Clayton County, Iowa severe weather history spans 535 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 30.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #767 nationally and #26 in Iowa.
535
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
28
Direct injuries
$49.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Clayton County, Iowa severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Clayton County, Iowa severe weather history averages 7.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 248 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 42 events fall before 1990 and 493 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Clayton County, Iowa record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $27.0M 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 Clayton County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 165 | 0 | $2.3M | 75 | 1959–2025 |
| Flood | 143 | 0 | $13.1M | 0 | 2001–2025 |
| Hail | 142 | 0 | $807K | 2.5 | 1961–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 36 | 0 | $5.7M | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 22 | 0 | $232K | 0 | 2007–2022 |
| Tornado | 17 | 2 | $27.0M | F3 | 1953–2026 |
| Funnel Cloud | 9 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2020 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2005–2005 |
Decade by decade
Clayton County, Iowa severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
21 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954-04-30 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 80.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1985-05-30 | EF3 | 2 | 27 | 34.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-05-10 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 6.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-06-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-06-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 70.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1969-06-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 26.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1965-08-25 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-03-31 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2017-07-19 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 5.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2007-03-31 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.9 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Clayton County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 31, 1985 | Tornado | 2 | 25 | $25.0M | |
| Jul 19, 2017 | Tornado | GIARD | 0 | 2 | $840K |
| Jun 26, 1989 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Most secondary roads were either damaged or under water. Rainfall totals of 3 to 7 inches were reported during the weekend of June 7-8. About 4000 acres of farm land were impacted. Combined with flooding along the Turkey River, a total of 20 homes were destroyed, 9 with major damage, 15 with minor damage, and recovery costs easily into the millions.
The Turkey River at Elkader established a new record crest at about 6 a.m. CDT on June 10 of 30.9 feet. The previous record crest was 27.3 feet on June 15, 1991. Flood stage is 12.0 feet. The river rose again above flood stage from June 12 through June 14th cresting at 16.63 feet.
Flooding occurred across parts of Clayton County from the combination of rainfall and melting snow. An ice jam on the Turkey River caused flooding to occur near Millville with water going over U.S. Highway 52 and a restaurant sustained major damage. Near the mouth of the Turkey River, the ice jam took out a railroad bridge. Flooding along the Turkey River also occurred in the Osterdock.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
17,013
Population (ACS)
$169K
Median home value
27
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 25, 2023 | Flood | 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 |
| Aug 27, 2017 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Oct 31, 2016 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Elkader 237
- Garber 232
- Mc Gregor 186
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Clayton County, Iowa?
535 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $49.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Clayton County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 165 recorded events — 30.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Clayton County?
21 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 16 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Clayton County?
27 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Clayton County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Clayton County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Clayton County as very low risk, placing it in the 42 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Clayton 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
- Clay County 663
- Clinton County 578
- Clarke County 355
- Crawford County 443
- Chickasaw County 316
- Dallas County 964
Cite this page
“Clayton County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/clayton-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.