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Dubuque County, Iowa severe weather history spans 700 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 48.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #404 nationally and #12 in Iowa.
700
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
16
Direct injuries
$77.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Dubuque County, Iowa severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Dubuque County, Iowa severe weather history averages 9.9 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 217 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 104 events fall before 1990 and 596 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flash flood, with $30.6M 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 Dubuque County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 340 | 0 | $4.2M | 87 | 1957–2026 |
| Hail | 200 | 0 | $6.7M | 4.5 | 1955–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 68 | 0 | $30.6M | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 35 | 0 | $2K | 2 | 2003–2024 |
| Tornado | 33 | 0 | $28.9M | F4 | 1958–2026 |
| Flood | 14 | 0 | $6.7M | 0 | 1999–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 8 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2023 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $350K | 0 | 2010–2011 |
Decade by decade
Dubuque County, Iowa severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
37 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 29 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990-03-13 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 19.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1993-06-19 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 14.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-09-09 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 4.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-03-27 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 1.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1972-09-28 | EF2 | 0 | 3 | 64.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1970-09-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1969-06-29 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1967-04-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1966-07-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-08-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Dubuque County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 19, 1994 | Hail | Durango | 0 | 4 | $50K |
| Aug 19, 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Durango | 0 | 4 | $50K |
| Jun 30, 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | FILLMORE | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Jun 30, 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | (DBQ)DUBUQUE MUNI AR | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 30, 2019 | Thunderstorm Wind | (DBQ)DUBUQUE MUNI AR | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Apr 6, 2010 | Thunderstorm Wind | BERNARD | 0 | 1 | $25K |
| Oct 29, 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | EPWORTH | 0 | 1 | $20K |
| Oct 29, 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | EPWORTH | 0 | 1 | $20K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Five to six feet of water flooded city streets in downtown. Major road damage resulted, including buckled roads and pavement washed away. Approximately 25 residential blocks were affected. Basements in over 60 houses were flooded with water from 2 feet deep up to the rafters. Flooding was reported between 20th and 28th Streets and between between Washington and Jackson streets. State damage estimates were set at $17 million in Dubuque.
Torrential downpours of rain fell across much of Dubuque County during the evening of July 27 and early morning hours of July 28 resulting in flash flooding of much of the county, especially in Dubuque, IA. Rainfall totals of 7 to 15 inches were common across the area, with most of the rain falling in under 12 hours.||Numerous roads and bridges were washed out and many others closed, causing Dubuque County to run out of barricades. Several neighborhoods were evacuated, including the Valley Hill trailer park where the water was 6 feet deep. Many creeks in the area raged out of their banks, including Catfish Creek. Very early estimates of damage to infrastructure alone exceeded $3 Million. Numerous roads and streets were flooded, with some eroded or washed away completely. Among the hardest hit areas was the vicinities of St. Mary's Catholic Church, Elm Street and the Millwork District. The Dubuque water treatment plant was heavily damaged, with estimates between $1.5 Million and $2 Million. A basement wall caved in at 1790 Chaney Road on Dubuque's West End.
Flash flooding along the The North Fork of the Maquoketa River caused extensive damage in Dyersville. Numerous businesses across town sustained major damage. The costliest damage occurred at Scale Models, which sustained an estimated $150,000 in damage. Other businesses reported flooding to depths of 7 feet in their basements. About 100 people were evacuated from 60 homes. State officials set the preliminary damage estimates from Dyersville at $3 to $5 million.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
99,030
Population (ACS)
$237K
Median home value
21
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 24, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Aug 25, 2023 | Flood | FLOODING | DR |
| Mar 23, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Aug 27, 2017 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Aug 30, 2011 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Dubuque 140
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Dubuque County, Iowa?
700 events are on record between 1955 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $77.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Dubuque County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 340 recorded events — 48.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Dubuque County?
37 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 29 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Dubuque County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Dubuque County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Dubuque County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Dubuque County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 64 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Dubuque 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
- Dickinson County 487
- Emmet County 374
- Des Moines County 492
- Fayette County 444
- Delaware County 465
- Floyd County 424
Cite this page
“Dubuque County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/dubuque-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.