Ida County, Iowa
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 19093 · population 7,001 · 432 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 556 records for Ida County, Iowa from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 420 days; the most frequent are winter storm records (158 records). 286 of them are forecast-zone records, which the National Weather Service files once per zone: a county covered by several zones receives each one, so a single storm can add several records on the same day. The deadliest single record is the January 11, 2023 dense fog, filed for the forecast zone Ida, which covers the county: 1 death. FEMA has issued 20 declarations naming the county since 1965, 18 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storms and Flooding” on March 23, 2019.
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
- 556on 420 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 15 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $43Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 17strongest F3
- FEMA declarations
- 20latest 2020
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 Ida County most?
The most frequent records are winter storm records: 158 since 1996. 49% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in January and February. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | 158 | 156 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $60K | 3 of 99 |
| Hail | 136 | 70 | 1956-2026 | 0 | 0 | $521K | 33 of 99 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 94 | 66 | 1957-2026 | 0 | 1 | $1.6M | 62 of 99 |
| Drought | 46 | 46 | 1999-2024 | 0 | 0 | $17M | 1 of 99 |
| High wind and dust storms | 31 | 30 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $215K | 27 of 99 |
| Heat | 26 | 26 | 1999-2026 | 0 | 0 | – | 4 of 99 |
| Floods | 24 | 21 | 1996-2024 | 0 | 0 | $3.1M | 88 of 99 |
| Extreme cold | 21 | 21 | 1996-2025 | 0 | 0 | – | 48 of 99 |
| Tornadoes | 17 | 13 | 1953-2026 | 0 | 2 | $21M | 89 of 99 |
| Heavy rain | 1 | 1 | 2008-2008 | 0 | 0 | – | 91 of 99 |
| Lightning | 1 | 1 | 2008-2008 | 0 | 2 | $7K | 71 of 99 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 1 | 1 | 2023-2023 | 1 | 0 | – | 91 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 Ida County had?
NOAA records 17 tornadoes in Ida County from 1953 to 2026, the strongest rated F3, with 0 deaths and 2 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 16 tornadoes whose track touched Ida County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 17: they file a crossing tornado once per county segment, and the two databases differ on some tracks); along their whole tracks they killed 0 people.
| Date | Tornado | Rating | Path | Killed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969-07-26 13:47, as SPC files it | Battle Creek | F3 | 22.5 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Iowa.
Every tornado record filed for Ida County (17)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-17 | Battle Creek, Ida County | EF0 0.45 mi x 60 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2021-12-15 | Galva, Ida County | EF0 2.92 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $82K |
| 2021-12-15 | Battle Creek, Ida County | EF1 13 mi x 75 yd | 0 | 0 | $218K |
| 2019-09-24 | Holstein, Ida County | EFU 0.67 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2019-09-24 | Holstein, Ida County | EFU 0.02 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2011-04-09 | Galva, Ida County | EF1 4.21 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $131K |
| 2011-04-09 | Arthur, Ida County | EF2 4.13 mi x 440 yd | 0 | 0 | $66K |
| 2001-06-13 | Ida Grove, Ida County | F0 0.1 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1994-06-05 | Galva, Ida County | F1 3 mi x 70 yd | 0 | 0 | $1.0M |
| 1992-06-16 | Ida County | F0 0.1 mi x 13 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1991-08-07 | Ida County | F0 0.1 mi x 13 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1984-06-07 | Ida County | F2 12 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 1 | $2.5M step |
| 1984-06-07 | Ida County | F2 16 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 1 | $2.5M step |
| 1979-07-30 | Ida County | F1 17.3 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1969-07-26 | Ida County | F3 22.5 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1957-06-16 | Ida County | F2 47.6 mi x 33 yd | 0 | 0 | $250K step |
| 1953-06-07 | Ida County | F2 17.8 mi x 833 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
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 Ida County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the October 1, 2023 drought ($9.8 million in damage in 2025 dollars).
Severe (D2) drought conditions improved to moderate (D1) conditions by late month. Crop damage is an estimate from insured losses. Information provided by the United States Department of Agriculture.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1141129)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-29 | Excessive HeatIda County · forecast zone Ida | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2026-05-17 | TornadoBattle Creek, Ida County | EF0 0.45 mi x 60 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-17 | Thunderstorm WindIda Grove, Ida County | 51 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-15 | HailIda Grove Municipal Airport, Ida County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-15 | HailHolstein, Ida County | 1.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-15 | HailBattle Creek, Ida County | 1.25 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-15 | HailIda Grove, Ida County | 0.88 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-15 | HailHolstein, Ida County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-05-15 | HailIda Grove, Ida County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-23 | HailBattle Creek, Ida County | 1.50 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-04-23 | HailHolstein, Ida County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-03-15 | High WindIda County · forecast zone Ida | 36 kt wind | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-01-11 | Dense FogIda County · forecast zone Ida Severely limited visibility and frosty roadways contributed to a two-vehicle accident at the intersection of U.S. Highway 59 and 20 just south of Holstein. An indirect fatality occurred to the driver of a car when it was hit broadside by a semi-truck upon entering the roadway after a stop at the intersection. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2008-07-06 | LightningGalva, Ida County Lightning struck a car, slightly injuring the two occupants, and damaging the car's engine and electrical system. | 0 | 2 | $7K | |
| 1985-04-19 | Thunderstorm WindIda County | 0 | 1 | – | |
| 1984-06-07 | TornadoIda County | F2 16 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 1 | $2.5M step |
| 1984-06-07 | TornadoIda County | F2 12 mi x 100 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-10-01 | DroughtIda County · forecast zone Ida | 0 | 0 | $9.8M | |
| 2020-07-28 | DroughtIda County · forecast zone Ida | 0 | 0 | $2.7M | |
| 2020-08-01 | DroughtIda County · forecast zone Ida | 0 | 0 | $2.2M | |
| 1996-06-19 | FloodIda County · forecast zone Ida | 0 | 0 | $1.3M | |
| 1994-06-05 | TornadoGalva, Ida County | F1 3 mi x 70 yd | 0 | 0 | $1.0M |
| 2019-03-13 | FloodBattle Creek, Ida County | 0 | 0 | $935K | |
| 2022-07-01 | DroughtIda County · forecast zone Ida | 0 | 0 | $710K | |
| 2014-06-15 | FloodGalva, Ida County | 0 | 0 | $623K |
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: June 7, 1984 (tornado, Ida County); June 7, 1984 (tornado, Ida 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 Ida 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 10 | 50 | 60 | 38 |
| Hail | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 13 | 58 | 33 | 28 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 1 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 12 | 23 | 25 | 19 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 2 | 3 | 10 | 31 z |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 4 | 8 | 4 | 15 |
| Heat | – | – | – | – | 1 | 0 | 11 | 14 |
Drought in the 2020-26: 31 records against 10 in the decade before, 31 of them forecast-zone records. Cells marked z rose mostly through zone records. The local National Weather Service office files these once per forecast zone, so a change in how it draws its zones or splits a storm into records moves this count as much as the weather does; read it beside the Ida County days with a record above.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
49% of its winter storm records since 1996 fell in January and February. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 59 · Feb 50 · Mar 40 · Apr 47 · May 52 · Jun 84 · Jul 64 · Aug 48 · Sep 27 · Oct 13 · Nov 21 · Dec 51 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Ida County
FEMA's register lists 20 declarations that include Ida County: 17 major disasters, 3 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (9) and flood (6).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 2014-08-05 | DR-4187 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding |
| 2014-07-24 | DR-4184 | Flood | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding |
| 2013-07-02 | DR-4126 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding |
| 2011-05-05 | DR-1977 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Straight-Line Winds |
| 2010-07-29 | DR-1930 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes |
| 2010-03-02 | DR-1880 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storm |
| 2010-02-25 | DR-1877 | Severe Storm | Severe Winter Storms and Snowstorm |
| 2007-05-25 | DR-1705 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, and Tornadoes |
| 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 |
| 1996-08-21 | DR-1133 | 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 |
| 1969-08-14 | DR-269 | Flood | Heavy Rains & Flooding |
| 1969-04-25 | DR-259 | Flood | Flooding |
| 1965-04-22 | DR-193 | Flood | 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.
How many floods has Ida County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 24 flood or flash flood records for Ida County from 1996 to 2024, on 21 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Ida County ranks 2436th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $36,000 on 8 claims filed in Ida County; the most in one year was 4 in 2010. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
2007: 2 · 2010: 4 · 2019: 2; the other years: 0.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.
FEMA's modeled risk for Ida County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Ida County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $7.3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | $970K | 5.7 a year (modeled) |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | $866K | 11 modeled event-days a year |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | $1.8M | once in about 3 years (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Low | $52K | about once a year (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | $613K | 7.2 a year (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | $371K | 4.2 a year (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | $36K | 15 a year (modeled) |
| Lightning | Relatively Low | $102K | 42 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 Ida 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
- Winter storms in IowaThe state's winter storm records, 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 Ida CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Ida County's FEMA declarations (CSV)20 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis