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Henry County, Iowa severe weather history spans 304 recorded events between 1957 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 48.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,761 nationally and #84 in Iowa.
304
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$5.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Henry County, Iowa severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Henry County, Iowa severe weather history averages 4.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 91 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 42 events fall before 1990 and 262 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Henry County, Iowa record is flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $2.2M 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 Henry County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 148 | 0 | $1.5M | 78 | 1965–2026 |
| Hail | 106 | 0 | $406K | 4 | 1965–2026 |
| Tornado | 18 | 0 | $2.2M | F2 | 1957–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 17 | 0 | $275K | 0 | 1997–2017 |
| Flood | 8 | 1 | $1.0M | 0 | 2000–2019 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $75K | 0 | 1997–2009 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2014 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $50K | 3 | 2003–2004 |
Decade by decade
Henry County, Iowa severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
23 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 16 touched down inside it and 7 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959-05-09 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 17.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-04-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 41.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2012-05-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-05-04 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-04-21 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 32.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1954-04-30 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 85.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2018-09-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-06-20 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 3.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-04-25 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2003-05-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 27.9 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Henry County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 24, 2000 | Flood | SALEM | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Jun 21, 2015 | Tornado | MT PLEASANT MUNI ARP | 0 | 2 | $100K |
| Jun 29, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 16, 1990 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| May 4, 1977 | 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
The tornado began near 120th street near Wayland in Henry County and moved northeast to near Crawfordsville in Washington County. The tornado was on the ground for approximately 10 minutes in Henry County. Damage along the path of the tornado included: several farm outbuildings destroyed, roof damage to homes, trees snapped, and power poles damaged. The most severe damage occurred near and to the northeast of Noble (Washington County) where several turkey farms sustained extensive damage and two large wooden truss power poles were snapped off. Two homes between Noble and Crawfordsville had the roof removed as well as the exterior walls on the upper floor. One of the homes had a car lofted and tumbled across the yard.
Main axis of damage is a less than a mile wide path running from 1.3 miles NNW of Rome (near the intersection of White Oak Rd and 208th Street) to 3.2 miles E of Winfield on 120th Street. Between 4 miles Northwest of Mount Pleasant to 2 miles NNE of Mount Pleasant, the damage path widened to 4 miles. Numerous trees and powerlines were downed with severe damage to an ANR pipeline pumping station located northwest of Mount Pleasant. Three homes suffered significant damage…including one which was blown off its foundation while another lost its roof. Numerous outbuildings and sheds were destroyed with grain wagons overturned. The Winfield cemetary (located southeast of town) had its entire 240 foot perimeter fence knocked down with several gravestones damaged. KDVN 88D velocity data suggests severe winds in Jefferson and Louisa Counties from this bow echo, but survey results indicate no damage indicative of severe winds.
Heavy rains caused flash flooding in Oakland Mills, IA, Mount Pleasant, IA, Mount Union, IA and New London, IA during the morning of September 13.||Near Oakland Mills, a campground along the Skunk River had to be evacuated due to the rapidly rising river level.||In Mount Pleasant, sewers were backed up, several streets were flooded, cars were stranded in flood waters, and several basements flooded.||South of Mount Pleasant, Big Creek near Highway 218 and 295th St flooded out of its banks and several area ditches were full with flood waters.||In the Mount Union area, several roads were under water.||In New London, where 24-hour rainfall totals ranged between 5.5 and 8.5 inches, some basements were flooded.||A trained spotter and member of the general public also contributed to this report.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
20,004
Population (ACS)
$164K
Median home value
16
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 2, 2013 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 29, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| May 27, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Henry County, Iowa?
304 events are on record between 1957 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $5.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Henry County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 148 recorded events — 48.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Henry County?
23 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 Henry County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Henry County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Henry County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Henry County as very low risk, placing it in the 31 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Henry 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
- Harrison County 496
- Howard County 309
- Hardin County 469
- Humboldt County 312
- Hancock County 318
- Ida County 262
Cite this page
“Henry County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/henry-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.