Pottawattamie County, Iowa: hazard risk
FEMA rates Pottawattamie County's overall risk Relatively Low (score 80.4 of 100, higher than 80% of rated U.S. counties); 3 of its 14 hazards are rated Relatively High or Very High, led by hail, strong wind, tornado. Its storm record holds 774 events since 1950.
FEMA's rating for each hazard
These are FEMA's county-wide model ratings and this county's storm record. They are not an assessment of any property, address or building, and not insurance advice: a property's risk depends on its own elevation, construction and location.
FEMA gives each hazard its own rating, and a rating does not follow the score from one hazard to the next: a hazard with a higher score can carry a lower rating than another. The table sorts by FEMA's rating, then by score (0 to 100, the county against every other county for that hazard).
| Hazard | Risk rating | Score | Expected annual loss |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | Relatively High | 95.7 | $3.9M |
| Strong Wind | Relatively High | 95.3 | $3.6M |
| Tornado | Relatively High | 95.2 | $14M |
| Landslide | Relatively Moderate | 91.3 | $77K |
| Drought | Relatively Moderate | 89.5 | $1.9M |
| Heat Wave | Relatively Moderate | 83.7 | $2.2M |
| Winter Weather | Relatively Moderate | 81.6 | $261K |
| Ice Storm | Relatively Moderate | 81.1 | $513K |
| Cold Wave | Relatively Moderate | 78.9 | $3.9M |
| Riverine Flooding | Relatively Moderate | 74.6 | $18M |
| Lightning | Relatively Moderate | 72.6 | $625K |
| Wildfire | Relatively Low | 67.2 | $161K |
| Earthquake | Very Low | 26.9 | $63K |
| Hurricane | No Rating | 0.0 | $0 |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. A model of future loss, not a count of past events. FEMA's National Risk Index map.
What the record holds
| Hazard | Records | Deaths | Damage | Rank in state | Rank in U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 260 | 0 | $138K | 27th of 99 | 721st of 3,080 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 204 | 3 | $19M | 83rd of 99 | 1960th of 3,080 |
| Winter storms | 91 | 0 | $5.9M | 99th of 99 | 1623rd of 3,077 |
| Tornadoes | 57 | 1 | $219M | 72nd of 99 | 1037th of 3,080 |
| Floods | 48 | 0 | $32M | 94th of 99 | 1769th of 3,080 |
| Extreme cold | 41 | 0 | – | 66th of 99 | 613th of 3,076 |
| Heat | 26 | 0 | – | 18th of 99 | 822nd of 3,076 |
| High wind and dust storms | 25 | 1 | – | 81st of 99 | 1536th of 3,080 |
| Drought | 10 | 0 | – | 96th of 99 | 1983rd of 3,063 |
| Heavy rain | 3 | 0 | – | 92nd of 99 | 1896th of 3,080 |
| Lightning | 2 | 1 | – | 74th of 99 | 1879th of 3,080 |
| Wildfires | 2 | 0 | $1.6M | 9th of 99 | 864th of 2,972 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026-06-30; damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.
The full Pottawattamie County record: every hazard by year and month, the deadliest events and FEMA's declarations.