138
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
2
Direct injuries
$1.7M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Union County, Iowa: 138 recorded events between 1957 and 2025. The strongest on record measured 89. That places the county #1,680 nationally and #55 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Union County, Iowa: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Union County is the 2000s, when 52 of the county's 138 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 Union County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 34.0% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #1,680 for this hazard and #55 within Iowa, putting it in the 46.5 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jun is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Union County with 48 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.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 12, 2004 | AFTON | 50 | 0 | 1 | $2K |
| May 22, 1998 | CRESTON | 55 | 0 | 1 | $10K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 8, 2025 | AFTON | 52 | $0 |
| Sep 20, 2024 | THAYER | 52 | $5K |
| Jun 26, 2024 | LORIMOR | 54 | $0 |
| Apr 30, 2024 | CRESTON | 50 | $0 |
| Apr 27, 2024 | LORIMOR | 63 | $0 |
| Jul 12, 2023 | LORIMOR | 50 | $0 |
| Jul 12, 2023 | CRESTON | 55 | $0 |
| Jul 12, 2023 | CRESTON | 50 | $0 |
| Jul 12, 2023 | CROMWELL | 50 | $0 |
| Jun 29, 2023 | TALMAGE | 55 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Union County
- Hail 120
- Heavy Rain 59
- Tornado 42
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A two-story brick building with wooden roof and shingles was damaged. Roof and shingles were blown off. A 4 foot diameter tree was uprooted in the city park and 3 air handling units were blown off of the East Union High School in Afton. Tin was blown off the feed mill.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Union County, Iowa?
138 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Union County between 1957 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Union County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Union County measured 89.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Union 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 Union County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/union-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.