Cerro Gordo County, Iowa severe weather history spans 605 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 36.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #572 nationally and #17 in Iowa.
605
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
14
Direct injuries
$14.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Cerro Gordo County, Iowa severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Cerro Gordo County, Iowa severe weather history averages 8.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 233 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 66 events fall before 1990 and 539 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Cerro Gordo County, Iowa record is thunderstorm wind, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $4.5M 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 Cerro Gordo County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 223 | 1 | $3.0M | 81 | 1956–2025 |
| Hail | 184 | 0 | $836K | 3 | 1959–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 76 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2024 |
| Tornado | 39 | 0 | $4.5M | F4 | 1953–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 32 | 0 | $4.0M | 0 | 1998–2018 |
| Flood | 27 | 0 | $2.0M | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 14 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2021 |
| Lightning | 10 | 0 | $182K | 0 | 1997–2019 |
Decade by decade
Cerro Gordo County, Iowa severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
39 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 37 touched down inside it and 2 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953-05-10 | EF4 | 0 | 3 | 26.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1967-04-30 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 7.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 16.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1998-06-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1998-06-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1980-05-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-09-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-04-12 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2014-06-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2002-06-21 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Cerro Gordo County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 7, 1991 | Thunderstorm Wind | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| Jun 15, 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | CLEAR LAKE | 0 | 4 | $40K |
| Aug 15, 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | SWALEDALE | 0 | 2 | $50K |
| Jun 17, 1984 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| Aug 28, 2018 | Thunderstorm Wind | THORNTON | 0 | 1 | $30K |
| Jul 4, 2003 | Thunderstorm Wind | CLEAR LAKE | 0 | 1 | $5K |
| Aug 4, 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | MASON CITY | 0 | 1 | $25K |
| Aug 4, 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | MASON CITY | 0 | 1 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This QLCS tornado developed to the southwest of the intersection of 43rd Street SW and South Federal Avenue. The tornado crossed Federal Avenue and produced EF1 damage to several commercial buildings on the east side of the road. The tornado continued northeast and damaged another commercial building along 245th Street near the Union Pacific railroad. Additional damage occurred to trees along S Kentucky Avenue and eventually near 4th Street SE near Yorktown Pike. The tornado lifted before encountering Buena Vista University – Mason City Campus.
This tornado moved into Cerro Gordo County from Franklin County. The tornado produced damage to several farmsteads, mainly to the outbuildings with a couple of outbuildings destroyed northeast of Meservey. The tornado eventually dissipated several miles west of Swaledale.
Multiple fields under water across northeast Cerro Gordo County. Many gravel roads have water over them. Three campgrounds were evacuated: Camp at the Woods, Wilkinson County Park and Shell Rock Preserve due to water impacting the entrances/exits.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
42,632
Population (ACS)
$166K
Median home value
15
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 23, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Aug 20, 2018 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Oct 31, 2016 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| May 27, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 10, 2005 | Hurricane | HURRICANE KATRINA EVACUATION | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Mason City 175
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa?
605 events are on record between 1953 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $14.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Cerro Gordo County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 223 recorded events — 36.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Cerro Gordo County?
39 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 Cerro Gordo County?
15 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Cerro Gordo County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Cerro Gordo County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Cerro Gordo County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 70 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Cerro Gordo 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
- Cedar County 498
- Cherokee County 381
- Cass County 550
- Chickasaw County 316
- Carroll County 461
- Clarke County 355
Cite this page
“Cerro Gordo County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/cerro-gordo-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.