Black Hawk County, Iowa severe weather history spans 861 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 31.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #232 nationally and #7 in Iowa.
861
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
82
Direct injuries
$84.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Black Hawk County, Iowa severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Black Hawk County, Iowa severe weather history averages 12.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 299 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 95 events fall before 1990 and 766 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Black Hawk County, Iowa record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $56.3M 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 Black Hawk County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 271 | 0 | $4.8M | 91 | 1956–2025 |
| Hail | 253 | 0 | $4.1M | 4.5 | 1960–2025 |
| Flood | 136 | 0 | $12.1M | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 92 | 0 | $105K | 0 | 2008–2022 |
| Flash Flood | 44 | 0 | $5.6M | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Tornado | 39 | 2 | $56.3M | F4 | 1960–2020 |
| Lightning | 14 | 0 | $1.2M | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 12 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2022 |
Decade by decade
Black Hawk County, Iowa severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
39 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 34 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008-05-25 | EF5 | 9 | 70 | 41.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1965-08-26 | EF4 | 1 | 17 | 4.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-05-11 | EF3 | 1 | 25 | 18.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1960-04-16 | EF3 | 1 | 5 | 29.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1975-11-09 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 39.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2000-05-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2000-05-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-06-12 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 6.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-06-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 14.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-05-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Black Hawk County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 12, 2000 | Tornado | CEDAR FALLS | 1 | 25 | $1.8M |
| Apr 16, 1960 | Tornado | 1 | 5 | $250K | |
| May 7, 1964 | Tornado | 0 | 27 | $25.0M | |
| May 25, 2008 | Tornado | BENSON | 0 | 20 | $25.0M |
| May 24, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Jun 13, 1976 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| May 29, 2008 | Lightning | WATERLOO | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Public reported water over the road at Miller Creek Road between Laporte City and Washburn. Additionally downstream near Vinton there was an ice jam on the Cedar River. This was causing water to backup in Waterloo and Cedar Falls and causing some flooding. Another ice jam in the Cottage Row area of Cedar Falls was causing flooding and impacting homes. Many roads across the Waterloo and Cedar Falls area had been closed.
Air traffic controller reports trees, estimated 3-4 feet in diameter, uprooted at the airport. Limbs, estimated 8-10 inches in diameter were blown down. Some hangar doors were bent in and a helicopter was blown into a fence.
Tornado developed in rural farmland between Hudson and Waterloo moving quickly northeast. The tornado encountered an building site destroying a hay shelter building that was open on both sides. Additional damage occurred to a small storage building and trees on the site. All damage was rated EF0. The tornado continued northeast and dissipated before reaching Highway 20 on the south side of Waterloo.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
131,049
Population (ACS)
$189K
Median home value
20
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 23, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Oct 31, 2016 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Aug 5, 2014 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 29, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Aug 13, 2009 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Waterloo 188
- Cedar Falls 175
- Farmer 110
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Black Hawk County, Iowa?
861 events are on record between 1956 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $84.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Black Hawk County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 271 recorded events — 31.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Black Hawk County?
39 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 34 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Black Hawk County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Black Hawk County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Black Hawk County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Black Hawk County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 77 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Black Hawk 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
- Benton County 752
- Boone County 593
- Audubon County 269
- Bremer County 393
- Appanoose County 408
- Buchanan County 598
Cite this page
“Black Hawk County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/black-hawk-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.