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Lee County, Iowa severe weather history spans 530 recorded events between 1954 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 45.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #782 nationally and #27 in Iowa.
530
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
15
Direct injuries
$40.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Lee County, Iowa severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lee County, Iowa severe weather history averages 7.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 181 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 73 events fall before 1990 and 457 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Lee County, Iowa record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is hail, with $24.7M 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 Lee County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 239 | 0 | $2.8M | 87 | 1958–2026 |
| Hail | 154 | 0 | $24.7M | 4.5 | 1959–2026 |
| Flood | 44 | 0 | $8.1M | 0 | 1998–2019 |
| Tornado | 42 | 1 | $2.9M | F3 | 1954–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 36 | 0 | $2.1M | 0 | 1997–2026 |
| Funnel Cloud | 9 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2026 |
| Heavy Rain | 4 | 0 | $7K | 2.5 | 2003–2005 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2006–2010 |
Decade by decade
Lee 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: 35 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967-01-24 | EF3 | 1 | 6 | 4.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-04-08 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 7.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-04-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 41.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-12-04 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 8.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2003-05-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1977-05-04 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-04-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-01-24 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1960-03-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-04-30 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 85.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lee County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 24, 1967 | Tornado | 1 | 6 | $250K | |
| Jan 24, 1967 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $250K | |
| Apr 15, 2006 | Lightning | MONTROSE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 8, 2005 | Thunderstorm Wind | FT MADISON | 0 | 1 | $3K |
| Jun 14, 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | DONNELLSON | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Feb 11, 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | MONTROSE | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 30, 1954 | 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
Heavy rains resulted in some flash flooding of several streets in Fort Madison, IA during the late evening hours of May 12 and early morning hours of May 13. The flood waters were 1 to 1.5 feet deep along 14th Street. Several creeks overflowed their banks.
The Skunk River near Augusta, IA experienced major flooding from the evening of September 13 to the late afternoon of September 15. It crested near 21.4 feet during the evening of September 14. The major flood stage level is 20.0 feet.
Wind gusts estimated to be 75 mph caused two weakened buildings to collapse in Keokuk, IA around 115 am CDT June 27. The Pallet Building on Johnson Street and the Redemption Center Building on S 4th Street and Johnson Street collapsed. In addition, several trees were uprooted or snapped near the base and several other large tree limbs were also blown down. A spotter also contributed to this report.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
32,893
Population (ACS)
$141K
Median home value
22
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 |
| Sep 12, 2018 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORM AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Jul 31, 2015 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Keokuk 150
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lee County, Iowa?
530 events are on record between 1954 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $40.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lee County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 239 recorded events — 45.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lee County?
37 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 35 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lee County?
22 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lee County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lee County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lee County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 63 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lee 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
- Kossuth County 568
- Linn County 1,170
- Keokuk County 282
- Louisa County 247
- Jones County 491
- Lucas County 296
Cite this page
“Lee County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/lee-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.