Severe Weather History


Iowa Flood History: 4,756 Recorded Events

4,753

Recorded events

98

Counties affected

7

Direct deaths

$1.6B

Property damage

Iowa flood history: 4,753 recorded events across 98 counties between 1996 and 2025.

Decade by decade

Iowa flood history by decade

Iowa flood history: recorded events per decade
Iowa flood history: recorded events per decade

The 2010s are the busiest decade on record with 2,041 reported flood events across Iowa. Earlier decades are thinner because systematic reporting for this hazard expanded over time, not because the weather was calmer.

County ranking

Counties with the most flood events in Iowa

RankCountyEventsDeathsDamageSpan
#1Clay County1651$27.1M2006–2024
#2Polk County1500$23.4M1996–2024
#3Clayton County1430$13.1M2001–2025
#4Black Hawk County1360$12.1M1998–2025
#5Sioux County1161$8.8M2006–2025
#6Plymouth County1100$4.4M2006–2025
#7Lyon County850$17.2M2006–2024
#8Dallas County830$6.6M1996–2022
#9Warren County790$5.5M1996–2019
#10Mahaska County780$5.3M1996–2019
#11Dickinson County770$2.4M2006–2024
#12Webster County680$4.9M1998–2024
#13Butler County671$5.6M1998–2024
#14Scott County660$6.9M1999–2024
#15Fremont County641$36.3M2007–2024
#16Marion County630$3.6M1996–2024
#17Wapello County600$6.2M1998–2019
#18Lucas County550$2.1M1997–2019
#19Story County530$55.2M1998–2024
#20Des Moines County510$6.2M2001–2024
#21O'Brien County510$2.9M2007–2024
#22Buena Vista County480$4.2M2006–2024
#23Humboldt County480$2.6M1998–2024
#24Emmet County470$12.7M2006–2024
#25Lee County440$8.1M1998–2019
Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events · ranked by recorded event count

Significant events

Deadliest flood events in Iowa

DateCountyScaleDeathsInjuries
May 27, 2013Butler County—10
Jun 21, 2024Clay County—10
Jun 24, 2000Clinton County—10
Mar 13, 2019Fremont County—12
Jun 24, 2000Henry County—10
Jun 20, 2024Sioux County—10
Source: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events · dates UTC

All hazards in Iowa · Flood across the U.S.