Live
Active alerts for this county
Heat Advisory
Dallas; Polk; Jasper; Poweshiek; Madison; Warren; Marion; Mahaska; Union; Clarke; Lucas; Monroe; Wapello; Ringgold; Decatur; Wayne; Appanoose; Davis
Madison County, Iowa severe weather history spans 402 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 37.8% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,247 nationally and #53 in Iowa.
402
Recorded events
6
Direct deaths
6
Direct injuries
$88.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Madison County, Iowa severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Madison County, Iowa severe weather history averages 5.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 145 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 28 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 Madison County, Iowa record is tornado, responsible for 6 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $76.8M 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 Madison County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 152 | 0 | $633K | 4 | 1960–2025 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 125 | 0 | $7.9M | 92 | 1973–2025 |
| Tornado | 38 | 6 | $76.8M | F3 | 1953–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 32 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2008–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 21 | 0 | $875K | 0 | 2004–2025 |
| Funnel Cloud | 17 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Flood | 16 | 0 | $1.7M | 0 | 1996–2019 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $250K | 0 | 2024–2024 |
Decade by decade
Madison County, Iowa severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
41 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 34 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-03-05 | EF4 | 6 | 5 | 70.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-04-08 | EF4 | 0 | 1 | 56.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2001-04-11 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 76.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1979-03-29 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 57.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-04-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 13.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 2011-03-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-06-07 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 116.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2019-08-20 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-06-28 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 7.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2015-11-11 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Madison County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 5, 2022 | Tornado | MACKSBURG | 6 | 5 | $75.0M |
| Mar 30, 1979 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Emergency Manager reported Cumming Road/County Road G4R remained closed due to water flowing over them between 155th St and Badger Creek Rd. Additionally many secondary roads across the county remain closed with water flowing over them.
A water rescue took place at 1700 Pitzer road in Madison County. Two vehicles hit a water low spot where the road had been flooded by the North River and it inundated both vehicles at separate times. The drivers of each vehicle had to be rescued and with no injuries reported. One driver was rescued out of a tree while the other was rescued from the top of one of the vehicles.
Low lying areas full of water, some streets in town impassable due to flooded intersections. Multiple reports of flood water entering homes and vehicles throughout town. Iowa highway 92 blocked in both directions due to flood waters west of town.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
16,926
Population (ACS)
$245K
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 |
| Jul 29, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Mar 2, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| May 27, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Winterset 132
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Madison County, Iowa?
402 events are on record between 1953 and 2025, causing 6 direct deaths and $88.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Madison County?
Hail, with 152 recorded events — 37.8% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Madison County?
41 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 34 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Madison County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Madison County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Madison County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Madison County as very low risk, placing it in the 36 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Madison 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
- Lyon County 436
- Mahaska County 428
- Lucas County 296
- Marion County 710
- Louisa County 247
- Marshall County 528
Cite this page
“Madison County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/madison-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.