Cherokee County, Iowa severe weather history spans 381 recorded events between 1952 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 42.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,330 nationally and #55 in Iowa.
381
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
4
Direct injuries
$14.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Cherokee County, Iowa severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Cherokee County, Iowa severe weather history averages 5.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 125 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 49 events fall before 1990 and 332 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $6.5M 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 Cherokee County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 162 | 0 | $760K | 4 | 1959–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 117 | 0 | $923K | 87 | 1957–2025 |
| Flood | 37 | 0 | $5.6M | 0 | 2006–2024 |
| Tornado | 29 | 0 | $6.5M | F4 | 1952–2021 |
| Flash Flood | 25 | 0 | $740K | 0 | 2002–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2016 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2010 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $20K | 0 | 2003–2003 |
Decade by decade
Cherokee County, Iowa severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
35 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 30 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-10-04 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 24.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 1952-06-23 | EF4 | 0 | 4 | 24.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-05-05 | EF3 | 0 | 7 | 67.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1991-08-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-06-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-09-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1963-03-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1958-04-01 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 11.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.9 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Cherokee County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 24, 1952 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $2.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Persistent heavy rains caused major flooding of the Little Sioux River. Much farmland, other lowlands, and roads near the river were flooded. Flooded and closed roads in the town of Cherokee included Main Street and U. S. Highway 59. Several homes and businesses were flooded, especially in basements. The river crested at 8.55 feet above flood stage at Cherokee on June 19th.
Widespread heavy rainfall of up to 9 inches caused flash flooding which was also widespread, affecting especially the eastern half of the county. There was significant flooding of numerous streets and homes, with many homes and businesses in the city of Cherokee affected by basement or lower level flooding. Some basements were nearly full of water. In rural areas, numerous roads, fields, and homes were flooded.
This tornado formed on the southeast fringes of Larrabee, just south of 455th Street. As the tornado crossed 455th Street, it quickly destroyed four silos, a shed and a chicken barn. The tornado traveled northeast over open fields before a few trees were snapped and the east wall of a barn was pulled away along R Avenue just south of 430th Street. The tornado exited Cherokee County around 4 miles south of Sutherland, one-half mile east of the intersection of Tyler Avenue and 420th Street. The tornado continued in O'Brien County for almost 4 miles before dissipating two miles southeast of Sutherland at 1711CST. The tornado was rated EF1 while in both Cherokee County and O'Brien County. The average path width in Cherokee County was 50 yards and the maximum estimated wind speed was 105 mph. Property damage costs are a rough estimate.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
11,600
Population (ACS)
$159K
Median home value
23
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 24, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Cherokee County, Iowa?
381 events are on record between 1952 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $14.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Cherokee County?
Hail, with 162 recorded events — 42.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Cherokee County?
35 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 30 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Cherokee County?
23 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Cherokee County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Cherokee County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Cherokee County as very low risk, placing it in the 34 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Cherokee 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
- Cerro Gordo County 605
- Chickasaw County 316
- Cedar County 498
- Clarke County 355
- Cass County 550
- Clay County 663
Cite this page
“Cherokee County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/cherokee-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.