Sac County, Iowa
County storm and disaster record · FIPS 19161 · population 9,814 · 575 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 513 records for Sac County, Iowa from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 379 days; the most frequent are hail reports (110 records). The most damaging was the August 9, 2009 hail ($41.3 million in 2025 dollars). FEMA has issued 19 declarations naming the county since 1965, 17 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes” on February 23, 2022.
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
- 513on 379 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 02 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $268Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- Tornadoes
- 25strongest EF3
- FEMA declarations
- 19latest 2022
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 Sac County most?
The most frequent records are hail reports: 110 since 1964. 52% of its hail reports since 1964 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 | 110 | 65 | 1964-2025 | 0 | 0 | $50M | 83 of 99 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 99 | 72 | 1968-2025 | 0 | 1 | $3.6M | 94 of 99 |
| Winter storms | 84 | 81 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 1 | $5.9M | 68 of 99 |
| Floods | 52 | 45 | 1996-2019 | 0 | 0 | $32M | 59 of 99 |
| High wind and dust storms | 40 | 40 | 1996-2025 | 0 | 0 | $2.0M | 26 of 99 |
| Drought | 39 | 39 | 2000-2024 | 0 | 0 | $148M | 17 of 99 |
| Extreme cold | 32 | 32 | 1996-2025 | 0 | 0 | $5.9M | 33 of 99 |
| Tornadoes | 25 | 18 | 1965-2023 | 0 | 0 | $20M | 88 of 99 |
| Heavy rain | 14 | 11 | 2008-2018 | 0 | 0 | $7K | 56 of 99 |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 13 | 10 | 2010-2022 | 0 | 0 | – | 40 of 99 |
| Heat | 4 | 4 | 2001-2019 | 0 | 0 | $177K | 75 of 99 |
| Lightning | 1 | 1 | 2001-2001 | 0 | 0 | $8K | 82 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 Sac County had?
NOAA records 25 tornadoes in Sac County from 1965 to 2023, the strongest rated EF3, with 0 deaths and 0 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 28 tornadoes whose track touched Sac County since 1950 (NOAA's county records number 25: 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-05-27 18:22, as SPC files it | Carroll | F4 | 36 mi | 0 |
| 2011-04-09 19:23, as SPC files it | Schaller | EF3 | 10.14 mi | 0 |
| 2011-04-09 20:08, as SPC files it | Newell | EF3 | 29.37 mi | 0 |
| 1991-04-26 19:00, as SPC files it | Denison | F3 | 7.7 mi | 0 |
Map of the strongest tornado tracks in Iowa.
Every tornado record filed for Sac County (25)
| Date | Place | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-08-05 | Auburn, Sac County | EFU 0.32 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2023-08-05 | Auburn, Sac County | EF0 0.9 mi x 35 yd | 0 | 0 | $48K |
| 2023-05-13 | Schaller, Sac County | EFU 0.28 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2021-12-15 | Carnarvon, Sac County | EF2 15.61 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $163K |
| 2021-07-14 | Lytton, Sac County | EFU 0.77 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $545 |
| 2021-07-14 | Nemaha, Sac County | EFU 0.6 mi x 25 yd | 0 | 0 | $545 |
| 2019-05-29 | Early, Sac County | EFU 0.65 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2019-05-29 | Odebolt, Sac County | EFU 1.23 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2014-08-31 | Odebolt, Sac County | EF0 2.13 mi x 60 yd | 0 | 0 | $121K |
| 2011-04-09 | Early, Sac County | EF0 0.63 mi x 100 yd | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2011-04-09 | Nemaha, Sac County | EF2 1.25 mi x 220 yd | 0 | 0 | $656K |
| 2011-04-09 | Nemaha, Sac County | EF2 8.42 mi x 2,200 yd | 0 | 0 | $2.6M |
| 2011-04-09 | Odebolt, Sac County | EF3 10.14 mi x 1,760 yd | 0 | 0 | $2.6M |
| 2011-04-09 | Odebolt, Sac County | EF2 8.34 mi x 660 yd | 0 | 0 | $1.3M |
| 2010-06-22 | Lytton, Sac County | EF0 0.75 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $7K |
| 2007-09-30 | Lytton, Sac County | EF0 1.01 mi x 30 yd | 0 | 0 | $14K |
| 1999-05-27 | Auburn, Sac County | F0 0.1 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1998-05-15 | Auburn, Sac County | F0 0.1 mi x 20 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1991-04-26 | Sac County | F3 6 mi x 150 yd | 0 | 0 | $2.5M step |
| 1990-03-13 | Sac County | F0 0.3 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1989-04-27 | Sac County | F1 14 mi x 60 yd | 0 | 0 | $3K step |
| 1985-08-13 | Sac County | F1 1.5 mi x 10 yd | 0 | 0 | – |
| 1984-04-26 | Sac County | F2 10 mi x 200 yd | 0 | 0 | $2.5M step |
| 1978-07-05 | Sac County | 0 | 0 | $25K step | |
| 1965-05-15 | Sac County | F2 0.5 mi x 50 yd | 0 | 0 | $250 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 Sac County?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the August 5, 2023 tornado ($48,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
Report of damage from emergency manager later identified as a tornado path using high resolution satellite imagery. The tornado impacted a outbuilding and tossed debris northward into an agricultural field with EF0 damage.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1124845)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-02-19 | Heavy SnowSac County · forecast zone Sac | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-08-09 | Thunderstorm WindSchaller, Sac County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-04-23 | HailSac City Municipal Airport, Sac County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-04-23 | HailSac City, Sac County | 0.88 in hail | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-03-19 | High WindSac County · forecast zone Sac | 52 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-03-19 | BlizzardSac County · forecast zone Sac | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-03-14 | Thunderstorm WindSac City, Sac County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-03-04 | High WindSac County · forecast zone Sac | 55 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2025-03-04 | BlizzardSac County · forecast zone Sac | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2025-01-20 | Extreme Cold/Wind ChillSac County · forecast zone Sac | 0 | 0 | – | |
| 2024-07-15 | Thunderstorm WindOdebolt, Sac County | 74 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2023-08-05 | TornadoAuburn, Sac County | EFU 0.32 mi x 50 yd | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010-01-20 | Ice StormSac County · forecast zone Sac A strong push of warm air aloft took place over the central U.S. with 850 mb temperatures warming well above zero C over much of the state. During the day on the 19th a relatively strong high moved southeast to the east of Iowa. The easterly flow of cool air in the low levels established a strong inversion over the ... | 0 | 1 | $3.4M | |
| 2004-05-24 | Thunderstorm WindEarly, Sac County Once again it was a very active severe weather day over Iowa. The frontal system that had moved through the state on the night of the 22nd was returning north as a warm front. This time Iowa did not get completely into the warm sector. The surface front was dragged north into Iowa by low pressure that moved out of ... | 61 kt wind | 0 | 1 | $125K |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-08-09 | HailWall Lake Municipal Airport, Sac County | 2.75 in hail | 0 | 0 | $41M |
| 2009-08-09 | HailHerring, Sac County | 1.00 in hail | 0 | 0 | $6.9M |
| 2010-01-20 | Ice StormSac County · forecast zone Sac | 0 | 1 | $3.4M | |
| 2011-04-09 | TornadoOdebolt, Sac County | EF3 10.14 mi x 1,760 yd | 0 | 0 | $2.6M |
| 2011-04-09 | TornadoNemaha, Sac County | EF2 1.25 mi x 220 yd | 0 | 0 | $656K |
| 2003-06-24 | Thunderstorm WindAuburn, Sac County | 78 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $441K |
| 2010-08-08 | Thunderstorm WindSchaller, Sac County | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $426K |
| 1996-06-16 | Flash FloodLytton, Sac County | 0 | 0 | $423K |
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: April 26, 1984 (tornado, Sac County); April 26, 1991 (tornado, Sac 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 Sac 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 | 2 | 6 | 21 | 41 | 23 | 15 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 1 | 5 | 8 | 19 | 29 | 21 | 16 |
| Winter storms | – | – | – | – | 18 | 28 | 24 | 14 |
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 16 | 27 | 9 | 0 |
| High wind and dust storms | – | – | – | – | 11 | 16 | 8 | 5 |
| Drought | – | – | – | – | 0 | 4 | 5 | 30 z |
Drought in the 2020-26: 30 records against 5 in the decade before, 30 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 Sac 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?
52% of its hail reports since 1964 fell in May and June. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 48 · Feb 29 · Mar 28 · Apr 57 · May 81 · Jun 88 · Jul 52 · Aug 54 · Sep 18 · Oct 15 · Nov 10 · Dec 33 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Sac County
FEMA's register lists 19 declarations that include Sac County: 16 major disasters, 3 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for severe storm (9) and flood (5).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-02-23 | DR-4642 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes |
| 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 |
| 2014-07-24 | 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 |
| 2010-03-02 | 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 |
| 2001-05-02 | DR-1367 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes and Flooding |
| 1998-07-02 | DR-1230 | Flood | 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 |
| 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 Sac County had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 52 flood or flash flood records for Sac County from 1996 to 2019, on 45 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Sac County ranks 2756th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $0 on 2 claims filed in Sac County; the most in one year was 1 in 1983. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1983: 1 · 1991: 1; 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 Sac County
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Sac County Very Low overall, with an expected annual loss of $14.7 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 | $3.2M | 15 modeled event-days a year |
| Hail | Relatively Moderate | $3.1M | 5.4 a year (modeled) |
| Tornado | Relatively Low | $2.9M | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Low | $186K | once in about 2 years (modeled) |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Low | $1.3M | 8.6 a year (modeled) |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Low | $67K | 16 a year (modeled) |
| Strong Wind | Relatively Low | $463K | 4.1 a year (modeled) |
| Landslide | Very Low | $310 | once in about 14 years (modeled) |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, county table, December 2025 release. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
Counties that share a border with Sac 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 Sac CountyThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Sac County's FEMA declarations (CSV)19 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis