Access to some neighborhoods was mainly by boat. Gas leaks were reported in Lilbourn and Parma. In Portageville, at least a couple dozen homes were flooded, and businesses along Highway 162 near the Interstate 55 overpass had water in them. New Madrid County was declared a state disaster area by the governor. Countywide, a total of 127 occupied structures were damaged, and 147 others were affected. Of the…

8. Feb 24, 2018Tornado$750,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This EF-2 tornado tracked from the south side of Matthews to one mile east of town. Roofs were partially or completely torn off dozens of homes. Semi trucks were blown over and destroyed. Numerous outbuildings were destroyed. A couple of injuries occurred due to windows being blown out of a nursing home. Peak winds were estimated near 120 mph.

9. May 1, 2011Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Record flooding occurred on the Mississippi River. At the New Madrid river gage, the flood crest of 48.35 feet on the night of May 5 broke the previous record (set in 1937) by a few inches. The levee protecting the city of New Madrid held the water back, but seepwater caused a number of problems. Many city streets were damaged in New Madrid, including the formation of sinkholes once the water receded. One home was damaged by the seepwater, with water about an inch deep. Some basements were flooded with seepwater. Outside the levee system, the sewer treatment plant for New Madrid was in danger of being flooded. Floodfighting efforts were effective in saving the plant. Interstate 55…

10. May 3, 2020Tornado$500,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    The EF-1 tornado damaged or destroyed several farm buildings. The farm buildings included large metal storage buildings. The concrete anchors of a shed were pulled from the ground. The tornado cut through the city of Marston, where the city hall and an apartment building were partially unroofed. At least three power poles were broken. Numerous trees were uprooted. The discernable tornado path ended in the Mississippi River flood plain. Peak winds were estimated near 95 mph.

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

110°FJun 30, 2012

All-time low

−12°F2 times, most recently Dec 22, 1989

Warmest night

83°FJul 28, 1955

Coldest day

5°F2 times, most recently Jan 19, 1994

Wettest day

6.75 inMar 5, 2015

Snowiest day

10.0 inFeb 17, 2015

Hottest year

2012mean 63.0°F

Coldest year

1996mean 54.7°F

Wettest year

195783.54 in

Driest year

198028.79 in

Snowiest season

35.0 in1959-60

Station Sikeston Pwr Station (USC00237772), 310 ft elevation, 18.4 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1950 to October 27, 2026; 91.4% 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.

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 USC00237772.
• 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.
• Tsunamis NOAA NCEI/WDS Global Historical Tsunami Database.
• 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.