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Risk: Relatively Low

Howell County, MO Environment & Hazard Risk

Relatively Low natural hazard risk, led by ice storm. 975 storm events since 1996.

Expected yearly loss
$30.2M
Relatively Low nationally
Storm events since 1996
975
Most often thunderstorm wind
Flood insurance policies
24
0.2% of homes
Hurricanes nearby
0
1 tropical storm or stronger since 2008

Natural hazard risk

FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025

Overall risk

Relatively Low

Score 77.8 of 100

Social vulnerability

Relatively High

Score 65.5 of 100

Community resilience

Very Low

Score 11.9 of 100

Community resilience runs the other way: a higher rating means a community can recover faster.

Building value exposed: $11.2B · Agriculture value exposed: $73.2M · Risk-adjusted yearly loss: $39.6M

Risk by hazard

  • Ice stormRelatively High$1.1M/yr expected annual loss, about 1.2 events a year
  • EarthquakeRelatively Moderate$4.9M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 212 years
  • Heat waveRelatively Moderate$1.9M/yr expected annual loss, about 12 events a year
  • Winter weatherRelatively Moderate$215K/yr expected annual loss, about 10 events a year
  • Cold waveRelatively Moderate$2.5M/yr expected annual loss, about 1.9 events a year
  • LightningRelatively Moderate$509K/yr expected annual loss, about 57 events a year
  • TornadoRelatively Moderate$2.6M/yr expected annual loss, about once every 2 years
  • WildfireRelatively Low$215K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 479 years
  • Strong windRelatively Moderate$822K/yr expected annual loss, about 2.7 events a year
  • LandslideRelatively Low$3,735/yr expected annual loss, about 1.1 events a year
  • HurricaneVery Low$26.8K/yr expected annual loss, about once every 64 years
  • DroughtRelatively Low$26.5K/yr expected annual loss, about 4.4 events a year
  • HailVery Low$103K/yr expected annual loss, about 4.2 events a year

Bars show the national percentile score (0 to 100) for each hazard. Dollar figures are expected annual losses to buildings, people and crops. Not rated here: avalanche, coastal flooding, riverine flooding, tsunami, volcanic activity.

Flood risk and insurance

National Flood Insurance Program and FEMA flood maps

Check the flood zone for an address

Homes with flood insurance
24 of 14,989 (0.2%)
Homes in high-risk flood zones
245
Insured in high-risk zones
19 (8%)
Flood claims since 1978
75
Claims paid since 1978
$3.6M

Flood claims paid per year

Flood claims paid per year in Howell County
Beta
  • Late spring severe storms$2.2M · 45 claims
  • Central U.S. April Flooding$667K · 2 claims
  • Mid-spring storms$230K · 5 claims
  • Not a named storm$301 · 1 claim

Storm history

Since 1996: 975 events, 9 deaths, $104M in damage

  • Thunderstorm Wind261
  • Hail260
  • Flash Flood196 · 6 deaths
  • Flood108
  • Winter Storm31
  • Tornado24 · 1 death
  • Drought23
  • Heavy Rain22
  • Winter Weather12
  • Heat9
Beta

Events per year

Storm events per year in Howell County
12
25
31
15
58
24
38
16
38
32
38
36
43
36
35
25
28
27
69
34
Beta

50 tornadoes on record (EF0 9, EF1 4, EF2 2, EF3 4, F0 1, F1 16, F2 11, F3 2, F4 1).

Most damaging storms

Since 1996, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage

  • Flash Flood04/30/2017

    West Plains, Howell County

    $60M damage

    What happened

    Extreme flash floods hit the West Plains area. All roads in and out of West Plains were flooded and impassable. Numerous structures were flooded, including 51 that were affected and 13 destroyed, two of which accounted for a very large share of the dollar damage. The Missouri State University campus in West Plains also suffered severe flood water damage. This report will contain the total dollar estimate for flood damage to infrastructure, businesses, and homes across Howell County.

  • Flash Flood04/04/2025

    (H63)west Plains, Howell County

    2 deaths, $500K damage

    What happened

    Several city streets in the City of West Plains were flooded, leading to two fatalities. The first fatality occurred as a car was swept off Porter Wagner into Howell Creek around 4:55 PM CST and the second swept off County Road 8230 into Mustion Creek around 5:16 PM CST. Both victims drowned after leaving their vehicle.

  • Flash Flood04/25/2011

    Olden, Howell County

    1 death, $3M damage

    What happened

    The Missouri Highway Patrol reported that a 65 year old man was swept off the road and drowned by a flooded creek near the the intersection of County Road 4740 and County Road 5130. This section of the road was not a low water crossing. The stream is an unnamed small headwater tributary to Spring Creek.||The city of West Plains experienced historical flash flooding on the evening of April 23rd. Areas around the city flooded due to very heavy rainfall. It was estimated about a million dollars of damage occurred with this event alone.||The total cost estimate for flooding damages for Howell County for this entire episode has been included. This includes roads, bridges, and structures which were affected.

  • Flash Flood12/18/2021

    Mountain View, Howell County

    1 death, 1 injured

    What happened

    Heavy rain caused the Gill Branch to leave its banks and overtop Highway 71. A 71 year old motorist was swept of Highway Y and drowned in the flood waters.

  • Flash Flood07/09/2004

    Moody, Howell County

    1 death, 1 injured

    What happened

    Two feet of swift moving flood water over a low water crossing washed a vehicle off of the road resulting in a water rescue. One woman drowned as she was swept out of the vehicle and carried downstream. The man was also swept out of the vehicle and was carried up on an embankment and survived with minor injury.

  • Flash Flood02/27/1997

    Willow Springs, Howell County

    1 death, 1 injured

    What happened

    A two year old girl drowned after the pickup truck driven by her mother was swept off a rain-swollen low water crossing on County Road 1550, six miles east of Willow Springs. Her mother was rescued. The young girl's body, which was strapped in a car seat, was found downstream about six hours later.

Drinking water

9 community water systems serve about 23,515 people. Violations since 2021.

1 system had health-based violations, such as a contaminant over the legal limit or a missed treatment step. 1 system had a violation of any kind still open at last report.

Largest systems by population served. Monitoring and reporting violations mean required tests or notices were late or missing, not that the water was unsafe.

Pollution sites

0 Superfund sites and 5 toxic release facilities in Howell County

Superfund sites

None in this county.

Toxic release facilities

Total: 6,055 lbs in 2024, 705 lbs to air.

Superfund sitesToxic release facilitiesEPA inspections and enforcementAir toxics cancer risk5 historic places

Frequently asked questions

How risky is Howell County for natural disasters?
FEMA rates Howell County relatively low for overall natural hazard risk, with expected losses of $30.2M a year. The highest-rated hazards are ice storm (relatively high), earthquake (relatively moderate), heat wave (relatively moderate).
What storms are most common in Howell County?
Since 1996, NOAA recorded 975 storm events affecting Howell County, most often thunderstorm wind (261), hail (260), flash flood (196).
How many tornadoes have hit Howell County?
50 tornadoes have been recorded in Howell County since 1950, including 7 rated F3/EF3 or stronger.
How many homes in Howell County have flood insurance?
24 residential flood insurance policies are in force in Howell County, covering about 0.2% of homes. The program has paid $3.6M on 75 claims here since 1978.
What is the weather like in Howell County?
At W Plains, average highs reach 89°F in Jul and lows fall to 22°F in Jan, with 49.4 inches of rain a year (1991-2020 normals).

Source: FEMA (National Risk Index, NFIP), NOAA (Storm Events, HURDAT2, Climate Normals), EPA · Last updated 08/01/2026 · Storm counts include events in forecast zones that touch the county. This product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA.

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