Iowa County, Wisconsin severe weather history spans 371 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 52.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,382 nationally and #31 in Wisconsin.
371
Recorded events
9
Direct deaths
206
Direct injuries
$35.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Iowa County, Wisconsin severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Iowa County, Wisconsin severe weather history averages 5.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 112 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 61 events fall before 1990 and 310 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Iowa County, Wisconsin record is tornado, responsible for 9 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $22.7M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Iowa County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 195 | 0 | $3.8M | 87 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 102 | 0 | $22.7M | 4 | 1955–2026 |
| Tornado | 33 | 9 | $6.8M | F5 | 1954–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 15 | 0 | $1.5M | 0 | 1999–2026 |
| Flood | 9 | 0 | $48K | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2011 |
| Heavy Rain | 6 | 0 | $360K | 0 | 2001–2018 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $375K | 0 | 1996–2008 |
| Debris Flow | 1 | 0 | $1K | 0 | 2024–2024 |
Decade by decade
Iowa County, Wisconsin severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
31 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 25 touched down inside it and 6 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984-06-07 | EF5 | 9 | 200 | 36.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-07-03 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-06-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-06-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 29.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1985-05-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 16.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-06-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1969-06-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-05-15 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-09-02 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 22.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-04-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Iowa County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 8, 1984 | Tornado | 9 | 200 | $250K | |
| Apr 7, 1954 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $25K | |
| May 16, 1965 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K | |
| Sep 3, 1963 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A long track swath of sporadic to continuous tornado damage. Hundreds of trees uprooted, snapped, and damaged. Dozens of farm buildings damaged or destroyed, including many silos down. 59 homes damaged with 4 destroyed. Intermittent damaging downburst winds were likely adjacent to the tornado path. An area of corn leveled.
A sporadic path of EF-2 tornado damage. Up to six power poles snapped. A large camper-trailer destroyed and tossed 100 yards. A well-built metal building significantly damaged, with debris landing on cars. Other smaller sheds destroyed.
Washouts of mainly gravel roads and driveways in the northwest portion of the county. About 50 homes with mostly minor water damage. However, the north foundation of a home collapsed while the east and west foundations buckled due to water pressure. Water was briefly over a bridge on Sunny Road at the Dodge Branch of the Pecatonica River. The flooding also led to the loss of crops.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
23,867
Population (ACS)
$265K
Median home value
17
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 30, 2026 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Apr 4, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Oct 7, 2017 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, FLOODING, LANDSLIDES, AND MUD | DR |
| Aug 8, 2013 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND MUDSLIDES | DR |
| Apr 5, 2011 | Snowstorm | SEVERE WINTER STORM AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Iowa County, Wisconsin?
371 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 9 direct deaths and $35.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Iowa County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 195 recorded events — 52.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Iowa County?
31 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 25 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Iowa County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Iowa County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Iowa County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Iowa County as very low risk, placing it in the 23 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Iowa County, Wisconsin severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Green Lake County 223
- Iron County 114
- Jackson County 415
- Green County 412
- Jefferson County 628
- Grant County 825
Cite this page
“Iowa County, Wisconsin.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/wisconsin/iowa-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.