Iowa severe thunderstorm wind
Every recorded severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955 · 99 counties with a record
NOAA's Storm Events Database records 17,986 severe thunderstorm wind events in Iowa from 1955 through June 30, 2026, about 481 a year since 2000. The deadliest was the June 7, 1984 thunderstorm wind in Ringgold County: 3 deaths and 2 injuries across 4 records. Iowa ranks 16th of 52 states and territories by count and 22nd of 51 per square mile.
Severe thunderstorm wind in Iowa, 1955 to 2026
Thunderstorm wind records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996.
- 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
- 1996: all 48 event types recorded from 1996
- Records
- 17,9861955 to June 30, 2026
- A year since 2000
- 481average
- Deaths
- 21549 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $894Mas filed
- Busiest year
- 2008845 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 severe thunderstorm wind events common in Iowa?
Iowa averages about 481 severe thunderstorm wind events a year since 2000, 16th of 52 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2008 (845). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Iowa records 3220 severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955, 22nd of 51 states and territories by that measure.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1955, 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 severe thunderstorm wind events?
Per square mile, Scott County leads Iowa: 217 days with a severe thunderstorm wind event since 1955, 473.7 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Polk County has the most thunderstorm wind records (730 since 1955); 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).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1955 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.
When is the severe thunderstorm season in Iowa?
52% of its severe thunderstorm wind events since 1955 fell in June and July. The busiest month is June (5,318 records).
The values, month by month
Jan 2 · Feb 22 · Mar 537 · Apr 1,270 · May 2,732 · Jun 5,318 · Jul 4,101 · Aug 2,491 · Sep 949 · Oct 189 · Nov 156 · Dec 219 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1955.
What were the deadliest severe thunderstorm wind events in Iowa?
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984-06-07 | Thunderstorm WindRinggold County Every thunderstorm wind record filed in the state that day (4, in 2 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 3 | 2 | – | |
| 2008-06-27 | Thunderstorm WindLake Manawa, Pottawattamie County This is a continuation of a 5 to 7 mile wide damage path that a bow-echo thunderstorm caused across eastern Nebraska and southwest Iowa. In Pottawattamie county Iowa it was estimated by a NWS storm survey that winds reached 70 to 90 mph in an area from Council Bluffs to southwest of Treynor and north of Mineola. There ... | 80 kt wind | 2 | 1 | $18M |
| 2020-08-10 | Thunderstorm WindMalcolm, Poweshiek County One storm episode: 49 records in 14 places; the totals are the episode's. Basic Summary: A cluster of storms in northeast Nebraska and southeast South Dakota developed into the destructive derecho that raced eastward across large portions of Iowa, northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin, northern Indiana, and southern Michigan during the morning and afternoon of August 10th. The strongest ... | 70 kt wind | 2 | 0 | – |
| 2020-08-10 | Thunderstorm WindCovington, Linn County One storm episode: 10 records in 10 places; the totals are the episode's. A powerful line of severe thunderstorms produced a derecho which tracked across eastern Iowa and northwest Illinois on the afternoon of Monday, August 10th, resulting in widespread straight line wind damage. The cost of damage from this storm was extreme, reaching an estimated 7.5 billion dollars along the path of ... | 122 kt wind | 1 | 200 | – |
| 1998-06-29 | Thunderstorm WindCountywide, Louisa County One storm episode: 13 records in 10 places; the totals are the episode's. Supercell thunderstorms developed over Central Iowa and rapidly intensified into a long squall line which raced southeast over Eastern Iowa into Central Illinois. Numerous funnel clouds were sited along the leading edge of the storm and a few non-supercell tornadoes were masked within a large area of damaging winds. ... | 1 | 34 | $125M | |
| 1997-06-21 | Thunderstorm WindDavenport, Scott County One storm episode: 15 records in 6 places; the totals are the episode's. Strong and damaging winds swept through Eastern Iowa and Northwestern Illinois causing several injuries and one fatality. Many large healthy, even landmark, trees were downed. Downed trees caused widespread power outages and blocked roads. The most severe winds tracked along portions of the Wapsipinicon River causing ... | 1 | 7 | $570K | |
| 2014-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindFairfax, Linn County One storm episode: 8 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. A strong cold front pushed into a very warm unstable air mass as a significant upper level storm system tracked into the northern Great Lakes on June 29-30, 2014. A major severe weather and flash flood event unfolded across the area. This event resulted in the direct deaths of 2 people and direct injuries to 7 others. ... | 72 kt wind | 1 | 6 | – |
| 1992-07-13 | Thunderstorm WindLinn County Every thunderstorm wind record filed in the state that day (3, in 3 places; before 1996 NOAA filed no storm episodes); the totals are the day's. | 1 | 2 | – | |
| 2017-05-17 | Thunderstorm WindParkersburg, Butler County One storm episode: 3 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. After a cold front stalled out across northwest Iowa the previous night, much of Iowa was firmly within the warm sector of an approaching surface low. As a result, winds were strong out of the south, helping keep dew points in the mid to upper 60s. While temperatures were only in the 70s, with the relatively high dew ... | 65 kt wind | 1 | 1 | $193K |
| 2001-04-10 | Thunderstorm WindCouncil Bluffs, Pottawattamie County Two men working alone atop a new meatpacking building were blown off the 40-foot-high roof by the thunderstorm that rolled through the area and produced the widespread hail reports. The winds were measured at 35 to 40 mph at the Council Bluffs airport and at Omaha Eppley Airfield, but could have been locally stronger. ... | 50 kt wind | 1 | 1 | $33K |
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 severe thunderstorm wind events in Iowa
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998-06-29 | Thunderstorm WindDes Moines, Polk County One storm episode: 32 records in 12 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 40 | $132M | |
| 1998-06-29 | Thunderstorm WindCountywide, Louisa County One storm episode: 13 records in 10 places; the totals are the episode's. | 1 | 34 | $125M | |
| 2011-09-02 | Thunderstorm WindCarpenter, Mitchell County One storm episode: 3 records in 2 places; the totals are the episode's. | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $65M |
| 2002-07-10 | Thunderstorm WindGlidden, Carroll County One storm episode: 8 records in 4 places; the totals are the episode's. | 83 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $60M |
| 2006-08-10 | Thunderstorm WindCountywide, Benton County | 61 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $22M |
| 2009-08-09 | Thunderstorm WindSomers, Calhoun County One storm episode: 11 records in 8 places; the totals are the episode's. | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $19M |
| 2008-06-27 | Thunderstorm WindLake Manawa, Pottawattamie County | 80 kt wind | 2 | 1 | $18M |
| 2000-09-11 | Thunderstorm WindCountywide, Clinton County One storm episode: 8 records in 7 places; the totals are the episode's. | 0 | 0 | $17M |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: property and crop damage as estimated by the National Weather Service, in 2025 dollars.
Are severe thunderstorm wind events 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.
| Decade | Iowa | United States | Iowa's share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1955-59 | 109 | 3,482 | 3.1% |
| 1960s | 446 | 10,124 | 4.4% |
| 1970s | 903 | 18,714 | 4.8% |
| 1980s | 1,377 | 39,604 | 3.5% |
| 1990s | 2,414 | 85,554 | 2.8% |
| 2000s | 4,855 | 129,990 | 3.7% |
| 2010s | 4,997 | 161,286 | 3.1% |
| 2020-26 | 2,885 | 126,815 | 2.3% |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.
The most recent severe thunderstorm wind events in Iowa
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindHenderson, Mills County | 50 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindMacedonia, Pottawattamie County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindHarris, Osceola County | 74 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindOrleans, Dickinson County | 64 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindFuller Field Airport, Dickinson County | 65 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindArnolds Park, Dickinson County | 51 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindLake Park, Dickinson County | 56 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindSpencer Municipal Ar, Clay County | 57 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindSibley, Osceola County | 53 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindMay City, Osceola County | 58 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindAshton, Osceola County | 58 kt wind | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026-06-30 | Thunderstorm WindLake Park, Dickinson County | 70 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.
Federal disaster declarations for severe thunderstorm wind events in Iowa
FEMA files hail and wind disasters under the incident type Severe Storm: 34 declarations in Iowa, 34 of them major disasters; the latest on September 1, 2026.
| Declared | Number | Title | Areas named |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-01 | DR-4942 | Severe Storms and Flooding | 4 |
| 2024-06-24 | DR-4796 | Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes | 29 |
| 2024-05-24 | DR-4784 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding | 29 |
| 2022-02-23 | DR-4642 | Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes | 25 |
| 2020-09-10 | DR-4561 | Severe Storms and Straight-Line Winds | 1 |
| 2020-08-17 | DR-4557 | Severe Storms | 23 |
| 2018-09-12 | DR-4392 | Severe Storm and Tornadoes | 4 |
| 2018-08-20 | DR-4386 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | 31 |
| 2017-08-27 | DR-4334 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | 9 |
| 2015-07-31 | DR-4234 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | 19 |
| 2014-08-05 | DR-4187 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | 24 |
| 2014-07-14 | DR-4181 | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and Flooding | 9 |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), through October 2, 2026. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Next
- Scott County: the county's whole recordThe Iowa county with the most severe thunderstorm wind events per square mile
- Severe thunderstorm wind across the United StatesEvery state ranked, by year and month
- Every natural hazard in IowaTornadoes, floods, storms, heat and the federal declarations
- Hail in Iowa15,950 records
- Winter storms in Iowa10,746 records
- Floods in Iowa7,383 records