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Appanoose County, Iowa severe weather history spans 408 recorded events between 1961 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 27.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,223 nationally and #51 in Iowa.
408
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
12
Direct injuries
$14.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Appanoose County, Iowa severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Appanoose County, Iowa severe weather history averages 6.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 188 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 48 events fall before 1990 and 360 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $7.3M in reported property damage. In total, 8 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Appanoose County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 113 | 0 | $1.6M | 78 | 1965–2024 |
| Hail | 112 | 0 | $515K | 3 | 1961–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 94 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 38 | 0 | $3.4M | 0 | 2000–2021 |
| Tornado | 24 | 0 | $7.3M | F2 | 1961–2018 |
| Flood | 19 | 0 | $1.2M | 0 | 1997–2019 |
| Lightning | 5 | 0 | $172K | 0 | 1996–2013 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2016 |
Decade by decade
Appanoose County, Iowa severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
26 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 20 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959-05-20 | EF4 | 0 | 5 | 17.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2017-03-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-03-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 14.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2015-11-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 13.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1992-07-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-04-26 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 15.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1988-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 47.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1980-06-02 | EF2 | 0 | 5 | 19.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-10-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-06-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.9 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Appanoose County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2, 1980 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 2, 1980 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $2.5M | |
| Apr 27, 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | UDELL | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 22, 2007 | Lightning | CENTERVILLE | 0 | 1 | $5K |
| Sep 8, 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | CENTERVILLE | 0 | 1 | $100K |
| May 25, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
NWS storm survey confirmed a tornado touchdown on the south side of Centerville just after 830 pm. The tornado produced significant damage to a manufacturing facility with a partial collapse of walls and roof structures. The tornado tracked very quickly northeast damaging an outbuilding and taking a large section of a roof off a residence along Highway 2. Damage was also found to several outbuildings at a farmstead south of Udell with a camper being tipped on its side. The worst damage occurred near Centerville where damage was consistent with winds of 115 to 125 mph – or EF2 damage. Damage to the east was not quite as intense generally EF0 or EF1 damage. It should be noted that the tornado may not have been continuous along the the entire 10 mile path…as the damage appeared to be more intermittent.
Several homes were evacuated due to high water in Centerville and Mystic. Water was flowing over county road T14 north of Mystic. Highway 2 just east of the Chariton River was reduced to one lane and the second lane was nearly under water.
Closures included 135th St south of Highway J46 with a pickup truck stalled out. Water flowing over the road at Highway 2 east of Centerville, and the intersection of Highway T14 and Main Street. Flooding on roads west of Centerville near the Chariton River.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
12,184
Population (ACS)
$124K
Median home value
16
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 23, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Mar 23, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Mar 23, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 31, 2015 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 2, 2013 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Appanoose County, Iowa?
408 events are on record between 1961 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $14.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Appanoose County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 113 recorded events — 27.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Appanoose County?
26 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 20 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Appanoose County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Appanoose County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Appanoose County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Appanoose County as very low risk, placing it in the 41 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Appanoose County, Iowa 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
- Allamakee County 308
- Audubon County 269
- Adams County 273
- Benton County 752
- Adair County 431
- Black Hawk County 861
Cite this page
“Appanoose County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/appanoose-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.