Pulaski County

Every recorded tornado

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

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.

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.

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.

Mapped landslides

Mapped by MO DNR (1).

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. Dec 31, 2010Tornado$90.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A NWS storm survey team determined that a tornado occurred over Fort Leonard Wood. Numerous homes were destroyed on the east side of the base. Several homes suffered complete wall damage. A total of 159 homes were damaged with 41 destroyed and 32 others with significant damage. Extensive to moderate damage occurred to numerous military training areas, moderate damage occurred to installation utility systems, and extensive damage occurred in one installation family housing area. The water treatment plant on the base was severely damage which completely lost its second level of the building. The tornado disrupted the base's power supply system, shut off the water system, and damaged…

2. Jan 12, 2007Ice Storm, Pulaski$8.3 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Significant tree and power line damage occurred across Pulaski County from ice accumulations up to one and a half inches.

3. Apr 30, 2017Flash Flood$5.4 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Several homes and business sustained flood damage across the county. Numerous roads and bridges were severely damaged or washed away across the county. There was some infrastructure damage on the Fort Leonard Wood base, including damage to Water Pump Station, roads, bridge, golf course, and the East Gate Access Control Point. This report will contain the total dollar estimate for flood damage to infrastructure, businesses, and homes across Pulaski County.

4. Aug 6, 2013Flash Flood$5.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   This storm report will be a summary of the total damage for the Waynesville area and Pulaski County for this flooding event. Approximately 90 percent of the roads in the county were damaged with 65 percent of the roads had major damage. There were 25 low water crossings that were totally washed out and numerous more needed repairs. There were up to 100 homes and businesses that were inundated by flood waters. Numerous cars were flooded or washed away. Most of the homes flooded were along Mitchell Creek and Rubidoux River near downtown Waynesville. Over 100 people were rescued from swift and high water. There were two flash flood fatalities which occurred near downtown Waynesville.

5. Nov 5, 2024Flood$2.4 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The Roubidoux River flooded the Roubidoux Park and RV Park along with nearby homes. Additional damage occurred to roads and bridges across northern Pulaski County along the Roubidoux and Gasconade Rivers. Additionally, $1 million in damages occurred to road and bridge damages across the county with the most significant damage in the southern part of the county along the Little Piney and Big Piney near Devil���s Elbow. Seven homes suffered major damage and 30 homes with minor damage.

6. Dec 26, 2015Flash Flood$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Route HH was closed due to flooding at Bell Creek. Nearly all low water crossings across the county were flooded. There were several rural and county roads that sustained damage from flooding. There were a few homes and businesses that had flood damage as well across the county. This storm report will contain the damage estimates for the entire county for this event.

7. Jan 7, 2008Tornado$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A National Weather Service storm survey revealed that an EF-3 tornado tracked across a rural section of northeast Pulaski County. A few homes and several outbuildings were destroyed. The tornado then tracked into northeast Phelps County.

8. Mar 18, 2008Flash Flood$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Rainfall amounts ranged from five to nine inches over Pulaski County. Southern sections of the county experienced the greatest rainfall, though all areas that typically experiences flooding during periods of excessive rain. Damage was reported on county roads and bridges.

9. Apr 25, 2011Flood$500,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Numerous low water crossings and rural roads were flooded in the county. The most intense flooding was in the southern portion of the county.||The total cost estimate for flooding damages for Pulaski County for this entire episode has been included. This includes roads, bridges, and structures which were affected.

10. May 6, 2003Tornado$500,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A NWS storm survey revealed that a tornado had touched down on a ridge top north of Waynesville. Several homes were damaged with numerous trees and power lines downed.

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

115°FJul 14, 1954

All-time low

−25°FDec 23, 1989

Warmest night

84°FJul 22, 1941

Coldest day

0°FJan 15, 2024

Wettest day

6.18 inDec 27, 2015

Snowiest day

16.0 inMar 6, 1989

Hottest year

2025mean 59.4°F

Coldest year

2008mean 52.5°F

Wettest year

198566.85 in

Driest year

197624.95 in

Snowiest season

61.5 in1959-60

Station Waynesville 2 W (USC00238777), 890 ft elevation, 3.1 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1941 to December 31, 2025; 86.7% 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 USC00238777.
• 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.