Dickinson County, Iowa severe weather history spans 487 recorded events between 1956 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 36.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #920 nationally and #36 in Iowa.
487
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
20
Direct injuries
$17.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Dickinson County, Iowa severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Dickinson County, Iowa severe weather history averages 7.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 170 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 54 events fall before 1990 and 433 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $11.3M in reported property damage. In total, 6 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Dickinson County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 176 | 0 | $2.5M | 84 | 1956–2025 |
| Hail | 174 | 0 | $955K | 2.5 | 1960–2026 |
| Flood | 77 | 0 | $2.4M | 0 | 2006–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 31 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2024 |
| Tornado | 28 | 0 | $11.3M | F3 | 1960–2024 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2010–2010 |
Decade by decade
Dickinson County, Iowa severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
30 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 27 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1971-05-31 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-04-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 18.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-08-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1981-06-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 21.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1981-06-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 21.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1968-06-13 | EF2 | 0 | 17 | 4.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1960-07-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-09-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Dickinson County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 14, 1968 | Tornado | 0 | 17 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 13, 2001 | Hail | OKOBOJI | 0 | 2 | $100K |
| Jun 13, 1983 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Snow melt and heavy rainfall (measured 1.78 inches 4 miles northwest of Milford and 1.59 inches 3 miles south southeast of Lake Park) resulted in significant flooding of agricultural lands and several county roads. Little Sioux River near Milford (gage site MIFI4) reached the second highest stage on record cresting 6.02 feet above flood stage on March 18.
A widespread swath of wind damage occurred from the eastern shores of West Okoboji Lake to the eastern shore of East Okoboji Lake. Areas near West Lake Okoboji featured limb and minor building damage with wind speeds of 65 to 75 mph. However, more significant damage occurred east of Highway 71 where large trees were snapped and an office building severely damaged with wind gusts from 75 to 93 mph.
A tornado spun up 3 miles east-northeast of Fostoria one-half mile south of 260th Street east of 250th Avenue. The tornado tracked north just east of 250th Avenue, and snapped several power poles along 260th and 250th Streets. Two farms between 250th and 240th Streets were struck by the tornado, which peeled back the roof of an outbuilding and damaged several large trees. The most significant damage occurred along 235th Street where a portion of the south-facing roof was removed from a house and an outbuilding to the north of the house was destroyed. The tornado tracked through open fields for another mile before it lifted 2 miles east of Milford. The average path width was 25 yards and the maximum estimated wind speed was 100 mph. Property damage costs are a rough estimate.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
17,990
Population (ACS)
$271K
Median home value
18
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 24, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, 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 |
| Aug 20, 2018 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 24, 2014 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Fuller Fld Arpt 134
- Lake Park 115
- Montgomery 113
- Spirit Lake 106
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Dickinson County, Iowa?
487 events are on record between 1956 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $17.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Dickinson County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 176 recorded events — 36.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Dickinson County?
30 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 27 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Dickinson County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Dickinson County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Dickinson County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Dickinson County as very low risk, placing it in the 36 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Dickinson 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
- Des Moines County 492
- Dubuque County 700
- Delaware County 465
- Emmet County 374
- Decatur County 311
- Fayette County 444
Cite this page
“Dickinson County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/dickinson-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.