574
Recorded events
3
Direct deaths
115
Direct injuries
$11.4M
Property damage
Thunderstorm Wind in Linn County, Iowa: 574 recorded events between 1955 and 2026. The strongest on record measured 122. That places the county #76 nationally and #2 statewide for this hazard.
Decade by decade
Thunderstorm Wind in Linn County, Iowa: events per decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
The busiest decade for thunderstorm wind in Linn County is the 2010s, when 176 of the county's 574 recorded events were logged. Comparing decades is useful for spotting active periods, but the earliest years are thin because systematic reporting for this hazard began later.
Within the Linn County archive, thunderstorm wind makes up 49.1% of all recorded severe weather across 8 hazard types. Nationally the county sits at #76 for this hazard and #2 within Iowa, putting it in the 97.6 percentile of all U.S. counties.
Seasonality
Events by month
Jul is the peak month for thunderstorm wind in Linn County with 191 recorded events, while Jan is the quietest. Seasonality here is a property of the archive as much as the climate: reports cluster where population and spotter networks are densest.
Significant events
Deadliest on record
| Date | Location | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 10, 2020 | COVINGTON | 122 | 1 | 100 | $0 |
| Jul 13, 1992 | 87 | 1 | 2 | $0 | |
| Jun 30, 2014 | FAIRFAX | 72 | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Jun 30, 2014 | CEDAR RAPIDS | 72 | 0 | 4 | $0 |
| May 17, 1999 | CEDAR RAPIDS | 0 | 0 | 2 | $500K |
| Jun 11, 1986 | 52 | 0 | 2 | $0 | |
| Jun 23, 2009 | CEDAR RAPIDS | 65 | 0 | 1 | $0 |
| Aug 27, 2004 | HIAWATHA | 61 | 0 | 1 | $20K |
Most recent
Latest recorded events
| Date | Location | Magnitude | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 23, 2026 | VIOLA | 61 | $0 |
| Apr 17, 2026 | WALKER | 52 | $0 |
| Aug 15, 2025 | BERTRAM | 56 | $0 |
| Aug 15, 2025 | MARION | 52 | $0 |
| Aug 15, 2025 | COVINGTON | 52 | $0 |
| Aug 15, 2025 | (CID)CEDAR RAPIDS AR | 62 | $0 |
| Aug 15, 2025 | MARION MC BRIDE ARPT | 61 | $0 |
| Jul 29, 2025 | LISBON | 52 | $0 |
| Jul 29, 2025 | CENTRAL CITY | 61 | $0 |
| Jul 29, 2025 | CEDAR RAPIDS | 72 | $0 |
Other hazards here
More from Linn County
- Hail 389
- Tornado 64
- Flash Flood 58
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Law enforcement reported a business building destroyed by high winds from a severe thunderstorm. One person was killed and another injured due to the collapsed structure. A NWS survey found the roof had been blown off which caused the walls to collapse inward and the body was found underneath the rubble.
Severe thunderstorm winds blew most of the roof off the MidAmerica Housing partnership building in northeast Cedar Rapids. Debris from the roof was blown into other buildings and interior beams were pulled away from the structure. Severe winds also blew two 18-wheel tractor-trailer trucks off Highway 380 near Center Point, causing minor injuries. In addition, at least 20 power lines were downed in the Cedar Rapids area alone.
Wind gusts estimated to be around 80 mph caused widespread tree damage with tree limbs over 8 inches in diameter and trees over 3 feet in diameter blown down along a path from 2 miles south of Quasqueton, IA in Buchanan County, to Walker, IA in Linn County, along Highway W35 and Highway W6E to Center Point, IA in Linn County between 745 am and 830 am June 19. Some houses and many out buildings were damaged by falling trees. Power lines were also knocked down across much of the area. The end time of the damage was around 830 am.
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many thunderstorm wind events are on record in Linn County, Iowa?
574 thunderstorm wind events are recorded in Linn County between 1955 and 2026, causing 3 direct deaths.
What is the strongest thunderstorm wind recorded in Linn County?
The strongest thunderstorm wind on record in Linn County measured 122.
Where does the thunderstorm wind data for Linn County come from?
All events come from the NOAA/NCEI Storm Events Database, the federal public-domain archive of severe weather reports. Dates are UTC, damage is as reported and not inflation-adjusted, and the most recent entries may still be revised.
Cite this page
“Thunderstorm Wind in Linn County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/linn-county/thunderstorm-wind/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.