Wright County, Iowa severe weather history spans 351 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 38.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,486 nationally and #66 in Iowa.
351
Recorded events
7
Direct deaths
173
Direct injuries
$30.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Wright County, Iowa severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Wright County, Iowa severe weather history averages 5.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 137 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 43 events fall before 1990 and 308 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Wright County, Iowa record is tornado, responsible for 6 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $26.3M 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 Wright County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 136 | 0 | $1.5M | 80 | 1956–2025 |
| Hail | 96 | 0 | $695K | 4 | 1965–2025 |
| Tornado | 38 | 6 | $26.3M | F5 | 1964–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 31 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 24 | 1 | $1.4M | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Flood | 17 | 0 | $915K | 0 | 1998–2019 |
| Funnel Cloud | 7 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2017 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $22K | 0 | 1998–2004 |
Decade by decade
Wright County, Iowa severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
41 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 34 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1966-10-14 | EF5 | 6 | 172 | 9.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-06-12 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 6.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 16.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-05-17 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1973-09-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-04-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-06-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 49.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-04-07 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2020-05-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Wright County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 14, 1966 | Tornado | 6 | 172 | $25.0M | |
| Jun 8, 2008 | Flash Flood | EAGLE GROVE ARPT | 1 | 0 | $25K |
| May 15, 1998 | Lightning | BELMOND | 0 | 1 | $2K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado develop several miles southwest of Galt producing damage to a couple different confinement operations. Buildings were completely destroyed at one operation along 250th Street producing EF2 damage. The tornado continued northeast with additional damage to outbuildings before dissipating to the west southwest of Rowan.
Trained spotter reported several large trees down, either split in half or completely toppled over, throughout the town of Eagle Grove. One large tree fell on a house along West Broadway, along with several trees covering the street near the intersection of West Broadway and Fort.
Law Enforcement reported basement flooding in two residences. The occupants were rescued from a stalled car in 3 feet of water at Lucas and northeast 2nd Street. One to two feet of water was reported at the 700 block of north Iowa Ave in Eagle Grove. Street flooding was reported and street barricades were placed.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
12,791
Population (ACS)
$120K
Median home value
24
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 24, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| May 24, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Feb 23, 2022 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Wright County, Iowa?
351 events are on record between 1956 and 2025, causing 7 direct deaths and $30.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Wright County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 136 recorded events — 38.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Wright County?
41 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 34 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Wright County?
24 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Wright County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Wright County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wright County as very low risk, placing it in the 42 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Wright 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
- Worth County 300
- Woodbury County 856
- Winneshiek County 440
- Winnebago County 317
- Webster County 758
- Wayne County 332
Cite this page
“Wright County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/wright-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.