Live
Active alerts for this county
Heat Advisory
Dallas; Polk; Jasper; Poweshiek; Madison; Warren; Marion; Mahaska; Union; Clarke; Lucas; Monroe; Wapello; Ringgold; Decatur; Wayne; Appanoose; Davis
Warren County, Iowa severe weather history spans 883 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 38.3% of all recorded events. It ranks #222 nationally and #6 in Iowa.
883
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
10
Direct injuries
$37.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Warren County, Iowa severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Warren County, Iowa severe weather history averages 12.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 341 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 84 events fall before 1990 and 799 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Warren County, Iowa record is lightning, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $24.3M 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 Warren County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 338 | 0 | $1.5M | 3.5 | 1962–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 233 | 0 | $3.3M | 95 | 1962–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 122 | 0 | $12K | 2.5 | 2001–2025 |
| Flood | 79 | 0 | $5.5M | 0 | 1996–2019 |
| Tornado | 48 | 0 | $24.3M | F3 | 1953–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 38 | 0 | $2.6M | 0 | 1998–2018 |
| Funnel Cloud | 19 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2024 |
| Lightning | 6 | 1 | $342K | 0 | 1996–2023 |
Decade by decade
Warren County, Iowa severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
50 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 43 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-03-05 | EF4 | 6 | 5 | 70.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2019-08-20 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 5.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-04-08 | EF3 | 0 | 5 | 39.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1979-03-29 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 57.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2007-06-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-04-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 32.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-03-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-06-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1960-06-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-06-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 116.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Warren County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 8, 2000 | Lightning | MILO | 1 | 0 | $65K |
| Apr 11, 2001 | Thunderstorm Wind | CARLISLE | 0 | 5 | $20K |
| Jun 27, 1953 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Mar 9, 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | INDIANOLA | 0 | 1 | $100K |
| Jun 10, 1999 | Lightning | INDIANOLA | 0 | 1 | $10K |
| Mar 30, 1979 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This is a continuation of the tornado which started in Madison county and passed into Warren county. The tornado remained very broad with a maximum width of up to 500 yards at times. Video evidence supports a multi-vortex circulation with the tornado across much of Warren county. The tornado cross Interstate 35 shortly after entering the county but fortunately, no vehicles were impacted. The tornado remained in rural areas to the west southwest of Norwalk producing mostly tree and outbuilding damage. The tornado passed along the southeast edge of Norwalk producing EF0 to EF1 damage along Coolidge Street and along Highway G14 near Warrior Run Golf Course. The tornado crossed Highway 5 just west of the intersections of Highway 5 and Highway 69 approaching the southeast side of Des Moines. The tornado entered into Polk county shortly after crossing Highway 69 near the intersection of Highway 69 and Indianola Avenue.
Emergency Manager reported Highway 92 closed between S23 and S31. Three bridges were destroyed across the county and numerous culverts washed out. Numerous farm to market roads sustained damage including bridge approaches and also several structures damaged.
Tornado spotted by amateur radio, law enforcement, Warren County Emergency Manager, and trained spotters. Touched down near Cumming and lifted south of the Norwalk area. Damage was done to several buildings. One house had the roof taken off. Numerous trees and power lines were downed. The tornado track was generally east-southeast, however the track was not straight.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
54,409
Population (ACS)
$270K
Median home value
17
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 23, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Aug 20, 2018 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, 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
- Indianola 142
- Norwalk 138
- Hartford 108
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Warren County, Iowa?
883 events are on record between 1953 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $37.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Warren County?
Hail, with 338 recorded events — 38.3% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Warren County?
50 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 43 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Warren County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Warren County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Warren County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Warren County as very low risk, placing it in the 36 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Warren 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
- Wapello County 594
- Washington County 371
- Van Buren County 327
- Wayne County 332
- Union County 406
- Webster County 758
Cite this page
“Warren County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/warren-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.