Boone County, Iowa severe weather history spans 593 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 36.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #606 nationally and #20 in Iowa.
593
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
13
Direct injuries
$36.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Boone County, Iowa severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Boone County, Iowa severe weather history averages 8.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 204 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 61 events fall before 1990 and 532 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $30.8M 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 Boone County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 214 | 0 | $2.5M | 87 | 1960–2025 |
| Hail | 193 | 0 | $1.2M | 3 | 1960–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 72 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 2007–2023 |
| Tornado | 53 | 0 | $30.8M | F5 | 1953–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 26 | 0 | $1.4M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Flood | 20 | 0 | $810K | 0 | 1998–2022 |
| Funnel Cloud | 12 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2023 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $35K | 0 | 1996–2000 |
Decade by decade
Boone County, Iowa severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
61 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 51 touched down inside it and 10 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976-06-13 | EF5 | 0 | 9 | 21.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1959-05-10 | EF4 | 0 | 1 | 41.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 2005-11-12 | EF3 | 1 | 3 | 17.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-05-20 | EF3 | 1 | 0 | 116.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-06-13 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1976-06-13 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 17.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2021-12-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 17.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2021-12-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 16.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-11-12 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2005-11-12 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 14.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Boone County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 13, 1976 | Tornado | 0 | 9 | $25.0M | |
| Mar 31, 2006 | Thunderstorm Wind | BOONE | 0 | 2 | $50K |
| Nov 12, 2005 | Tornado | MADRID | 0 | 2 | $750K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The emergency manager reported that four 1 1/2 foot diameter evergreen trees were downed and the roof was torn off of a barn in the northwest corner of Boone. Also from a mile north of Boone to the eastern border of the county sheeting was strewn about from various buildings.
Emergency manager reported multiple farmsteads with roofs blown off, damage to several outbuildings, a garage blown off the foundation, and power lines down. The roof and upper levels of an old corn crib were blown off, windows broken from debris blowing into the window, a garage door was ripped off the track, 6 inch diameter tree limbs were down, large trees were down blocking a road. Another large tree limb landed on a van and porch roof destroying the van and roof.
Boone County Emergency Manager reported a 3 mile stretch of damage from 1.5 W of Napier to 3 miles NE of Napier. Damaged included roof off old grain bin, damaged barn, and a one foot diameter pine tree down. All damage was in one direction. Time estimated from radar.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
26,668
Population (ACS)
$212K
Median home value
17
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 17, 2020 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS | 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 29, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Mar 2, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Boone 132
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Boone County, Iowa?
593 events are on record between 1953 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $36.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Boone County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 214 recorded events — 36.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Boone County?
61 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 51 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Boone County?
17 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Boone County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Boone County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Boone County as very low risk, placing it in the 28 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Boone 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
- Black Hawk County 861
- Bremer County 393
- Benton County 752
- Buchanan County 598
- Audubon County 269
- Buena Vista County 378
Cite this page
“Boone County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/boone-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.