Ida County, Iowa severe weather history spans 262 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 49.6% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,033 nationally and #95 in Iowa.
262
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
5
Direct injuries
$8.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Ida County, Iowa severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Ida County, Iowa severe weather history averages 3.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 90 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 25 events fall before 1990 and 237 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $6.7M in reported property damage. In total, 7 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Ida County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 130 | 0 | $20K | 4.5 | 1956–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 93 | 0 | $760K | 70 | 1957–2025 |
| Tornado | 16 | 0 | $6.7M | F3 | 1953–2021 |
| Flood | 11 | 0 | $1.3M | 0 | 2014–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 10 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2003–2012 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $5K | 0 | 2008–2008 |
| Heavy Rain | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2008 |
Decade by decade
Ida County, Iowa severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
17 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 16 touched down inside it and 1 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969-07-26 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 22.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-09 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-06-07 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 16.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1984-06-07 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 12.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1957-06-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 47.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-06-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 49.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 13.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2011-04-09 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1994-06-05 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-07-30 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 23.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Ida County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 6, 2008 | Lightning | GALVA | 0 | 2 | $5K |
| Apr 20, 1985 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 1 | $0 | |
| Jun 7, 1984 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 7, 1984 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $2.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Repeated heavy rains caused record flooding of the Maple River. Most of the flooding was to farmland and roads, but a few homes and businesses were flooded, mainly in basements, especially in the communities of Galva and Ida Grove. The river crested at a record 6.37 feet above flood stage near Galva on June 17th.
A tornado formed in an open field between 280th and 290th Streets near the Woodbury and Ida County line southwest of Battle Creek. The tornado tracked northeast for around one mile before it removed shingles from a house southwest of Battle Creek. As the tornado continued northeast, four additional farmsteads were impacted with|several outbuildings damaged or destroyed. Several trees were damaged and a few power poles were snapped north of Battle Creek. The tornado crossed U.S. Highway 59 just north of 190th Street, and lifted approximately 7 miles north of Ida Grove. The average path width was 50 yards and the maximum estimated wind speed was 100 mph. Property damage costs are a rough estimate.
A tornado severely damaged a farmstead; taking the roof off of a house and destroying numerous outbuildings. The tornado also damaged outbuildings at another farmstead, snapped at least 5 power poles, and damaged an outbuilding at an ethanol plant. The tornado also caused tree damage.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
6,911
Population (ACS)
$109K
Median home value
20
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 5, 2014 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 24, 2014 | Flood | 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
- Holstein 104
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Ida County, Iowa?
262 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $8.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Ida County?
Hail, with 130 recorded events — 49.6% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Ida County?
17 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 Ida County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Ida County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Ida County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Ida County as very low risk, placing it in the 18 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Ida 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
- Humboldt County 312
- Iowa County 368
- Howard County 309
- Jackson County 329
- Henry County 304
- Jasper County 577
Cite this page
“Ida County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/ida-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.