PlainHazard

Iowa high wind and dust storms

Every recorded high wind record since 1996 · 99 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 2,870 high wind and dust records in Iowa from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 77 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the May 27, 2012 strong wind in Adair County: 1 death. Iowa ranks 17th of 52 states and territories by count and 22nd of 51 per square mile.

High wind and dust storms in Iowa, 1996 to 2026

Wind records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.

  • recorded, no damage figure
  • under $1 million
  • $1 million or more
  • $10 million or more
  • $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
  • $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
  • a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
  • a year with a death
Records
2,8701996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
77average
Deaths
434 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$123Mas filed
Busiest year
1996409 records

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.

Are high wind and dust records common in Iowa?

Iowa averages about 77 high wind and dust records a year since 2000, 17th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 1996 (409). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Iowa records 514 high wind and dust records since 1996, 22nd of 51 states and territories by that measure.

  1. 1. Rhode Island 7061
  2. 2. New Jersey 4882
  3. 3. Massachusetts 4776
  4. 4. Delaware 3705
  5. 5. Maryland 1330
  6. 6. Connecticut 1301
  7. 7. Vermont 1178
  8. 8. Hawaii 1067
  9. 9. New York 1028
  10. 10. Wyoming 900
  11. 22. Iowa 514

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.

Which counties in Iowa have the most high wind and dust records?

Per square mile, Emmet County leads Iowa: 55 days with a high wind record since 1996, 138.9 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Emmet County has the most wind records (56 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).

  1. Emmet County 138.9 (56)
  2. Dickinson County 118.3 (49)
  3. Winnebago County 102.4 (41)
  4. Humboldt County 101.3 (44)
  5. Osceola County 97.8 (40)
  6. Worth County 97.5 (39)
  7. Cerro Gordo County 93.3 (55)
  8. Hamilton County 88.4 (51)
  9. Clay County 84.6 (49)
  10. Carroll County 84.3 (48)
  11. Wright County 82.7 (49)
  12. Marshall County 82.1 (47)

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.

When is the windy season in Iowa?

Iowa's high wind and dust records by month. The busiest month is April (660 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 315 · Feb 291 · Mar 375 · Apr 660 · May 233 · Jun 124 · Jul 8 · Aug 18 · Sep 34 · Oct 308 · Nov 268 · Dec 236 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.

What were the deadliest high wind and dust records in Iowa?

Iowa: the storms with the most deaths since 1996
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
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 –
1998-11-10 High WindHamilton County · forecast zone Hamilton One storm episode: 51 records in 51 places; the totals are the episode's. Iowa experienced the worst November storm system since the great storm of 9 and 10 November 1975. During the 9th, low pressure developed over southeast Colorado. The low moved across Kansas during the afternoon and evening of the 9th and deepened to about 990 mb. Warm and moist air was drawn north ahead of the low ... 1 0 $32M
2026-01-16 Strong WindPottawattamie County · forecast zone Pottawattamie A semi truck traveling southwest on Interstate 80 lost control in the wind and was blown over, resulting in one indirect fatality. The highest measured wind gust in the county was 51 mph measured by the KCBF AWOS at 1435 CST. 43 kt wind 1 0 –
2003-05-30 High WindMahaska County · forecast zone Mahaska One death overnight due to weakened tree falling on tent. 35 kt wind 1 0 $40K

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths direct and indirect, as filed by the National Weather Service, summed over each storm (one episode, or one named storm filed by several offices). Storm names from the titles of FEMA declarations that name the storm's counties.

The costliest high wind and dust records in Iowa

Iowa: the most damaging storms since 1993, 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
1998-11-10 High WindHamilton County · forecast zone Hamilton One storm episode: 51 records in 51 places; the totals are the episode's. 1 0 $32M
1997-04-06 High WindDavis County · forecast zone Davis 0 0 $3.3M
1998-11-10 High WindClayton County · forecast zone Clayton One storm episode: 8 records in 8 places; the totals are the episode's. 0 2 $2.7M
2008-10-26 High WindBlack Hawk County · forecast zone Black Hawk 51 kt wind 0 0 $1.7M
2003-05-04 High WindClinton County and Jackson County · forecast zone Clinton 43 kt wind 0 0 $1.6M
1996-04-25 High WindDavis County · forecast zone Davis 0 0 $1.4M
1997-04-06 High WindLinn County · forecast zone Linn One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. 0 0 $1.4M
2001-04-07 High WindClay County · forecast zone Clay One storm episode: 3 records in 3 places; the totals are the episode's. 65 kt wind 0 0 $1.3M

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.

Are high wind and dust records becoming more frequent in Iowa?

Iowa's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.

High wind and dust storms: Iowa and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadeIowaUnited StatesIowa's share
1996-9981514,0265.8%
2000s1,02237,2542.7%
2010s48841,7481.2%
2020-2654536,3001.5%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent high wind and dust records in Iowa

The 12 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-03-15 High WindDickinson County · forecast zone Dickinson 42 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-15 High WindSioux County · forecast zone Sioux 40 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-15 High WindIda County · forecast zone Ida 36 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-15 High WindWoodbury County · forecast zone Woodbury 37 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-15 High WindO'Brien County · forecast zone O'brien 35 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-15 High WindOsceola County · forecast zone Osceola 36 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-15 High WindClay County · forecast zone Clay 41 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-15 High WindBuena Vista County · forecast zone Buena Vista 42 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-15 High WindPage County · forecast zone Page 50 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-15 High WindFremont County · forecast zone Fremont 50 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-15 High WindMontgomery County · forecast zone Montgomery 56 kt wind 0 0 –
2026-03-15 High WindMills County · forecast zone Mills 53 kt wind 0 0 –

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.

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