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Louisa County, Iowa severe weather history spans 247 recorded events between 1962 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 34.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,125 nationally and #98 in Iowa.
247
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$62.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Louisa County, Iowa severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Louisa County, Iowa severe weather history averages 3.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 83 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 29 events fall before 1990 and 218 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Louisa County, Iowa record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $28.0M 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 Louisa County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 84 | 1 | $4.2M | 103 | 1962–2026 |
| Hail | 67 | 0 | $6.6M | 2.75 | 1966–2026 |
| Flood | 42 | 0 | $21.2M | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 27 | 0 | $3.0M | 5 | 1997–2025 |
| Tornado | 16 | 0 | $28.0M | F2 | 1967–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1999–2015 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $10K | 0 | 2000–2015 |
| Heavy Rain | 2 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2001–2006 |
Decade by decade
Louisa County, Iowa severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
19 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 11 touched down inside it and 8 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007-06-01 | EF3 | 0 | 7 | 15.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-04-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 41.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2017-03-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 71.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1970-05-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-01-24 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-01-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1954-04-30 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 85.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2003-05-10 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 27.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1998-06-18 | EF1 | 0 | 1 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Louisa County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 29, 1998 | Thunderstorm Wind | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 1 | $1.0M |
| Feb 11, 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | LETTS | 0 | 2 | $20K |
| Jun 1, 2007 | Tornado | GRANDVIEW | 0 | 1 | $1.0M |
| Jun 18, 1998 | Tornado | OAKVILLE | 0 | 1 | $180K |
| Jan 24, 1967 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The record crest on the Iowa River at Columbus Junction occurred on June 16, 2008 at 32.49 feet. Flood stage is 19 feet. The record crest on the Iowa River at Wapello occurred on June 14, 2008 at 32.15 feet. Flood stage is 20 feet.
The tornado touched down on the southern edge of Grandview. It moved through the center of town intensifying in rural areas as it approached the county line. In Grandview, several homes sustained severe damage. North of Grandview, about 1.5 miles, a farm house was completely destroyed. Other homes and trees along the path sustained damage. The tornado crossed the Louisa-Muscatine county line just south of Fruitland, IA.|
Heavy rains during the third week of June resulted in the Iowa River at Wapello going above the moderate flood stage level of 22 feet on June 17 around 7 am. After briefly falling below the moderate flood stage, it crested around 23.9 feet around 7 am June 25. It fell below the moderate flood stage level around 1 pm June 27.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
10,678
Population (ACS)
$150K
Median home value
20
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 |
| May 27, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 14, 2007 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORMS | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Louisa County, Iowa?
247 events are on record between 1962 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $62.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Louisa County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 84 recorded events — 34.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Louisa County?
19 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 11 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Louisa County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Louisa County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Louisa County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Louisa County as very low risk, placing it in the 17 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Louisa 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
- Linn County 1,170
- Lucas County 296
- Lee County 530
- Lyon County 436
- Kossuth County 568
- Madison County 402
Cite this page
“Louisa County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/louisa-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.