Hardin County, Iowa severe weather history spans 469 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 39.7% of all recorded events. It ranks #983 nationally and #38 in Iowa.
469
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
25
Direct injuries
$62.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Hardin County, Iowa severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Hardin County, Iowa severe weather history averages 6.5 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 165 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 42 events fall before 1990 and 427 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $34.5M 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 Hardin County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 186 | 0 | $4.1M | 90 | 1959–2025 |
| Hail | 129 | 0 | $21.5M | 3 | 1971–2025 |
| Tornado | 49 | 0 | $34.5M | F4 | 1953–2022 |
| Heavy Rain | 49 | 0 | $125K | 0 | 2008–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 21 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 21 | 0 | $1.4M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Flood | 10 | 0 | $540K | 0 | 1998–2015 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $133K | 0 | 2000–2018 |
Decade by decade
Hardin County, Iowa severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
46 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 36 touched down inside it and 10 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-05-30 | EF4 | 0 | 3 | 11.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-05-24 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 66.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1953-05-20 | EF3 | 1 | 0 | 116.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1991-03-22 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 43.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1990-06-28 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1971-05-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1970-07-14 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1959-05-31 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 17.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2021-12-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 13.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 22.2 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Hardin County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 9, 2009 | Hail | ELDORA | 0 | 22 | $20.0M |
| May 31, 1989 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $2.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
This tornado moved into Hardin county from Hamilton county. This short segment did primarily crop damage but hit a farmstead before dissipating causing the destruction of two grain bins and badly damaging three outbuildings. This tornado was found and rated using high resolution satellite imagery.
Ten large trees snapped in half with a couple of the trees hitting and destroying two grain bins. Many large branches down, some 10 inches in diameter. A machine shed lost parts of its roof and the doors to the building were blown in.
The Mayor of Alden reported that the Alden Elementary School was closed Wednesday due to 4 feet of water in the boiler room and a foot of water in the cafeteria. The water softener, main compressor, and several chemicals have water damage in the boiler room as well.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
16,639
Population (ACS)
$123K
Median home value
18
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 17, 2020 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS | 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 5, 2014 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 2, 2013 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Iowa Falls 128
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Hardin County, Iowa?
469 events are on record between 1953 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $62.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Hardin County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 186 recorded events — 39.7% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Hardin County?
46 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 36 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Hardin County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Hardin County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Hardin County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Hardin County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 58 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Hardin 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
- Hancock County 318
- Harrison County 496
- Hamilton County 438
- Henry County 304
- Guthrie County 515
- Howard County 309
Cite this page
“Hardin County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/hardin-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.