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Fremont County, Iowa severe weather history spans 361 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 38.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,423 nationally and #63 in Iowa.
361
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
29
Direct injuries
$57.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Fremont County, Iowa severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Fremont County, Iowa severe weather history averages 5.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 132 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 58 events fall before 1990 and 303 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Fremont County, Iowa record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $36.3M 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 Fremont County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 138 | 0 | $300K | 3 | 1955–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 111 | 0 | $58K | 83 | 1955–2025 |
| Flood | 64 | 1 | $36.3M | 0 | 2007–2024 |
| Tornado | 38 | 2 | $6.2M | F4 | 1959–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 6 | 0 | $14.1M | 0 | 2008–2019 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2024 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $100K | 0 | 2008–2008 |
Decade by decade
Fremont County, Iowa severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
37 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 32 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964-06-22 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 11.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-08-28 | EF3 | 2 | 14 | 38.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1964-06-22 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-06-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-04-14 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 12.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2004-08-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-06-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1983-05-01 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-04-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1968-04-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Fremont County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 28, 1979 | Tornado | 2 | 14 | $2.5M | |
| Mar 13, 2019 | Flood | FARRAGUT | 1 | 2 | $22.0M |
| Apr 14, 2012 | Tornado | PERCIVAL | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| Sep 8, 1989 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $250K | |
| May 1, 1983 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 12, 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | MC PAUL | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jul 7, 1992 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Flooding along the Missouri River gradually improved over the area during September as releases from Gavins Point Dam were reduced. The river at Nebraska City, which reached a record crest of a little over 28 feet by the end of the June, had fallen to around 20.5 feet by the first of September and finally below its 18 foot flood stage during the evening of Sept. 28th. However, extensive flooding of farm fields, roads and highways that had occurred over the summer as levees near Hamburg and Percival failed persisted into September. The flooding caused the closure of 24 miles of Interstate 29 and Highway 2 into Nebraska City as well as other local roads and highways. After the flood waters receded, it was learned that Highway 2 near I29 had several areas of extensive damage, included a sink hole of 15 feet deep. Bridge approaches along I29 were damaged just north of the Missouri border. These roads remained closed in September.
Heavy rainfall over the weekend of May 4th through the 6th, caused the Nishnabotna River to flood across Fremont county. The Nishnabotna River at Hamburg reached a prolonged crest of around 32.4 feet between 715 pm and 1145 pm on May 8th. Flood stage is 23 feet. The river at Hamburg first crossed flood stage around 6 am CDT on May 6th and didn't drop below flood stage until around 7 am on May 15th.|The flooding closed Interstate 29 for a while and an agricultural levee broke south of town sending significant amounts of water across agricultural bottom lands and county roads in the region early May 7th.|Flooding was also observed along the East Nishnabotna River northeast of Riverton to it's merger with the West Nishnabotna near Riverton where it forms the Nishnabotna that passes near Hamburg. Some home damage and county roads closures were reported in the area due to flood waters.
A federal levee along the Missouri River failed causing flash flooding of several farmsteads southwest of Hamburg. The flood waters also flooded across a local highway and eventually reached Interstate 29 and a levee surrounding Hamburg.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
6,514
Population (ACS)
$154K
Median home value
19
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 |
| Jun 27, 2011 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Feb 25, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS AND SNOWSTORM | DR |
| May 27, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Riverton 105
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Fremont County, Iowa?
361 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths and $57.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Fremont County?
Hail, with 138 recorded events — 38.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Fremont County?
37 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 32 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Fremont County?
19 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Fremont County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Fremont County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Fremont County as very low risk, placing it in the 15 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Fremont 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
- Franklin County 366
- Greene County 335
- Floyd County 424
- Grundy County 350
- Fayette County 444
- Guthrie County 515
Cite this page
“Fremont County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/fremont-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.