Polk County weather alerts
There are no active weather alerts for Polk County, MO right now.
Since 2016 the National Weather Service has issued about 1,119 alerts that included Polk County, roughly 112 a year. The most common is the severe thunderstorm warning (216 from 2016 to 2025). The last tornado warning was issued on June 21, 2026. 38 tornadoes have touched down in the county since 1950.
Updated from the National Weather Service · lists refresh hourly; the live map loads current alerts directly from the NWS
No warnings, watches or advisories include Polk County at the moment. This page updates automatically when the National Weather Service issues one. Check neighboring St. Clair County, Cedar County, Greene County, Hickory County.
Polk County alert history
Alert events that included Polk County or its forecast zones, from the NWS warning archive.
| Alert type | 2016–2025 | 2026 | Last issued |
|---|---|---|---|
| Severe Thunderstorm Warning | 216 | 46 | September 6, 2026 |
| Severe Thunderstorm Watch | 87 | 11 | July 9, 2026 |
| Winter Weather Advisory | 79 | 0 | December 1, 2025 |
| Wind Advisory | 78 | 1 | March 15, 2026 |
| Dense Fog Advisory | 76 | 5 | August 20, 2026 |
| Heat Advisory | 72 | 9 | September 14, 2026 |
| Flood Watch | 66 | 8 | October 14, 2026 |
| Flood Warning | 63 | 5 | June 14, 2026 |
| Flood Advisory | 60 | 13 | June 26, 2026 |
| Red Flag Warning | 55 | 2 | February 24, 2026 |
| Flash Flood Warning | 54 | 9 | June 25, 2026 |
| Freeze Warning | 43 | 1 | March 28, 2026 |
| Tornado Watch | 38 | 9 | June 17, 2026 |
| Tornado Warning | 26 | 7 | June 21, 2026 |
| Frost Advisory | 23 | 3 | November 8, 2026 |
| Cold Weather Advisory | 15 | 1 | January 24, 2026 |
| Fire Weather Watch | 14 | 0 | March 17, 2025 |
| Freeze Watch | 14 | 0 | November 2, 2025 |
| Extreme Heat Warning | 11 | 3 | September 4, 2026 |
| Winter Storm Warning | 9 | 1 | January 24, 2026 |
| Winter Storm Watch | 6 | 1 | January 24, 2026 |
| High Wind Warning | 4 | 0 | April 30, 2025 |
| Extreme Cold Warning | 4 | 1 | January 25, 2026 |
| Extreme Heat Watch | 2 | 3 | September 1, 2026 |
| Extreme Cold Watch | 2 | 0 | December 22, 2022 |
| Ice Storm Warning | 1 | 0 | January 13, 2017 |
| High Wind Watch | 1 | 0 | March 14, 2025 |
| Snow Squall Warning | 0 | 1 | March 15, 2026 |
Tornado history in Polk County
38 tornadoes have been recorded in Polk County since 1950, killing 7 people and injuring 85. That ranks 18 of 115 counties in Missouri. The most recent was on May 6, 2024 (rated EF0).
Strongest tornadoes in Polk County
| Date | Rating | County | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 4, 2003 | F3 | Barton County | 86 mi | 880 yd | 5 | 47 |
| December 14, 1971 | F2 | Christian County | 48.3 mi | 200 yd | 1 | 22 |
| February 28, 2012 | EF2 | Polk County | 9.5 mi | 100 yd | 1 | 12 |
| March 13, 1990 | F2 | Polk County | 2 mi | 600 yd | 0 | 0 |
| February 28, 2012 | EF1 | Dade County | 18.4 mi | 100 yd | 0 | 0 |
Most recent tornadoes
| Date | Rating | County | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 6, 2024 | EF0 | Greene County | 18.7 mi | 150 yd | 0 | 1 |
| May 27, 2021 | EF1 | Polk County | 1.2 mi | 50 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 27, 2021 | EF1 | Polk County | 0.1 mi | 50 yd | 0 | 0 |
| January 10, 2020 | EF1 | Cedar County | 8.7 mi | 50 yd | 0 | 0 |
| December 28, 2019 | EF0 | Polk County | 1.4 mi | 75 yd | 0 | 0 |
About Polk County
- Population: 33,070 (2024 estimate)
- State: Missouri
- NOAA Weather Radio SAME code: 029167 (how to use it)