Stoddard County

Every recorded tornado

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

Mapped landslides

Mapped by MO DNR (2).

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, Stoddard$19.7 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. Sep 14, 2008High Wind, Stoddard$7.1 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…

3. May 1, 2011Flood$3.5 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…

4. Jul 10, 2021Tornado$2.0 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado first touched down along Highway AD, just north of the interchange with U.S. Highway 60. The tornado then tracked east-southeast across Highways 60 and 25 through the city of Dexter. At least 150 homes were damaged. At least one home sustained major loss of roof decking, and a half dozen or less homes had major damage mainly due to fallen trees. Most damage was loss of shingles and siding and facia. Several mobile homes were heavily damaged or destroyed. One mobile home was flipped on its roof. Several garages were blown from their foundations. A few large buildings sustained major damage, including major loss of roof structures. A hospital sustained major damage with…

5. Mar 18, 2008Flood$1.8 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   Major flooding occurred, causing a number of road closures. Numerous roads were underwater. The Castor River experienced severe flooding. Four breaches were reported along a levee on the Castor River near Aquilla. The breaches were 12 to 25 feet in length. The resulting flooding forced emergency crews to rescue at least one family. The Castor River came up to the base of the Highway 25 bridge at Aquilla. West of Advance, the community of Greenbrier was flooded by the Castor River. Water was three and a half feet deep inside a church in Greenbrier, about six inches higher than the flood of 1982. The 1982 flood was considered the worst in memory for longtime local residents.…

6. Jan 29, 2008High Wind, Stoddard$1.5 million
   National Weather Service narrative

   A brief period of high winds followed in the wake of a cold front passage. Wind gusts were measured up to 61 mph at the Poplar Bluff airport, 60 mph at Doniphan in Ripley County, and 62 mph at the Cape Girardeau airport. In Qulin, the roof and wall was blown off a vacant gas station. A portable building in Qulin was rolled into a mobile home. In Poplar Bluff, four power poles were snapped, and at least 21 trees were downed. Many homes lost shingles. At the Dexter airport in Stoddard County, a number of planes were blown around and damaged. Over a dozen planes received major damage, and about 33 of 36 hangars were damaged. Some hangars were destroyed. The roof of the airport…

7. Mar 9, 2006Tornado$900,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   The tornado nearly paralleled U.S. Route 60 in a commercial district just north of downtown Dexter. At the beginning of the damage path, a Wal-Mart store and a car dealership were struck. The Wal-Mart sustained significant damage to its roof and auto shop bay doors. Between the Wal-Mart and the car dealership, light standards anchored by concrete three feet into the ground were pulled out. At the car dealership, about 50 cars were damaged by wind-blown debris and hail, with windows broken. At a mobile home dealership, an unsecured mobile home trailer was turned on its side and pushed next to another trailer. A church lost its steeple and 4 to 6 feet of its roof, and brick fascia…

8. Oct 31, 2013Tornado$800,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This tornado, which occurred a few miles southwest of Baker, contained estimated peak winds near 115 mph. Three large equipment sheds and four grain bins were levelled, and debris was carried hundreds of yards. Several large trees were snapped. Farm equipment was overturned. Part of a brick wall was removed from one side of a home. Roof damage occurred to two other homes.

9. Apr 19, 1996Tornado$700,000
   National Weather Service narrative

   This short-lived tornado damaged several houses. A house trailer was destroyed. A couple schools in Bernie lost their roofs. In the city park, many trees were blown down, and a pavilion collapsed. A large grocery store lost part of its roof. Signs were blown down.

10. Feb 11, 2008Winter Storm, Stoddard$500,000
    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…

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

112°FJul 29, 1997

All-time low

−18°FJan 8, 1942

Warmest night

81°F4 times, most recently Aug 11, 1941

Coldest day

4°FJan 11, 1982

Wettest day

11.00 inMar 28, 1977

Snowiest day

12.0 in2 times, most recently Feb 19, 2021

Hottest year

1946mean 61.6°F

Coldest year

1979mean 54.8°F

Wettest year

197378.61 in

Driest year

195327.76 in

Snowiest season

33.0 in1969-70

Station Wappapello Dam (USC00238700), 410 ft elevation, 18.0 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1939 to October 27, 2026; 88.5% 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 USC00238700.
• 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.