Floyd County, Iowa severe weather history spans 424 recorded events between 1959 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 38.9% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,157 nationally and #50 in Iowa.
424
Recorded events
14
Direct deaths
459
Direct injuries
$37.6M
Property damage
The record
What the Floyd County, Iowa severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Floyd County, Iowa severe weather history averages 6.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 180 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 55 events fall before 1990 and 369 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Floyd County, Iowa record is tornado, responsible for 13 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $28.9M 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 Floyd County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 165 | 0 | $2.8M | 4.5 | 1959–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 155 | 0 | $2.2M | 71 | 1966–2025 |
| Flood | 35 | 0 | $2.1M | 0 | 2008–2025 |
| Tornado | 26 | 13 | $28.9M | F5 | 1959–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 22 | 1 | $1.5M | 0 | 1998–2021 |
| Heavy Rain | 14 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2013–2021 |
| Funnel Cloud | 4 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2002–2012 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $52K | 0 | 2013–2021 |
Decade by decade
Floyd County, Iowa severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
29 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 23 touched down inside it and 6 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 | 13 | 462 | 62.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1953-05-20 | EF3 | 1 | 0 | 116.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1993-07-10 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-09-28 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 0.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-09-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1964-08-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-07-14 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 2021-12-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.8 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Floyd County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 1968 | Tornado | 13 | 450 | $25.0M | |
| Jul 19, 1999 | Flash Flood | COUNTYWIDE | 1 | 0 | $750K |
| May 6, 1965 | Tornado | 0 | 6 | $25K | |
| Sep 29, 1986 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $250K | |
| May 18, 1996 | Hail | CHARLES CITY | 0 | 1 | $600K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
The third tornado of the night in Floyd County formed just to the southwest of Rudd, moved northeast directly through the town and dissipated along Business U.S. Highway 18 on the north edge of town. Extensive damage occurred in the town with numerous homes sustaining damage with some roofs completely blown off. The roof of the library was removed with damage sustained to almost all the books in the building. A church on the north side of town also sustained heavy damage as did the towns water treatment plant. Water and power were not expected to be restored for several days. Classes for the Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock school district were canceled for December 16th but the building in Rockford was open to the public for showers, warmth and served breakfast and lunch to those in need.
Flooding was extensive across the county from 4 to 5 inches of rain. Flooding along the Shell Rock river breeched a levee in Nora Springs on Sunday June 8th and flooding was extensive in Rockford, IA. Perhaps as many as 60 secondary roads were washed out or closed. The Cedar River also began to rise quickly and ended up causing extensive damage through the county.||About 400 homes in Rockford had damage and roughly 20 others across more rural areas of the county.||Highway 18 was also closed east of Charles City due to damage from flood waters.
The Cedar River at Charles City had a record crest at 25.55 ft, which occurred about 7:00 a.m. CDT on June 9. The previous record was 22.8 feet, which occurred on July 21, 1999. Flood stage is 12.0 feet. Of note, no river levels were available for a time from June 8-9 due to the river gage and gage house being completely underwater.||The two main traffic bridges in Charles City were closed, splitting the city in half. The walking suspension bridge in Charles City collapsed as well. Immaculate Conception school took a direct hit as water topped all sand bagging efforts flooding the basement and first floor. Many businesses also suffered damaged when water flowed into basements. The fire department was evacuated as flood waters swamped that area of town. Over 500 homes in Charles City were directly impacted.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
15,328
Population (ACS)
$144K
Median home value
20
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 24, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | 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 |
| Aug 20, 2018 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Charles City 169
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Floyd County, Iowa?
424 events are on record between 1959 and 2026, causing 14 direct deaths and $37.6M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Floyd County?
Hail, with 165 recorded events — 38.9% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Floyd County?
29 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 23 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Floyd County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Floyd County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Floyd County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Floyd County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 48 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Floyd 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
- Fayette County 444
- Franklin County 366
- Emmet County 374
- Fremont County 361
- Dubuque County 700
- Greene County 335
Cite this page
“Floyd County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/floyd-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.