Fayette County, Iowa severe weather history spans 444 recorded events between 1955 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 39.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,085 nationally and #41 in Iowa.
444
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
171
Direct injuries
$57.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Fayette County, Iowa severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Fayette County, Iowa severe weather history averages 6.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 147 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 70 events fall before 1990 and 374 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Fayette County, Iowa record is tornado, responsible for 6 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $34.2M 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 Fayette County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 174 | 0 | $5.7M | 78 | 1955–2025 |
| Hail | 141 | 0 | $3.6M | 8 | 1955–2025 |
| Flood | 41 | 0 | $8.6M | 0 | 2000–2025 |
| Tornado | 30 | 6 | $34.2M | F5 | 1964–2021 |
| Flash Flood | 28 | 0 | $5.3M | 0 | 1999–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 19 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2021 |
| Funnel Cloud | 9 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2020 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $7K | 0 | 2010–2016 |
Decade by decade
Fayette 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: 28 touched down inside it and 7 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1968-05-15 | EF5 | 5 | 156 | 13.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-07-12 | EF4 | 0 | 8 | 10.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1971-06-24 | EF3 | 1 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-11-09 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 39.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1988-03-24 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-07-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1971-07-12 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1964-05-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2020-03-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2015-06-22 | EF1 | 0 | 2 | 1.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Fayette County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 1968 | Tornado | 5 | 156 | $25.0M | |
| Jun 25, 1971 | Tornado | 1 | 0 | $250K | |
| Aug 23, 2011 | Thunderstorm Wind | WADENA | 0 | 6 | $3K |
| Jul 12, 1971 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 22, 2015 | Tornado | MAYNARD | 0 | 2 | $100K |
| Aug 24, 2021 | Thunderstorm Wind | OELWEIN | 0 | 1 | $50K |
| Apr 11, 2001 | Tornado | WEST UNION | 0 | 1 | $40K |
| Aug 7, 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | ELGIN | 0 | 1 | $30K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A path of wind damage occurred across southern Fayette County. Numerous trees and power lines were downed, several roofs were blown off farm buildings, metal corn bins were caved in and pieces of siding and roofing were strewn throughout farm fields. One home was destroyed, 17 farms received major damage and 10 cows were killed.
After the initial flash flooding, the flood waters lingered across much of Fayette County into Sunday, July 23rd. On Saturday morning, numerous roads were reported to be impassable in Fairbank because of the flood waters. Sandbagging was occurring around several businesses. State Highway 3 was closed between Oelwein and Oran. In the town of Fayette, around 80 percent of the homes had water in their basements and a park in town was closed because of the flooding.
After heavy rains dropped 4 to 8 inches of rain, flash flooding occurred across the southern sections of Fayette County. East of Wadena, the bridge over the Volga River on Acorn Road failed. Otter Creek went out if its banks in Oelwein.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
19,288
Population (ACS)
$137K
Median home value
23
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 23, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Mar 23, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Aug 27, 2017 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Oct 31, 2016 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Sep 29, 2016 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Fayette County, Iowa?
444 events are on record between 1955 and 2025, causing 6 direct deaths and $57.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Fayette County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 174 recorded events — 39.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Fayette County?
35 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 28 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Fayette County?
23 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Fayette County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Fayette County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Fayette County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 51 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Fayette 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
- Emmet County 374
- Floyd County 424
- Dubuque County 700
- Franklin County 366
- Dickinson County 487
- Fremont County 361
Cite this page
“Fayette County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/fayette-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.