Natural disaster risk in Barry County, Missouri

Missouri · population 34,451 · FIPS 29009

Overall: relatively low risk

Barry County has a composite risk score of 75.1 out of 100 — higher than 75% of US counties. It ranks 23 of 115 in Missouri (1 = highest risk). Its highest-rated hazards are ice storm, strong wind, tornado.

Drought now: Yes: D4 Exceptional Drought, 1 week

Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 29.21% of Barry County is in D4 Exceptional Drought. Some of it has been at D4 for 1 week so far. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).

Drought in Barry County: the last 52 weeks · droughtmonitor.unl.edu

The U.S. Drought Monitor is jointly produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Map courtesy of NDMC.

Risk, loss, vulnerability and resilience

MeasureRating and score
Overall risk
Expected annual loss, adjusted for social vulnerability and community resilience.
Relatively low 75.1
Expected annual loss
About $29.9 million a year, on average, across all 18 hazards.
Relatively low 72.4
Social vulnerability
Higher means people may find it harder to prepare and recover.
Relatively moderate 54.1
Community resilience
Higher means a stronger ability to prepare, adapt and recover.
Very low 19.9

Risk by hazard

FEMA's risk rating for each of 18 natural hazards in Barry County, highest first. "Not applicable" means the hazard is not modelled here.

HazardRisk rating and score
Ice storm Relatively high 93
Strong wind Relatively high 85
Tornado Relatively moderate 85
Heat wave Relatively moderate 83
Inland (riverine) flooding Relatively moderate 79
Winter weather Relatively moderate 76
Lightning Relatively moderate 74
Cold wave Relatively moderate 72
Drought Relatively moderate 71
Landslide Relatively low 74
Earthquake Relatively low 70
Wildfire Relatively low 67
Hail Relatively low 64
Hurricane Very low 46
Avalanche Not applicable
Coastal flooding Not applicable
Tsunami Not applicable
Volcanic activity Not applicable

FEMA disaster declarations for Barry County

Federal declarations that designated Barry County, since 1 Jan 2024 (the period this site keeps from OpenFEMA). Older declarations are in FEMA's own dataset.

Yes. Barry County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4876-MO (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding), declared 9 Jun 2025.

DeclarationKindIncidentDeclaredIndividual assistance here
DR-4876-MO Major disaster Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding 9 Jun 2025 No
DR-4803-MO Major disaster Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding 23 Jul 2024 Yes

All FEMA declarations in Missouri, with estimated apply-by dates · Open FEMA deadlines

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). Dataset: Disaster Declarations Summaries - v2.

How to read these ratings

  • Ratings run in five steps: very low, relatively low, relatively moderate, relatively high and very high. They compare a county with every other US county; they are not a measure of danger on their own.
  • Scores run from 0 to 100 and are national percentiles. The bar shows the score: a score of 80 means a higher value than 80% of US counties.
  • Overall risk combines the expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience.
  • Expected annual loss is the average yearly loss to buildings, people and agriculture the model expects from all 18 hazards.
  • Social vulnerability describes how hard it may be for people to prepare for and recover from a disaster. Higher is worse.
  • Community resilience describes a community's ability to prepare, adapt and recover. Higher is better.
  • "Not applicable" means FEMA does not model that hazard there (for example, hurricanes far inland).

About this data

Source: FEMA National Risk Index, version 1.20, released December 2025, published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (US public domain). About the National Risk Index. The index is a model of relative risk built from historical hazard records, what is exposed and community factors. It is not a forecast, it does not describe any single property, and it is not insurance or financial advice. For decisions about a specific address, check FEMA's flood maps and your local emergency management office.

Questions

What is the natural disaster risk in Barry County, Missouri?

FEMA's National Risk Index rates the overall risk in Barry County as relatively low, with a score of 75.1 out of 100 (higher than 75% of US counties). That is a comparison with other US counties, not a forecast.

What are the biggest natural hazards in Barry County?

The hazards rated highest for Barry County are ice storm (relatively high), strong wind (relatively high), tornado (relatively moderate).

What is the flood risk in Barry County?

FEMA rates inland (river and rain) flooding risk in Barry County as relatively moderate. For a specific property, check the FEMA flood map and your local floodplain office.

Has Barry County had a FEMA disaster declaration?

Yes. Barry County has been named in 2 FEMA declarations since 1 Jan 2024. The latest is DR-4876-MO (Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, Tornadoes, and Flooding), declared 9 Jun 2025.

Is Barry County in a drought?

Yes. On the U.S. Drought Monitor map valid 13 October 2026, 29.21% of Barry County is in D4 Exceptional Drought. Some of it has been at D4 for 1 week so far. In all, 100% of the county is in drought (D1 to D4).

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