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Linn County, Iowa severe weather history spans 1,170 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 49.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #85 nationally and #2 in Iowa.
1,170
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
148
Direct injuries
$803.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Linn County, Iowa severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Linn County, Iowa severe weather history averages 16.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 374 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 113 events fall before 1990 and 1,057 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Linn County, Iowa record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 3 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $752.2M 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 Linn County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 574 | 3 | $11.4M | 122 | 1955–2026 |
| Hail | 389 | 0 | $6.3M | 2.75 | 1956–2026 |
| Tornado | 64 | 0 | $32.6M | F4 | 1953–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 58 | 1 | $813K | 2.5 | 1997–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 31 | 0 | $5K | 2 | 1998–2021 |
| Flood | 20 | 0 | $752.2M | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 19 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2025 |
| Lightning | 15 | 2 | $203K | 0 | 1997–2019 |
Decade by decade
Linn County, Iowa severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
72 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 61 touched down inside it and 11 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-03-13 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 19.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-04-30 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 80.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1961-04-23 | EF3 | 1 | 12 | 87.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2004-05-21 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-05-18 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 4.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1953-05-20 | EF3 | 0 | 7 | 38.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2025-07-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-03-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2017-06-28 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 11.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2016-07-17 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 4.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Linn County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 10, 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | COVINGTON | 1 | 100 | $0 |
| Jul 13, 1992 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 2 | $0 | |
| Jul 1, 2014 | Flash Flood | CEDAR RAPIDS | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 30, 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | FAIRFAX | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Sep 4, 2005 | Lightning | (CID)CEDAR RAPIDS AR | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 20, 2015 | Lightning | PALO | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| May 26, 1965 | Tornado | 0 | 14 | $250K | |
| Jul 17, 2016 | Tornado | FAIRFAX | 0 | 4 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
One teenager drowned and another was injured when they were swept into a large storm sewer during heavy rains. Three 17-year-olds were playing Frisbee near Arthur Elementary School when one of the boys was swept into the storm sewer and another boy went to try rescue him but was also swept in. The first boy drowned but the second boy came out of the sewer drain more than a mile away in Cedar Lake.
Law enforcement reported a business building destroyed by high winds from a severe thunderstorm. One person was killed and another injured due to the collapsed structure. A NWS survey found the roof had been blown off which caused the walls to collapse inward and the body was found underneath the rubble.
Lightning struck two golfers at the Airport National Public Golf Course 5 miles east of Cedar Rapids Airport. Both golfers were rushed to a nearby hospital where one (a 38 year old male) was pronounced dead. The other golfer, male, age 37, was treated and released.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
230,004
Population (ACS)
$214K
Median home value
23
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 17, 2020 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS | DR |
| Mar 23, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Oct 31, 2016 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Aug 5, 2014 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 2, 2013 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Cedar Rapids 351
- Marion 145
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Linn County, Iowa?
1,170 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 6 direct deaths and $803.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Linn County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 574 recorded events — 49.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Linn County?
72 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 61 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Linn County?
23 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Linn County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Linn County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Linn County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 87 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Linn 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
- Lee County 530
- Louisa County 247
- Kossuth County 568
- Lucas County 296
- Keokuk County 282
- Lyon County 436
Cite this page
“Linn County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/linn-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.