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Decatur County, Iowa severe weather history spans 311 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 35.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,719 nationally and #81 in Iowa.
311
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
7
Direct injuries
$60.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Decatur County, Iowa severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Decatur County, Iowa severe weather history averages 4.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 119 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 38 events fall before 1990 and 273 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
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 Decatur County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 110 | 0 | $1.4M | 71 | 1956–2025 |
| Hail | 95 | 0 | $384K | 2.75 | 1956–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 33 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2025 |
| Flood | 25 | 0 | $966K | 0 | 2007–2019 |
| Tornado | 19 | 0 | $56.3M | F4 | 1957–2022 |
| Flash Flood | 19 | 0 | $1.3M | 0 | 1999–2025 |
| Lightning | 6 | 0 | $95K | 0 | 1996–2010 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2024 |
Decade by decade
Decatur County, Iowa severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
20 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 15 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984-06-07 | EF4 | 3 | 64 | 134.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1989-05-24 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 49.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1980-06-02 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 31.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-05-27 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 30.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2022-03-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 19.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-05-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-04-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 29.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1964-06-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-04-23 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 68.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-11-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.2 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Decatur County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 9, 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | LEON | 0 | 2 | $5K |
| Apr 9, 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | LEON | 0 | 2 | $25K |
| Apr 23, 1961 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $2.5M | |
| Sep 1, 2010 | Lightning | LEON | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado passed through three counties including Decatur, Wayne and Lucas. The tornado developed east of Leon in central Decatur county and headed northeast. The torndo remained in rural areas of the county for the duration of its path. Damage was primarily to broken power poles, although residential house damage was also noted. A roof was removed from a house just east of Garden Grove producing EF2 damage with other damage to nearby outbuildings also noted. The tornado exited into Wayne county just north of 140th Street.
Tornado moved into Decatur county from Ringgold county. NWS storm survey then tracked the tornado across northwest Decatur county. A cattle lean-to was destroyed along with two other outbuildings damaged. There was extensive tree damage in a small area near the town of Grand River.
Heavy rain occurred over the area with over 3 inches in an hour. This resulted in a number of flooded roads in town, with water actively flowing at mid rim height on vehicles in flood waters. Impacts were largely confined to town which lies lower that surroundings area. Highway 69, coming into town from the north, had water over it for a time but this remained minor enough that a road closure was not needed.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
7,759
Population (ACS)
$114K
Median home value
14
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 14, 2014 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| May 31, 2013 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 29, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Decatur County, Iowa?
311 events are on record between 1956 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $60.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Decatur County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 110 recorded events — 35.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Decatur County?
20 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 15 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Decatur County?
14 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Decatur County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Decatur County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Decatur County as very low risk, placing it in the 24 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Decatur 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
- Davis County 276
- Delaware County 465
- Dallas County 964
- Des Moines County 492
- Crawford County 443
- Dickinson County 487
Cite this page
“Decatur County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/decatur-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.