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Mills County, Iowa severe weather history spans 329 recorded events between 1950 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 44.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,611 nationally and #73 in Iowa.
329
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
8
Direct injuries
$8.8M
Property damage
The record
What the Mills County, Iowa severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Mills County, Iowa severe weather history averages 4.3 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 106 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 38 events fall before 1990 and 291 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is flood, with $5.1M 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 Mills County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 145 | 0 | $160K | 3 | 1957–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 128 | 0 | $23K | 78 | 1970–2026 |
| Tornado | 24 | 0 | $646K | F3 | 1950–2024 |
| Flood | 20 | 0 | $5.1M | 0 | 2007–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 6 | 0 | $2.6M | 0 | 1997–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2007–2011 |
| Funnel Cloud | 2 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1997–2008 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $250K | 0 | 2009–2009 |
Decade by decade
Mills County, Iowa severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
25 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 20 touched down inside it and 5 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1979-08-28 | EF3 | 2 | 14 | 38.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-06-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 14.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1992-06-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2024-04-26 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 2.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-06 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-15 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 10.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-06-16 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 6.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2008-06-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 4.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 2008-06-04 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 5.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Mills County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 18, 2011 | Hail | MINEOLA | 0 | 5 | $0 |
| May 1, 1983 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $3K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Rainfall of 3 to 4 inches fell across the Glenwood area which caused Keg Creek to flash flood across parts of town. The flooding prompted emergency management crews to go door-to-door to alert residents about the impending flood, although no mandatory evacuations were required. Flooding along Keg Creek, other small creeks across the county and the West Nishnabotna River caused over 2 million dollars worth of damage to roads and bridges and for debris removal.
Heavy thunderstorms generated flash flooding across Mills County, Iowa, particularly in the western portion, on the morning of August 10, 2025. Rainfall totals were measured between 3.1 and 3.96 inches, though radar estimates indicated up to 3 to 5 inches across the area. The deluge was extremely rapid, with rainfall rates peaking at a dangerous 2 to 3.5 inches per hour. The resultant flash flood caused severe ground instability, with Emergency Management reporting multiple road washouts and mudslides in the environmentally sensitive Loess Hills region.
Heavy rain over much of eastern Nebraska and western Iowa during most of June caused a prolonged period of flooding along the Missouri River, especially downstream of Omaha through Rulo. The flood damage was increased near the confluence of the Platte River where flood waters from the Platte added to the flow. In Plattsmouth the Missouri River crested a little over 33 feet in the late afternoon of June 22nd, flood stage is 26 feet. The river climbed above flood stage in the afternoon of June 11 and remained above flood stage into July. Several mobile home and camping communities along the river were flooded, including some trailers and mobile homes. Roads and farmland along the river were also flooded.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
14,568
Population (ACS)
$238K
Median home value
20
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 14, 2024 | Tornado | SEVERE STORMS 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 |
| Jul 14, 2014 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Mills County, Iowa?
329 events are on record between 1950 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $8.8M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Mills County?
Hail, with 145 recorded events — 44.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Mills County?
25 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 20 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Mills County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Mills County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Mills County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Mills County as very low risk, placing it in the 18 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Mills 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
- Marshall County 528
- Mitchell County 290
- Marion County 710
- Monona County 337
- Mahaska County 428
- Monroe County 228
Cite this page
“Mills County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/mills-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.