Buena Vista County, Iowa severe weather history spans 378 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 39.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,342 nationally and #56 in Iowa.
378
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$12.3M
Property damage
The record
What the Buena Vista County, Iowa severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Buena Vista County, Iowa severe weather history averages 5.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 127 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 49 events fall before 1990 and 329 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $6.1M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Buena Vista County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 150 | 0 | $117K | 3 | 1960–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 129 | 0 | $939K | 82 | 1957–2025 |
| Flood | 48 | 0 | $4.2M | 0 | 2006–2024 |
| Tornado | 28 | 0 | $6.1M | F2 | 1958–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 17 | 0 | $870K | 0 | 2002–2023 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 1998–2006 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2016 |
Decade by decade
Buena Vista County, Iowa 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: 24 touched down inside it and 7 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-04-09 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 29.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2004-06-11 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 6.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-06-07 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 16.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-06-07 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-08-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-08-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 27.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-06-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 47.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1953-06-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 49.2 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Buena Vista County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 7, 1984 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $2.5M | |
| May 10, 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | LINN GROVE | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 5, 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Lakeside | 0 | 2 | $50K |
| Aug 9, 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | STORM LAKE ARPT | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A tornado destroyed a garage and damaged several other buildings and farm equipment on a farm, and damaged trees and power lines. The tornado also damaged a metal building system. The tornado also severely damaged the roof and air conditioning units at a school near Alta, and destroyed bleachers at the school.
A tornado affected several farmsteads, damaging several homes, some beyond repair. The tornado destroyed or damaged numerous outbuildings, several silos, farm equipment, and livestock shelters. Numerous power lines, power poles, and trees were blown down. The tornado crossed into Buena Vista County from Sac County, then crossed out of Buena Vista County into Pocahontas County.
Widespread heavy rainfall of up to 8 inches caused flash flooding which was also widespread, affecting the western and southern parts of the county. There was significant flooding of numerous streets and homes, with an estimated 1,500 homes and businesses in the city of Storm Lake affected by basement or lower level flooding. The Storm Lake City Hall was included, with two feet of water in its basement. Rural areas in the western part of the county were also impacted, with numerous roads, fields, and homes flooded.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
20,753
Population (ACS)
$160K
Median home value
22
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 24, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| May 24, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| 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 |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Linn Grove 155
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Buena Vista County, Iowa?
378 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $12.3M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Buena Vista County?
Hail, with 150 recorded events — 39.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Buena Vista County?
31 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 24 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Buena Vista County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Buena Vista County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Buena Vista County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Buena Vista County as very low risk, placing it in the 39 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Buena Vista 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
- Buchanan County 598
- Butler County 509
- Bremer County 393
- Calhoun County 370
- Boone County 593
- Carroll County 461
Cite this page
“Buena Vista County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/buena-vista-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.