Storm risk in Buchanan County, Missouri

FEMA's overall hazard score for Buchanan County is 74.36 (Relatively Low), 807th of 3,144 counties. Hail scores 90.20 (Relatively Moderate), strong wind 85.18 (Relatively High) and tornado 89.73 (Relatively Moderate). Expected hail loss is $82 per $1 million of buildings a year; NOAA logged 26 hail reports in Buchanan County from 2014 to June 2026.

FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026. NOAA hail reports 2014 to June 2026.

Buchanan County: expected yearly loss per $1 million of buildings for hail, strong wind and tornado, on a log scale, against all U.S. counties and the counties of MO$0.1$1$10$100$1,000Hail: $82 per $1 million, 614th of 3,126 rated counties$82Hail614th of 3,126 countiesStrong wind: $21 per $1 million, 1,529th of 3,121 rated counties$21Strong wind1,529th of 3,121 countiesTornado: $373 per $1 million, 764th of 3,144 rated counties$373Tornado764th of 3,144 counties
  • Buchanan County, coloured by its FEMA rating
  • all U.S. counties
  • each county in the state
  • U.S. median
  • state median

Expected yearly loss per $1 million of buildings, log scale. Dot colour is FEMA’s rating band. The tornado lane counts everything exposed, not only buildings.

How FEMA rates Buchanan County

HazardRatingScore (0 to 100)Rank in U.S.Rank in MO
OverallRelatively Low 74.36807 of 3,14425 of 115
HailRelatively Moderate 90.20309 of 3,1269 of 115
Strong windRelatively High 85.18467 of 3,12618 of 115
TornadoRelatively Moderate 89.73324 of 3,12613 of 115

Expected yearly loss, in dollars

HazardThis county, total a yearPer $1M of buildingsState median countyU.S. median countyRank per $1M, U.S.Rank per $1M, state
Hail$1,615,759$82 $52$22 614 of 3,12613 of 115
Strong wind$417,450$21 $40$20 1,529 of 3,12180 of 115
Tornado$7,395,573$373 $381$199 764 of 3,14461 of 115

Rank 1 is the highest. Overall, hail and wind losses count buildings; the tornado row counts everything FEMA exposes, so it overstates building damage. Expected annual loss is an average over many years for the whole county, not a forecast for one roof.

What stands out in Buchanan County

  • FEMA expects hail in Buchanan County to cost $82 per $1 million of buildings a year: 3.65 times the U.S. median and 1.58 times the MO county median, ranked 614th of 3,126 counties nationally and 13th of 115 in Missouri.
  • FEMA expects strong wind in Buchanan County to cost $21 per $1 million of buildings a year: 1.03 times the U.S. median and 0.52 times the MO county median, ranked 1,529th of 3,121 counties nationally and 80th of 115 in Missouri.
  • FEMA expects tornado in Buchanan County to cost $373 per $1 million of buildings a year: 1.87 times the U.S. median and 0.98 times the MO county median, ranked 764th of 3,144 counties nationally and 61st of 115 in Missouri.
  • Applying FEMA's estimate to a $156,600 home, the average yearly loss in Buchanan County is about $13 for hail and $3.30 for wind before any deductible; at the U.S. median county rates it would be $3.50 and $3.19.
  • If the next years look like 2014 to 2025, a roof kept 20 years in Buchanan County meets about 16.7 hail days of 1 inch or more; the median county in NOAA's file (1,275 counties) would give 35.0.
  • Built in 1964, the median home in Buchanan County is 62 years old, so an original roof has outlived a 3-tab shingle (15 to 20 years) and an architectural one (25 to 30 years); 87.8% of its 38,415 homes are at least 26 years old.
  • March to June holds 24 of the 26 hail reports in Buchanan County (92 percent); the quietest month is January, with 0 reports.

What hail and wind cost a home here in an average year

Enter a home value. The calculator applies Buchanan County’s own loss rate: the county’s expected yearly loss divided by the value of its buildings. It starts at the Census median home value for the county.

$13hail, a year; $3.50 at the U.S. median county rate
$3.30strong wind, a year; $3.19 at the U.S. median county rate
$321hail and wind together over 20 years, at today’s rate

Formula: home value × Buchanan County yearly loss ÷ building value. Hail: $1,615,759 ÷ $19,822,554,543 = 0.0000815. Wind: $417,450 ÷ $19,822,554,543 = 0.0000211. This is FEMA’s estimate of average damage to buildings and does not account for your deductible. Tornado is left out because FEMA’s tornado loss counts people and other exposure, not only buildings.

Read this as a yardstick. The rate is an average over every building in the county, from sheds to office towers, and over many years. Real losses come in rare, large storms; a roof with no damage in 19 years can need full replacement in the 20th. The figure is not a quote and not a prediction for one address.

Buchanan County in plain numbers

  • Buchanan County scores 74.36 in FEMA's overall hazard index (Relatively Low): 807th of 3,144 rated counties and 25th of 115 in Missouri.
  • Hail scores 90.20 (Relatively Moderate). FEMA expects $1,615,759 of hail damage to buildings in Buchanan County a year, which is $82 per $1 million of buildings, 3.65 times the U.S. median.
  • Strong wind scores 85.18 (Relatively High) with $417,450 of expected yearly building loss in Buchanan County: $21 per $1 million of buildings, 1.03 times the U.S. median.
  • Tornado scores 89.73 (Relatively Moderate) and FEMA's expected yearly tornado loss is $7,395,573, counting everything exposed, or $373 per $1 million of buildings in Buchanan County.
  • FEMA's own event record for Buchanan County averages 8.62 hail events and 6.42 strong-wind events a year.
  • NOAA logged 26 hail reports in Buchanan County between 2014 and June 2026, on 10 days with stones of 1 inch or more; the largest was 2.75 inches.
  • In Buchanan County, FEMA counts buildings worth 19.82 billion dollars and 84,731 residents.
  • Social vulnerability is Relatively Low in Buchanan County.
  • Community resilience there is Very High, for 84,731 residents.
  • 1 city in Buchanan County is covered on this site: St Joseph. 10 Census ZIP areas have more than half of their land in the county.
  • Our guide range for a 2,000 sq ft asphalt roof in St Joseph is $6,160 to $13,640.
  • Buchanan County ranks 46 of the 194 counties with a page here for hail loss per $1 million of buildings, 57 for wind and 46 for tornado.
  • In Buchanan County, April is the busiest month with 13 of the 26 reports (50 percent), against 1 report in October.
  • Buchanan County's worst year was 2016, with 2 hail days at 1 inch or more and 8 reports. At the 2014 to 2025 pace that is 0.83 such days a year, one about every 14.4 months.
  • The median home in Buchanan County was built in 1964; 71.4% of its 38,415 housing units date from before 1980, 87.8% from before 2000 and 4.9% from 2010 on.
  • Census puts the median home value in Buchanan County at $156,600, and 64.9% of homes are lived in by their owners.
  • 944 single-family building permits were issued in Buchanan County from 2014 to 2025, about 24.6 per 1,000 homes, peaking in 2021.
  • NOAA lists 4 tornado tracks in Buchanan County since 2014; the strongest was an EF1 on March 29, 2022 near St Joseph, 0.3 miles long.
  • The fastest gust in NOAA's records for Buchanan County is 82 mph on June 30, 2023 at (Stj)St Joseph Mem A.
  • The nearest county with a page here is Boone County, 144 miles from the centre of Buchanan County; its hail score is 71.72.
  • Across counties the median is one roofing firm for every 5,189 homes; Census counted 7 roofing contractor establishments in Buchanan County in 2023, one for every 5,488 homes.
  • FEMA has named Buchanan County in 4 disaster declarations since 2014, the latest 1840 days before its data end, and 3 of them were storm-type.

The hail record of Buchanan County, year by year

NOAA logged 26 reports in Buchanan County; hail of 1 inch or more fell on 10 days. That is 0.8 such days a year; the median county in NOAA’s file has 1.8.

Buchanan County: NOAA hail reports per year, 2014 to June 2026, with the number of days that had hail of 1 inch or more024682014: 2 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch142015: 3 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 2.75 inch152016: 8 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.5 inch162017: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch172018: 3 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.5 inch182019: 5 reports, 2 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.75 inch192020: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch202021: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch212022: 1 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1 inch222023: 3 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.75 inch232024: 1 reports, 1 days at 1 inch or more, largest 1.5 inch242025: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch252026: 0 reports, 0 days at 1 inch or more, largest 0 inch26*
  • reports
  • days with hail of 1 inch or more
  • * 2026 runs to June only
Buchanan County: NOAA hail reports by calendar month, 2014 to June 2026January: 0 reports0JanFebruary: 0 reports0FebMarch: 2 reports2MarApril: 13 reports13AprMay: 6 reports6MayJune: 3 reports3JunJuly: 0 reports0JulAugust: 0 reports0AugSeptember: 1 reports1SepOctober: 1 reports1OctNovember: 0 reports0NovDecember: 0 reports0Dec

Reports by calendar month, all years together. Peak: April, 13 reports.

The same numbers as a table (years with at least one report)
YearReportsDays, 1 inch or moreDays, 1.75 inch or moreLargest stoneDamage reported
20142101 in–
20153112.75 in–
20168201.5 in–
20183101.5 in–
20195211.75 in–
20221101 in–
20233111.75 in–
20241101.5 in–

Biggest hail days in Buchanan County

DateLargest stoneReports that dayDamage reportedNear
June 21, 20152.75 in3none recordedDe Kalb
May 14, 20191.75 in3none recordedHalls
April 4, 20231.75 in3none recordedFaucett Farris Arpt
April 27, 20161.5 in4none recordedFaucett Farris Arpt
May 26, 20181.5 in3none recordedRushville

Where large hail was reported

FEMA scores the county as a whole. NOAA’s reports show where inside Buchanan County the big stones fell.

Reported hail locations, Buchanan County

1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.25 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.5 in hail1.75 in hail1.75 in hail2.75 in hail St Joseph
  • 201 to 1.74 in
  • 21.75 to 2.74 in, golf ball to tennis ball
  • 12.75 in and up, baseball

Largest plotted stone: 2.75 in. Bigger dots are bigger stones.

23 reports of 1 inch or larger have coordinates. Each dot is a reported location, not a storm path.

Sources: NOAA, Census county outline

Wind and tornado records for Buchanan County

Fastest gusts in Buchanan County

DateGustNear
June 30, 202382 mph(Stj)St Joseph Mem A
June 27, 202081 mphSouth St Joseph
July 1, 202079 mphSouth St Joseph
June 16, 201776 mph(Stj)St Joseph Mem A

Strongest tornado tracks in Buchanan County

DateScaleLengthInjured / killedNear
March 29, 2022EF10.3 mi0 / 0St Joseph
May 19, 2025EF04.31 mi0 / 0South St Joseph
May 25, 2020EF00.01 mi0 / 0Halls
June 29, 2014EF00.25 mi0 / 0Armour

4 tornado tracks in all since 2014; the strongest 4 are listed.

How old the roofs are

Census counts homes by the decade they were built. Under each bar is the number of hail days of 1 inch or more that an original roof from that decade has met, at Buchanan County’s 2014 to 2025 pace of 0.83 such days a year. Most roofs have been replaced since; the row shows what a roof that never was would have taken.

Buchanan County: share of homes by decade built, with the hail days at 1 inch or more that an original roof from each decade has met at the county's 2014 to 2025 ratepre-1940: 26.4% of homes26.4%<1940761940s: 7.6% of homes7.6%1940s681950s: 10.9% of homes10.9%1950s591960s: 12.9% of homes12.9%1960s511970s: 13.7% of homes13.7%1970s421980s: 9.7% of homes9.7%1980s341990s: 6.7% of homes6.7%1990s262000s: 7.3% of homes7.3%2000s182010s: 4.3% of homes4.3%2010s92020+: 0.6% of homes0.6%2020+2

Bars: share of 38,415 housing units by decade built. Figures under the decade: hail days met by an original roof, at the county’s 2014 to 2025 pace. The pace of earlier years is unknown.

Median year built1964
Built before 198071.4%
Built before 200087.8%
Built since 20104.9%
Owner-occupied64.9%
Median home value$156,600
Single-family permits, 2014 to 2025944
Permits per 1,000 homes24.6

Asphalt shingles are rated 15 to 20 years (3-tab) and 25 to 30 years (architectural). Source: Census ACS 2019 to 2023 and Building Permits Survey.

Roofers and past disasters in Buchanan County

Roofing firms in Buchanan County

Roofing contractor establishments, 20237
Change since 2016+2 (+40%)
Homes per roofing firm5,488
Median across counties5,189
Employees, 202370

Source for Buchanan County: Census County Business Patterns, NAICS 238160.

FEMA disaster declarations naming Buchanan County since 2014

Declarations naming Buchanan County4
Storm / flood / winter / fire3 / 1 / 0 / 0
Median MO county5
Rank among 70 MO counties45
Days from the latest to the data cutoff1,840

Source for Buchanan County: OpenFEMA, data to 2026-09-15. Declaration list for Buchanan County.

Nearby counties

The closest counties that have a risk page, by distance between county centres. Loss is per $1 million of buildings; the columns marked "times here" divide the neighbour's loss by Buchanan County's.

CountyMilesOverallHail lossHail, times hereWind lossWind, times hereNOAA hail reports
Boone County, MO144 Relatively Moderate $140.17$8.540.4133
Cole County, MO160 Relatively Low $160.19$231.1024
Jasper County, MO173 Relatively Moderate $670.82$241.13103
Greene County, MO186 Relatively Moderate $400.49$200.95194
Cape Girardeau County, MO324 Relatively Moderate $380.47$381.8031

All 194 counties, with a filter by state and sorting

Cities and ZIP areas in Buchanan County

1 city in this county is on PickARoofer. ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are Census shapes that approximate ZIP codes; where we have a city’s ZIPs, the share is the part of each area’s land that lies in this county. 10 such areas have more than half their land here.

CityZIP areas (share of land in the county)Pages
St Joseph 64503 (100%), 64507 (99%) Roofers

Storm hit your roof in Buchanan County? A free inspection tells you if there is damage. One local roofer answers, not five.

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Questions

How high is storm risk in Buchanan County?

FEMA's National Risk Index gives Buchanan County an overall score of 74.36 (Relatively Low), 807th of 3,144. Hail scores 90.20 (Relatively Moderate), strong wind 85.18 (Relatively High) and tornado 89.73 (Relatively Moderate).

In Buchanan County, how many hail reports has NOAA logged?

A report is one entry for one storm in one county, so counts follow where people live as well as where hail fell. NOAA has 26 for Buchanan County between 2014 and June 2026, on 10 days with hail of 1 inch or more; the largest stone was 2.75 inches.

What do hail and wind cost a home in Buchanan County each year, on average?

Applying FEMA's county rates to its median home value of $156,600: FEMA's estimate is about $13 a year for hail and $3.30 for wind, before any deductible, against $3.50 and $3.19 at the U.S. median county rates. This is an average over many years and all buildings, not a prediction for one roof; one bad storm costs far more than the average year.

How does Buchanan County compare with the rest of Missouri?

Per $1 million of buildings Buchanan County loses $82 to hail a year, against $52 in the median county of the state. Among 115 rated counties it is 9th for hail, 18th for strong wind and 13th for tornado.

How old are the roofs in Buchanan County?

The median home was built in 1964, 62 years ago, and 87.8% of the 38,415 housing units in Buchanan County date from before 2000. Asphalt shingles are rated 15 to 20 years (3-tab) or 25 to 30 years (architectural), so an original roof of either kind is past its rated life. The Census does not record when a roof was replaced.

What does expected annual loss mean?

It is FEMA's estimate of the average yearly loss from a hazard, in dollars, summed over the county. It is built for comparing counties at planning level, not for pricing one house.

Does a high rating mean my roof will be damaged?

No. The index compares counties and cannot say what will happen on your street. After a storm, a roof inspection is the only way to know.

Sources for Buchanan County: FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026; NOAA Storm Events Database hail reports for Buchanan County; Census Bureau ZCTA-to-county relationship file (2020); Census ACS and Building Permits Survey, homes in Buchanan County; Census County Business Patterns, roofing firms in Buchanan County; OpenFEMA, declarations naming Buchanan County. Planning-level information about Buchanan County, not an inspection and not insurance advice.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset 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).