Adair County, Iowa
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 19001 · population 7,418 · 569 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 612 records for Adair County, Iowa from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 378 days; the most frequent are hail reports (175 records). The deadliest single record is the May 21, 2024 tornado: 4 deaths, 35 injuries and $28.2 million in damage in 2025 dollars. FEMA has issued 17 declarations naming the county since 1972, 15 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding” on May 24, 2024.
The record, 1950 to 2026
Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $100,000
- $100,000 or more
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more, or a death
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
- 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
- Storm records
- 612on 378 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 842 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $286Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 33strongest F5
- FEMA declarations
- 17latest 2024
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.
What hazards hit Adair County most?
The most frequent records are hail reports: 175 since 1961. 51% of its hail reports since 1961 fell in May and June. The rank column places the county among Iowa's counties by days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land over each hazard's complete period.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 175 | 84 | 1961-2025 | 0 | 0 | $16M | 43 of 99 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 158 | 95 | 1960-2025 | 0 | 1 | $3.2M | 51 of 99 |
| Winter storms | 71 | 68 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $8.8M | 87 of 99 |
| Floods | 40 | 38 | 1996-2025 | 0 | 0 | $31M | 74 of 99 |
| High wind and dust storms | 36 | 35 | 1996-2025 | 1 | 0 | $1.8M | 35 of 99 |
| Tornadoes | 33 | 23 | 1953-2024 | 6 | 41 | $62M | 68 of 99 |
| Drought | 31 | 31 | 1999-2024 | 0 | 0 | $156M | 39 of 99 |
| Heavy rain | 31 | 22 | 2007-2023 | 0 | 0 | $53K | 41 of 99 |
| Extreme cold | 26 | 26 | 1996-2025 | 1 | 0 | $5.9M | 54 of 99 |
| Heat | 4 | 4 | 2001-2019 | 0 | 0 | $177K | 63 of 99 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 4 | 4 | 2015-2022 | 0 | 0 | – | 72 of 99 |
| Lightning | 3 | 3 | 1999-2023 | 0 | 0 | $52K | 39 of 99 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.
How many tornadoes has Adair County had?
NOAA records 33 tornadoes in Adair County from 1953 to 2024, the strongest rated F5, with 6 deaths and 41 injuries recorded in the county. A tornado that crossed a county line is counted in each county it touched, with the length of its path inside the county.
Counted as whole tornadoes rather than county records, the Storm Prediction Center's database holds 34 tornadoes whose track touched Adair County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 33: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 7 people, 6 of them in Adair County.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-05-21 13:59, as SPC files it | Nodaway to Greenfield | EF4 | 40.65 mi | 5 |
| 1953-06-27 15:45, as SPC files it | Adair | F5 | 0.1 mi | 1 |
| 2019-05-22 00:29, as SPC files it | Adair | EF2 | 4.75 mi | 1 |
| 1999-04-08 13:54, as SPC files it | Casey | F4 | 49 mi | 0 |
| 1995-05-27 18:55, as SPC files it | Redfield | F4 | 57 mi | 0 |
| 1959-05-10 13:00, as SPC files it | Adair to Panora | F4 | 41.1 mi | 0 |
| 1994-04-14 19:48, as SPC files it | Bridgewater to Greenfield | F3 | 14 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Iowa.
Every tornado record filed for Adair County (33)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-05-21 | Fisk, Adair County | EF4 15.74 mi x 1,100 yd | 4 | 35 | $28M |
| 2024-05-21 | Greenfield, Adair County | EF2 14.63 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $706K |
| 2020-03-28 | Fisk, Adair County | EF1 6.9 mi x 115 yd | 0 | 0 | $108K |
| 2019-05-22 | Adair County | EF2 3.34 mi x 150 yd | 1 | 1 | $577K |
| 2018-10-09 | Arbor Hill, Adair County | EF1 2.71 mi x 80 yd | 0 | 0 | $7K |
| 2018-10-09 | Arbor Hill, Adair County | EF0 1.57 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2018-10-09 | Zion, Adair County | EF0 3.05 mi x 40 yd | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2017-06-28 | Hebron, Adair County | EF1 5.62 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $30K |
| 2017-06-28 | Canby, Adair County | EF0 14.93 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $12K |
| 2015-08-02 | Fisk, Adair County | EF0 1.58 mi x 70 yd | 0 | 0 | $19K |
| 2014-08-31 | Arbor Hill, Adair County | EF0 0.86 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2014-06-30 | Rosserdale, Adair County | EF1 7.12 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $280K |
| 2011-03-22 | Bridgewater, Adair County | EF0 0.97 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2004-05-22 | Adair County | F0 0.2 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2004-05-22 | Greenfield, Adair County | F1 7.1 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $94K |
| 2000-05-18 | Greenfield, Adair County | F0 0.1 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K |
| 2000-05-18 | Bridgewater, Adair County | F0 0.1 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K |
| 2000-05-18 | Fontanelle, Adair County | F0 0.2 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | $2K |
| 1999-04-08 | Bridgewater, Adair County | F4 20.5 mi x 1,500 yd | 0 | 2 | $1.8M |
| 1994-04-14 | Bridgewater To 4 N Gr, Adair County | F3 14 mi x 130 yd | 0 | 0 | $995K |
| 1988-07-15 | Adair County | F1 0.8 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1986-03-18 | Adair County | F1 0.2 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1984-06-11 | Adair County | F0 | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1981-05-23 | Adair County | F0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1981-05-23 | Adair County | F0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1981-05-23 | Adair County | F0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1963-04-18 | Adair County | F2 1.9 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1961-04-20 | Adair County | F1 2.3 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1960-08-18 | Adair County | F1 | 0 | 0 | $25K step |
| 1959-05-10 | Adair County | F4 41.1 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 1 | $2.5M step |
| 1959-05-04 | Adair County | F2 5.1 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1959-05-04 | Adair County | F2 4.5 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1953-06-27 | Adair County | F5 | 1 | 2 | $250K step |
A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, tornado records by county (path length in the county, maximum width); ratings as published: F scale before February 1, 2007, EF scale after. Whole-track figures: NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database (1950-2025). SPC severe weather database.
When was the last damaging storm in Adair County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the July 20, 2025 flash flood ($15,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-19 | Heavy SnowAdair County · forecast zone Adair | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-08-10 | Thunderstorm WindHowe, Adair County | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-07-20 | Flash FloodArbor Hill, Adair County | 0 | 0 | $15K | |
| 2025-07-10 | Thunderstorm WindGreenfield, Adair County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $3K |
| 2025-04-28 | HailAdair County | 0.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-03-14 | Thunderstorm WindRosserdale, Adair County | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-03-14 | Thunderstorm WindRosserdale, Adair County | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-03-14 | HailAdair County | 1.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-03-14 | HailBridgewater, Adair County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-03-05 | High WindAdair County · forecast zone Adair | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-03-05 | BlizzardAdair County · forecast zone Adair | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-01-21 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillAdair County · forecast zone Adair | 0 | 0 | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.
The deadliest and costliest records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-05-21 | TornadoFisk, Adair County This large and violent tornado entered into south central Adair County from Adams County. The tornado remained a multi-vortex circulation as it moved into the county producing high end damage for much of its remaining path. The tornado encountered several houses in the vicinity of Fontanelle Road and 320th Street. ... | EF4 15.74 mi x 1,100 yd | 4 | 35 | $28M |
| 1953-06-27 | TornadoAdair County | F5 | 1 | 2 | $250K step |
| 2019-05-22 | TornadoAdair County Tornado developed south southeast of Adair and moved quickly north. Initial damage was mainly to trees, grain bins and outbuildings. Three houses were encountered by the tornado with the first two receiving EF0 damage. The third house had the roof removed with several of the outside walls collapsing, but the inside ... | EF2 3.34 mi x 150 yd | 1 | 1 | $577K |
| 2012-05-27 | Strong WindAdair County · forecast zone Adair Winds blew a tree down, killing a 3 year old boy around 1145 CST. | 34 kt wind | 1 | 0 | – |
| 2000-12-19 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillAdair County · forecast zone Adair Very cold air descended on Iowa. One death was reported due to the cold. An 85 year old man fell outside his home in Greenfield and apparently was not visible from the street. He was unable to get up and died of hypothermia. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 1999-04-08 | TornadoBridgewater, Adair County As mentioned in the narrative above, an intense low pressure formed to the southwest of Iowa. The low tracked northeast and lifted into eastern Nebraska. Ahead of the low, a strong low level jet of around 60 knots continued through the day. A nearly stationary frontal boundary extended east from the low. It lifted ... | F4 20.5 mi x 1,500 yd | 0 | 2 | $1.8M |
| 2006-03-30 | Thunderstorm WindFontanelle, Adair County An early spring storm moved into Iowa during the day on the 30th. Though somewhat early in the season for such a storm, the storm was a classic storm. As it quite typical of April or May, the storm was a classic "bowling ball" type system with a closed upper low lifting northeast out of the southwest U.S. Surface low ... | 62 kt wind | 0 | 1 | $29K |
| 1959-05-10 | TornadoAdair County | F4 41.1 mi x 400 yd | 0 | 1 | $2.5M step |
A damage figure marked "step" is a record from before 1993: NOAA then filed damage by category, and the figure is the category as entered, in the dollars of that year, not an estimate of the loss.
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-05-21 | TornadoFisk, Adair County | EF4 15.74 mi x 1,100 yd | 4 | 35 | $28M |
| 2014-06-30 | HailAdair County | 2.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | $13M |
| 1994-04-14 | HailAdair County | 3.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | $996K |
| 2024-05-21 | TornadoGreenfield, Adair County | EF2 14.63 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $706K |
| 2019-05-22 | TornadoAdair County | EF2 3.34 mi x 150 yd | 1 | 1 | $577K |
| 2007-05-24 | Flash FloodBridgewater, Adair County | 0 | 0 | $427K | |
| 2007-05-24 | FloodBridgewater, Adair County | 0 | 0 | $427K | |
| 2014-06-30 | TornadoRosserdale, Adair County | EF1 7.12 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $280K |
Before 1993 NOAA filed damage by category, not amount, so the list above starts in 1993. The highest category filed here before then (entered as $2.5M, in the dollars of the day) holds: May 10, 1959 (tornado, Adair County).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.
Is it getting more frequent?
Records per decade for Adair County's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 25 | 68 | 36 | 38 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 19 | 62 | 41 | 24 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 18 | 24 | 18 | 11 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 10 | 24 | 5 | 1 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 9 | 15 | 8 | 4 |
| Tornadoes | 4 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 10 | 3 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
51% of its hail reports since 1961 fell in May and June. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 42 · Feb 27 · Mar 44 · Apr 78 · May 114 · Jun 113 · Jul 48 · Aug 47 · Sep 30 · Oct 35 · Nov 10 · Dec 24 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Adair County
FEMA's register lists 17 declarations that include Adair County: 14 major disasters, 3 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (7) and flood (4).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-05-24 | DR-4784 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2020-03-23 | DR-4483 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3480 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2019-03-23 | DR-4421 | Flood | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2018-08-20 | DR-4386 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding |
| 2010-03-02 | DR-1880 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2010-02-25 | DR-1877 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorm |
| 2008-05-27 | DR-1763 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2008-01-04 | DR-1737 | Severe Ice Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2007-03-30 | EM-3275 | Snowstorm | Snow |
| 2005-09-10 | EM-3239 | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation |
| 2004-05-25 | DR-1518 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 1998-07-02 | DR-1230 | Flood | Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding |
| 1996-06-24 | DR-1121 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 1993-07-09 | DR-996 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1991-12-26 | DR-928 | Severe Ice Storm | Ice Storm |
| 1972-09-26 | DR-354 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.
FEMA's modeled risk for Adair County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Adair County Relatively Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $14.2 million. These are FEMA's model estimates of future loss from 18 hazards, not a count of what happened; they can differ from the record above.
| Hazard | Risk rating | Expected annual loss | Modeled frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drought | Relatively High | $2.2M | 9 modeled event-days a year |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | $5.4M | 5.3 a year (modeled) |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | $905K | 6.2 a year (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Moderate | $900K | 5.3 a year (modeled) |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | $1.7M | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Low | $502K | 7.3 modeled event-days a year |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Low | $48K | about once a year (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | $38K | 13 a year (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Adair County
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Tornadoes in IowaEvery Iowa tornado since 1950 and the counties with the most per square mile
- Hail in IowaThe state's hail reports, by county, year and month
- The Iowa recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Adair CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Adair County's FEMA declarations (CSV)17 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis