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Adams County, Iowa severe weather history spans 273 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 37.4% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,941 nationally and #93 in Iowa.
273
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$37.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Adams County, Iowa severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Adams County, Iowa severe weather history averages 4.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 127 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 19 events fall before 1990 and 254 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Adams County, Iowa record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $32.6M 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 Adams County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 102 | 0 | $557K | 3 | 1985–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 81 | 0 | $1.7M | 70 | 1956–2023 |
| Tornado | 26 | 1 | $32.6M | F4 | 1958–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 26 | 0 | $1.3M | 0 | 2000–2019 |
| Heavy Rain | 25 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2011–2018 |
| Flood | 6 | 0 | $800K | 0 | 2007–2015 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $80K | 0 | 2014–2014 |
Decade by decade
Adams County, Iowa severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
29 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 23 touched down inside it and 6 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-05-21 | EF4 | 5 | 35 | 40.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1999-04-08 | EF4 | 0 | 3 | 49.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1989-05-24 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 49.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-21 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 33.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-06-07 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 25.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1979-03-29 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 29.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1958-07-14 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 14.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-04-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2012-04-14 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 16.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1959-05-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Adams County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 2024 | Tornado | NODAWAY | 1 | 0 | $1.8M |
| May 23, 2004 | Thunderstorm Wind | CORNING | 0 | 2 | $50K |
| Apr 9, 2001 | Tornado | MT ETNA | 0 | 1 | $100K |
| Apr 8, 1999 | Tornado | NODAWAY | 0 | 1 | $1.0M |
| Apr 28, 1989 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| Jul 14, 1958 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The tornado entered into Adams County from Montgomery County. This tornado remained in rural areas of western and northern Adams County until lifting north of the town of Carl near the Adair County line. The tornado impacted a house on the north side of 200th street shortly after entering the county removing much of the roof with general collapse of the structure. A large hog confinement facility near the intersection of 190th and Aspen was severally damage with most buildings destroyed. EF3 damage occurred to a house along 175th Street near Cherry Avenue with all wall removed except a couple of the interior walls. The outbuildings at this location were all destroyed as well. Another house along 150th Street near Dogwood Avenue had all but a few interior walls removed with EF3 damage as well. All outbuildings were destroyed at this site as well. The tornado turned slightly to the right at this point with only limited interaction with building sites but plenty of tree damage for the remainder of it path.
This segment is for Adams county. This very visible tornado meandered across Adair and Adams counties for over half an hour, traveling only 8.5 miles in that time. The worst damage occurred near the small hamlet of Williamson where multiple buildings were damaged. The tornado initially traveled to the SW-SE, but executed a cyclonic loop two miles south of Williamson and then traveled to the N-NE for the remainder of its life.
The Adams County law enforcement reported that highway 34 was closed at Sycamore Ave near Stringtown due to water over the road, County Road H45 was closed southeast of Corning and anther road was closed near Mount Etna. Widespread street flooding was reported as well in Prescott and Corning.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
3,622
Population (ACS)
$132K
Median home value
17
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 24, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | 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 |
| Jul 14, 2014 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 29, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Adams County, Iowa?
273 events are on record between 1956 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $37.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Adams County?
Hail, with 102 recorded events — 37.4% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Adams County?
29 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 23 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Adams County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Adams County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Adams County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Adams County as very low risk, placing it in the 20 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Adams 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
- Adair County 431
- Allamakee County 308
- Appanoose County 408
- Audubon County 269
- Benton County 752
- Black Hawk County 861
Cite this page
“Adams County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/adams-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.