Calhoun County, Iowa severe weather history spans 370 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 35.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,388 nationally and #60 in Iowa.
370
Recorded events
4
Direct deaths
33
Direct injuries
$40.9M
Property damage
The record
What the Calhoun County, Iowa severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Calhoun County, Iowa severe weather history averages 5.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 144 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 37 events fall before 1990 and 333 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Calhoun County, Iowa record is tornado, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $34.3M 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 Calhoun County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 132 | 0 | $3.5M | 4 | 1960–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 130 | 0 | $1.3M | 75 | 1959–2025 |
| Tornado | 37 | 4 | $34.3M | F4 | 1953–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 29 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 2010–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 23 | 0 | $1.4M | 0 | 1996–2019 |
| Funnel Cloud | 10 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2023 |
| Flood | 7 | 0 | $410K | 0 | 1996–2015 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $25K | 0 | 2000–2021 |
Decade by decade
Calhoun County, Iowa severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
45 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 37 touched down inside it and 8 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979-06-28 | EF4 | 3 | 26 | 14.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1954-06-09 | EF4 | 1 | 0 | 9.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1995-05-27 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 36.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1965-05-05 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 9.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-07-14 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 10.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-06-07 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 30.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 18.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-06-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 16.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1986-07-28 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-04-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 22.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Calhoun County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 29, 1979 | Tornado | 3 | 26 | $25.0M | |
| Jun 10, 1954 | Tornado | 1 | 0 | $250K | |
| May 19, 2013 | Thunderstorm Wind | RINARD | 0 | 5 | $3K |
| May 2, 2001 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 0 | 1 | $250K |
| May 30, 1998 | Hail | LOHRVILLE | 0 | 1 | $1.0M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This was the first and strongest tornado of the day. It developed west southwest of Lake City and produced tree and power line damage. The tornado moved into and across the southern portion of Lake City. Imagery from UAV's and chasers show that the tornado was multi-vortex as it passed through the city. Up to EF2 damage occurred as it passed through town. As the tornado moved east of the town, it began to consolidate into a larger funnel and strengthen. It passed through a farmstead producing considerable damage to the farmhouse and out buildings with EF3 damage noted on the house. The tornado continued for a few more miles and impacted a confinement facility before lifting to the northwest of Lohrville. Fortunately, no injuries or deaths occurred with this tornado.
Tornado moved from Carroll County into Calhoun County. It moved across the western side of Lake City, doing EF1 damage to houses and the high school. It remained in rural areas of Calhoun County for the remainder of it's path, broadening as it went along. The tornado lifted shortly before crossing Highway 20.
This tornado had a path in both Calhoun and Webster Counties. The path started west northwest of Farnhamville with the tornado heading north northeast passing on the east side of Somers. There was EF2 damage observed to the east southeast of Rinard where large utility poles were snapped. Additional tree and barn damage was observed south of Somers. The path continued top the northeast before exiting the county into Webster County just south of US Highway 20.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
9,803
Population (ACS)
$119K
Median home value
18
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Jul 29, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Calhoun County, Iowa?
370 events are on record between 1953 and 2025, causing 4 direct deaths and $40.9M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Calhoun County?
Hail, with 132 recorded events — 35.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Calhoun County?
45 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 37 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Calhoun County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Calhoun County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Calhoun County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Calhoun County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 45 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Calhoun 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
- Butler County 509
- Carroll County 461
- Buena Vista County 378
- Cass County 550
- Buchanan County 598
- Cedar County 498
Cite this page
“Calhoun County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/calhoun-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.