Winnebago County, Iowa severe weather history spans 317 recorded events between 1961 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 36.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,684 nationally and #77 in Iowa.
317
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$13.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Winnebago County, Iowa severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Winnebago County, Iowa severe weather history averages 5.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 106 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 38 events fall before 1990 and 279 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $9.2M 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 Winnebago County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 117 | 0 | $1.8M | 78 | 1961–2025 |
| Hail | 105 | 0 | $1.9M | 3.5 | 1961–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 38 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2024 |
| Tornado | 24 | 0 | $9.2M | F2 | 1961–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 13 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 12 | 0 | $540K | 0 | 1998–2018 |
| Lightning | 5 | 0 | $210K | 0 | 1997–2002 |
| Flood | 3 | 0 | $30K | 0 | 2006–2013 |
Decade by decade
Winnebago County, Iowa severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
26 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 21 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999-08-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 11.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-08-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-06-07 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 21.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-06-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 18.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-05-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 13.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1980-09-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1963-05-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 13.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2021-12-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2018-06-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-05-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Winnebago County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 27, 1984 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $250K | |
| Apr 27, 1984 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Tornado touched down on the east edge of the Harmon Lake State Game Management Area and raced northward. A couple of farmsteads were impacted producing EF1 damage. This tornado crossed into Faribault County in Minnesota before dissipating.
A weak tornado developed northeast of Forest City staying in rural areas. The tornado was captured on video from several different angles. While the condensation funnel did not extend to the ground for much of its path, video clear shows debris and dust being picked up by the surface circulation. The tornado snapped power transmission poles along with damage to crops as it remained over agricultural land for the duration of its path.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
10,583
Population (ACS)
$135K
Median home value
16
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 24, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | 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 |
| Aug 20, 2018 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 24, 2014 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Winnebago County, Iowa?
317 events are on record between 1961 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $13.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Winnebago County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 117 recorded events — 36.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Winnebago County?
26 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 21 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Winnebago County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Winnebago County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Winnebago County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Winnebago County as very low risk, placing it in the 31 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Winnebago 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
- Webster County 758
- Winneshiek County 440
- Wayne County 332
- Woodbury County 856
- Washington County 371
- Worth County 300
Cite this page
“Winnebago County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/winnebago-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.