Butler County, Iowa severe weather history spans 509 recorded events between 1952 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 33.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #844 nationally and #30 in Iowa.
509
Recorded events
11
Direct deaths
58
Direct injuries
$94.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Butler County, Iowa severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Butler County, Iowa severe weather history averages 7.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 235 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 33 events fall before 1990 and 476 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Butler County, Iowa record is tornado, responsible for 9 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $81.4M 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 Butler County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 172 | 0 | $747K | 4.5 | 1959–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 135 | 1 | $3.3M | 75 | 1958–2025 |
| Flood | 67 | 1 | $5.6M | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 66 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2024 |
| Tornado | 31 | 9 | $81.4M | F4 | 1952–2021 |
| Flash Flood | 28 | 0 | $3.5M | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2025 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $175K | 0 | 2011–2019 |
Decade by decade
Butler County, Iowa severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
33 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 25 touched down inside it and 8 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968-05-15 | EF5 | 13 | 462 | 62.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-05-25 | EF5 | 9 | 70 | 41.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1961-09-01 | EF4 | 0 | 7 | 26.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-05-20 | EF3 | 1 | 0 | 116.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2021-07-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2001-09-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-07-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-06-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 25.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-06-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-05-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Butler County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 25, 2008 | Tornado | APLINGTON | 9 | 50 | $75.0M |
| May 17, 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | PARKERSBURG | 1 | 0 | $60K |
| May 27, 2013 | Flood | PARKERSBURG | 1 | 0 | $500K |
| Sep 2, 1961 | Tornado | 0 | 7 | $2.5M | |
| May 17, 2017 | Thunderstorm Wind | APLINGTON | 0 | 1 | $100K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Coop observer reported very high winds estimated at over 70 mph. Power reported out in Parkersburg, semi overturned on Highway 57 resulting in one fatality, and numerous tree limbs down on roads. A 3 foot diameter tree also downed in Parkersburg.
This second tornado near Clarksville formed just south of tornado #1 as it was in the latter stages of its life. It heavily damaged multiple shelter belts and destroyed several outbuildings on a farmstead before dissipating. It caused EF1 damage to both the shelter belts and the farmstead.
Tornado developed southwest of Shell Rock and moved along 250th Street. The tornado impacted several farmsteads along 250th producing EF1 damage to buildings and trees at many of the locations. The tornado was also quite wide with the the max width extending over 600 yards. The tornado continued into Bremer county.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
14,268
Population (ACS)
$165K
Median home value
25
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 24, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | 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 |
| Oct 31, 2016 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 31, 2015 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Butler County, Iowa?
509 events are on record between 1952 and 2025, causing 11 direct deaths and $94.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Butler County?
Hail, with 172 recorded events — 33.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Butler County?
33 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 25 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Butler County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Butler County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Butler County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Butler County as very low risk, placing it in the 27 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Butler 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
- Buena Vista County 378
- Calhoun County 370
- Buchanan County 598
- Carroll County 461
- Bremer County 393
- Cass County 550
Cite this page
“Butler County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/butler-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.