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Buchanan; Delaware; Dubuque; Benton; Linn; Jones; Jackson; Clinton; Jo Daviess; Stephenson; Carroll; Whiteside
Buchanan County, Iowa severe weather history spans 598 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 46.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #586 nationally and #18 in Iowa.
598
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
12
Direct injuries
$23.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Buchanan County, Iowa severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Buchanan County, Iowa severe weather history averages 7.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 202 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 48 events fall before 1990 and 550 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Buchanan County, Iowa record is flash flood, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $7.4M 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 Buchanan County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 275 | 0 | $3.7M | 82 | 1960–2026 |
| Hail | 164 | 0 | $3.2M | 3.25 | 1962–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 60 | 1 | $4.8M | 3.5 | 1997–2025 |
| Tornado | 50 | 0 | $7.4M | F3 | 1950–2026 |
| Flood | 24 | 0 | $4.3M | 0 | 1999–2020 |
| Heavy Rain | 14 | 0 | $29K | 6.38 | 2001–2011 |
| Funnel Cloud | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2000–2013 |
| Lightning | 5 | 0 | $526K | 0 | 2001–2016 |
Decade by decade
Buchanan County, Iowa severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
51 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 46 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1954-04-30 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 80.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2000-05-11 | EF3 | 1 | 25 | 18.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1960-04-16 | EF3 | 1 | 5 | 29.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-05-25 | EF3 | 0 | 3 | 32.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-07-27 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 20.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-05-07 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 2.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2023-03-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2001-09-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-06-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 20.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-06-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Buchanan County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 23, 2004 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| May 25, 2008 | Tornado | FAIRBANK | 0 | 3 | $1.0M |
| Apr 23, 2001 | Tornado | INDEPENDENCE | 0 | 3 | $1.0M |
| May 14, 1961 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $25K | |
| Jun 21, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | FAIRBANK | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 6, 1995 | Thunderstorm Wind | Aurora | 0 | 1 | $20K |
| May 7, 1964 | 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
Severe thunderstorms blasted Buchanan county with 75 to 80 mph straight-line winds. Widespread damage was reported across the county. Three homes were completely destroyed, 75 farmsteads sustained $500 to $10,000 damage, 50 farmsteads had damage in the $10,000 to $100,000 range and 25 farmsteads sustained damages totaling $100,000 to $150,000. These figures included damage to hog houses, barns, grain bins and sheds, and also farm equipment damaged by the storm. Numerous large trees were destroyed including 46 trees at Cedar Crest Cemetery.
A second tornado touched down 4 miles southwest of Hazelton with a continuous path for 8 miles to a point 4 miles southeast of Hazelton. At it's maximum, it produced F1 damage with a path width of about 1000 feet. This includes damage to major power lines and a couple of farms. This was the strongest tornado in Buchanan County.
Heavy rains of 4 to 8 inches caused flash flooding in the vicinity of Lamont, IA during the late evening hours of May 25th. The fast moving water washed out a bridge in town. The flood waters damaged 240 of the town's 280 homes.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
20,694
Population (ACS)
$176K
Median home value
25
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Aug 27, 2017 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Oct 31, 2016 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Independence 194
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Buchanan County, Iowa?
598 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 1 direct deaths and $23.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Buchanan County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 275 recorded events — 46.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Buchanan County?
51 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 46 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Buchanan County?
25 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Buchanan County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Buchanan County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Buchanan County as very low risk, placing it in the 24 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Buchanan 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
- Bremer County 393
- Buena Vista County 378
- Boone County 593
- Butler County 509
- Black Hawk County 861
- Calhoun County 370
Cite this page
“Buchanan County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/buchanan-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.