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Lucas County, Iowa severe weather history spans 296 recorded events between 1967 and 2024. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 27.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,803 nationally and #87 in Iowa.
296
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
7
Direct injuries
$33.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Lucas County, Iowa severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Lucas County, Iowa severe weather history averages 5.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 102 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 20 events fall before 1990 and 276 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Lucas County, Iowa record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $26.9M 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 Lucas County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 82 | 0 | $964K | 70 | 1973–2024 |
| Hail | 78 | 0 | $448K | 2.5 | 1973–2024 |
| Flood | 55 | 0 | $2.1M | 0 | 1997–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 46 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2022 |
| Flash Flood | 17 | 0 | $2.5M | 0 | 2000–2021 |
| Tornado | 13 | 1 | $26.9M | F4 | 1967–2022 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2014 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $18K | 0 | 1996–2011 |
Decade by decade
Lucas County, Iowa severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
17 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 10 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984-06-07 | EF4 | 3 | 64 | 134.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1953-05-10 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 6.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2022-03-05 | EF3 | 1 | 1 | 11.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-06-22 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 11.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1999-04-08 | EF3 | 0 | 5 | 39.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-10-14 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 29.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 2022-03-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 19.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1967-06-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1960-04-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-10-14 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 5.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Lucas County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 5, 2022 | Tornado | DERBY | 1 | 1 | $1.5M |
| Apr 8, 1999 | Tornado | LUCAS | 0 | 4 | $250K |
| Jun 12, 1994 | Hail | Chariton | 0 | 2 | $50K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This was a satellite tornado which formed near the tornado which went on to impact areas just south and east of Chariton, Iowa. This satellite tornado was captured on video by storm chasers and left a path observed in high resolution satellite imagery. This tornado developed north of the main tornado and travelled due west before turning ninety degrees to the south with movement toward the main circulation. The tornado did a full revolution around the main tornado before being absorbed into the overall circulation. There was some tree damage associated with the satellite tornado but otherwise did not impact any other structures.
Video from a storm chaser documented this tornado. This was a second satellite tornado to a larger tornado which had an earlier satellite tornado in Decatur and Wayne counties. This tornado remained in southern rural Lucas county and did not impact any damage indicators, hence the EFU rating.
This tornado moved into Lucas county from Wayne county. This portion of the tornado was documented via video from storm chasers and high resolution satellite imagery. The tornado had no documented interaction with damage indicators, hence the EFU rating.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
8,716
Population (ACS)
$120K
Median home value
15
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 31, 2015 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| May 31, 2013 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 29, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Russell 186
- Chariton 137
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Lucas County, Iowa?
296 events are on record between 1967 and 2024, causing 1 direct deaths and $33.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Lucas County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 82 recorded events — 27.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Lucas County?
17 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 10 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Lucas County?
15 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Lucas County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Lucas County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Lucas County as very low risk, placing it in the 30 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Lucas 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
- Louisa County 247
- Lyon County 436
- Linn County 1,170
- Madison County 402
- Lee County 530
- Mahaska County 428
Cite this page
“Lucas County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/lucas-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.