Scott County

Every recorded tornado

1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Scott County: 10.
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.

Mapped landslides

Mapped by MO DNR (4).

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. Jan 26, 2009Winter Storm, Scott$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…

2. May 16, 2025Tornado$15.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A 16 mile long EF3 tornado started in eastern Stoddard County along County Highway Y, tracking eastward into Scott County. As it crossed Highway 61, it damaged approximately 10 power poles. The worst damage was found in the Sloanville Drive area where numerous homes were heavily damaged or completely destroyed, this included a brick home and several mobile homes. Two fatalities occurred along this|road. Numerous more homes were either significantly damaged or completely destroyed west of I-55 in Sandywoods, with the tornado continuing east to Woodhaven Estates. Dozens of trees were snapped or uprooted. Many outbuildings suffered some degree of damage or were a complete loss. Max…

3. Sep 14, 2008High Wind, Scott$8.4 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 1, 2011Flood$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Major flooding continued from April on the Mississippi River. At the Thebes, Illinois river gage, the flood crest of 45.52 feet on the night of May 2 was the second highest crest on record. The record crest was 45.91 feet in May of 1995. The activation of the New Madrid Floodway by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers spared the county from an even higher crest. With the detonation of the Mississippi River levee at Birds Point, Missouri, the river dropped suddenly. A combination of Mississippi River backwater and headwaters from the Whitewater River caused flooding as far inland as Chaffee. In Chaffee, a nursing home was sandbagged after its parking lot flooded. Many homes and other…

5. May 26, 2024Tornado$1.4 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An EF-3 tornado (max EF-2 for this second Scott County portion) formed in Stoddard County, then tracked northeastward through New Madrid County into Scott County at Butler St in southwest Sikeston, then crossing back briefly into New Madrid County, re-entering Scott County near the intersection of Montgomery St and W Murray Ln. The tornado did extensive and severe tree damage through the south side of Sikeston. Approaching and crossing Malone Ave, the tornado removed part of the roof of a school building and a nearby former farm supply store, where cinder block walls also collapsed. North of Malone Ave, the tornado collapsed a tall wooden light pole at a ball field, and removed…

6. Nov 17, 2013Tornado$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Two stick built homes were destroyed. One of these homes had complete roof loss, as well as most exterior walls and some interior walls blown out. A vehicle was blown out of the garage. The other home had a large portion of the roof blown off and some exterior walls blown out. Three empty railroad cars were overturned. A 60 by 80 foot building was blown away. Three mobile homes were completely destroyed. Numerous other mobile homes sustained moderate to major damage. Several irrigation systems were blown around. Many dozens of large or very large trees were snapped. Nine power poles were snapped. The tornado was videotaped as it crossed parts of the county. Peak winds were…

7. Mar 14, 2025Tornado$1.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   An EF-2 tornado began east of Bell City in Stoddard County and quickly moved into Scott County. The worst damage was shortly after it entered the county along Highway 91, where it destroyed a barn, flipped a center pivot, and snapped several wooden power pole. The tornado continued northeast through mostly open fields, damaging grain silos and outbuildings, and dissipated just west of Oran. The estimated peak wind was 115 mph. The total path length was 6.4 miles.

8. Mar 18, 2008Flood$675,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   Northern portions of the county received the most rain and the worst flooding. Main Street and numerous side streets were closed in Scott City. In Scott City, a mudslide forced the closure of Route AB. In Chaffee, 48 residents were evacuated from a nursing home. Much of Chaffee was under water, flooding a car wash and a church. Across the county, at least 38 homes and businesses sustained at least some damage. Sandbagging was done around a house threatened by floodwaters on Route EE. Water spilled over the top of a levee on Caney Creek, flooding farmland. One bridge was damaged beyond repair. Another bridge approach was washed out. At least a dozen mudslides were cleared from…

9. Jun 4, 2012Thunderstorm Wind$600,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   A total of 52 homes were damaged. The damage was mostly minor to moderate roof damage. Several businesses and a church were damaged. Numerous outbuildings were damaged. Several power poles were snapped. Dozens of trees were uprooted or snapped. An irrigation system was toppled. The path length was 3.5 miles and the path width was one-half mile. These downburst winds of up to 100 mph were on the right side of a small EF-2 tornado that struck Diehlstadt directly.

10. Jan 1, 2016Flood$500,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Mississippi River levels continued their climb from December, and record flooding occurred early in the month. At the Thebes, Illinois river gage, the river crested at a new record of 47.74 feet before dawn on the 2nd. The old record was 45.91 feet, which was set in May of 1995. Records at Thebes go back to at least 1844. The 2016 crest would have been higher if a major levee break had not occurred between Thebes and Cairo, Illinois. Flood stage at Thebes is 33 feet. Thousands of acres of unprotected land outside the levee system were flooded, most of which was cropland. The small community of Commerce, which is not protected by a levee, was severely flooded. Only about nine homes…

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, 14.5 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.
• 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.