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Clarke County, Iowa severe weather history spans 355 recorded events between 1959 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 35.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,458 nationally and #65 in Iowa.
355
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
3
Direct injuries
$6.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Clarke County, Iowa severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Clarke County, Iowa severe weather history averages 5.4 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 150 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 30 events fall before 1990 and 325 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $2.8M 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 Clarke County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 125 | 0 | $445K | 3.5 | 1960–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 93 | 0 | $1.4M | 75 | 1959–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 81 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 21 | 0 | $1.3M | 0 | 2006–2025 |
| Tornado | 20 | 0 | $2.8M | F2 | 1964–2024 |
| Flood | 9 | 0 | $725K | 0 | 1998–2019 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2023 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $27K | 0 | 2011–2014 |
Decade by decade
Clarke County, Iowa severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
24 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 16 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-04-11 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 76.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1995-05-27 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 30.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1979-03-29 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 57.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-04-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 5.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-07-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-05-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-04-19 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-06-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 7.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-09-20 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-04-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 14.8 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Clarke County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 13, 2006 | Flash Flood | NORTH PORTION | 0 | 1 | $25K |
| Mar 9, 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | OSCEOLA | 0 | 1 | $30K |
| Mar 9, 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | HOPEVILLE | 0 | 1 | $50K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The emergency manager provided several reports of damage along the path of this tornado. The tornado began just southeast of the Osceola Rest Area along Interstate 35 and travelled northeast through the town of Osceola. EF2 damage was done just southwest of town where a roof was removed from a house along 225th Avenue. There was mainly EF0 to EF1 damage through Osceola from tree damage and limited roof damage to homes in town. The tornado emerged from the northeast side of Osceola and continued northeast through rural Clarke County. The tornado dissipated near Lilac Street after impacting one last farmstead.
Clarke County EMA identified a path of damage to the south of Osceola from a QLCS tornado. This tornado began just south of Freedom Street and west of 200th Avenue. The tornado damaged an outbuilding at a farmstead along Freedom Street continued northeast crossing Interstate 35 where a lake separates the north and south bound lanes. The tornado uprooted several trees along 220th Avenue and damaged a couple different acreages along Highway 69 south of Osceola. One last house was damaged along Country Club Road with portions of the roof removed. The tornado lifted not long afterwards.
Localized flooding was reported in low lying areas of Murray. West of Osceola, 190th Avenue was closed due to ponding of water over the road. As the rain and snowmelt continued, numerous roads across the county began to flood and were closed as well.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
9,662
Population (ACS)
$161K
Median home value
16
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 14, 2024 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Mar 23, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Jul 14, 2014 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 29, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| May 27, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Murray 141
- Osceola 127
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Clarke County, Iowa?
355 events are on record between 1959 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $6.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Clarke County?
Hail, with 125 recorded events — 35.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Clarke County?
24 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 16 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Clarke County?
16 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Clarke County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Clarke County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Clarke County as very low risk, placing it in the 18 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Clarke 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
- Chickasaw County 316
- Clay County 663
- Cherokee County 381
- Clayton County 535
- Cerro Gordo County 605
- Clinton County 578
Cite this page
“Clarke County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/clarke-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.