118
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
0
Direct injuries
$587K
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Jefferson County, Iowa: 118 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 70. That places the county #1,961 nationally and #73 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Jefferson County, Iowa: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Jefferson County is the 2000s, when 45 of the county's 118 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Jefferson County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 46.1% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #1,961 for this hazard and #73 within Iowa, putting it in the 37.6 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Jefferson County with 35 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 23, 2026 | LINBY | 52 | $0 |
| Apr 2, 2026 | PACKWOOD | 65 | $0 |
| Apr 2, 2026 | PACKWOOD | 61 | $0 |
| Mar 15, 2025 | FAIRFIELD MUNI ARPT | 52 | $0 |
| Jul 30, 2024 | FAIRFIELD MUNI ARPT | 56 | $0 |
| May 7, 2024 | LIBERTYVILLE | 50 | $0 |
| Jun 29, 2023 | FAIRFIELD | 65 | $0 |
| Jun 29, 2023 | BATAVIA | 52 | $0 |
| Jun 29, 2023 | BATAVIA | 65 | $0 |
| Mar 6, 2022 | FAIRFIELD MUNI ARPT | 56 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Jefferson County
- Hail 93
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Thunderstorm winds estimated to be 70 mph damaged some buildings in the vicinity of 8th St. and W Depot Ave. near the BNSF railroad tracks in Fairfield and ripped the roof off the Dexter-Apache Holdings Inc. building on Grimes Ave. The railroad crossing assembly was also ripped off.
Initial damage began from Libertyville to about 3.7 miles northwest of Fairfield. The high winds lasted roughly 10 minutes at any one location. The Fairfield Airport measured 70 knot (81 mph) winds from 1031 to 1033 CST when power was lost. Extensive damage occurred in the city of Fairfield with trees and power poles down along with water ponding on roads from heavy rainfall. No additional damage reports were received east of Fairfield, but it is likely that sporatic damage occurred in an east northeast path to the Jefferson/Henry county line along and just north of the bow apex. Based on that assumption, the following times have been established for affected cities (all times CST); Libertyville 1027-1037, Fairfield Airport 1031-1041, Fairfield 1033-1043, Perlee 1040-1050, Salina 1045-1055, East Pleasant Plain 1048-1058, Germanville 1050-1100, and Merrimac 1053-1103.
Barn collapsed due to high wind, while another building was completely removed from property on Indigo Boulevard. Garage destroyed, trees blown down and camper overturned on South 255th Street between Fairfield and Libertyville. Several vehicles also damaged at an auto body shop.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Jefferson County, Iowa?
118 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Jefferson County between 1957 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Jefferson County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Jefferson County measured 70.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Jefferson County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Thunderstorm Wind in Jefferson County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/jefferson-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.