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Poweshiek County, Iowa severe weather history spans 371 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 39.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,382 nationally and #58 in Iowa.
371
Recorded events
5
Direct deaths
60
Direct injuries
$20.4M
Property damage
The record
What the Poweshiek County, Iowa severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Poweshiek County, Iowa severe weather history averages 5.2 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 137 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 54 events fall before 1990 and 317 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Poweshiek County, Iowa record is tornado, responsible for 4 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $12.1M 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 Poweshiek County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 145 | 1 | $5.3M | 91 | 1960–2025 |
| Hail | 93 | 0 | $1.0M | 3 | 1960–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 63 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2025 |
| Tornado | 35 | 4 | $12.1M | F3 | 1953–2023 |
| Flash Flood | 11 | 0 | $710K | 0 | 2007–2018 |
| Funnel Cloud | 10 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2010–2025 |
| Flood | 10 | 0 | $675K | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $590K | 0 | 1998–2010 |
Decade by decade
Poweshiek County, Iowa severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
36 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 30 touched down inside it and 6 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978-09-16 | EF3 | 6 | 45 | 31.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 1966-04-19 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 27.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-04-23 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 47.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1956-08-12 | EF3 | 0 | 8 | 5.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-03-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 17.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 2015-11-11 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2007-09-30 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 21.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1991-04-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 4.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 59.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1978-06-26 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 0.7 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Poweshiek County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 17, 1978 | Tornado | 4 | 43 | $2.5M | |
| Aug 10, 2020 | Thunderstorm Wind | MALCOLM | 1 | 0 | $0 |
| Aug 12, 1956 | Tornado | 0 | 8 | $25K | |
| Apr 6, 2010 | Hail | GRINNELL | 0 | 6 | $500K |
| May 30, 2019 | Tornado | MONTEZUMA EAST ARPT | 0 | 1 | $10K |
| May 8, 2000 | Thunderstorm Wind | GRINNELL | 0 | 1 | $150K |
| Jun 26, 1978 | 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
Local newspaper reported at least 15 to 20 trees down across the northern side of Grinnell, some 3 to 4 feet in diameter. Multiple trees fell and damaged building and house roofs. At least 12000 people without power in the area. Delayed report, and time estimated from radar.
Three feet of standing water was observed in yards, with 2.5 feet of flowing water in another yard along the side of a shed. Ten inches of flowing water was flowing down the alley. Three and one half inches of rain fell in a short time.
Tornado extended to the ground after several minutes as a funnel cloud. Upon reaching the ground, the tornado encountered a farmstead, destroying an old barn and producing tree damage. Another farmstead was hit a bit further down the path with a large hoop building damaged. The remainder of the path was in open farmland.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
18,545
Population (ACS)
$209K
Median home value
15
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 24, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Aug 17, 2020 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS | DR |
| Mar 23, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| 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 |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Poweshiek County, Iowa?
371 events are on record between 1953 and 2025, causing 5 direct deaths and $20.4M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Poweshiek County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 145 recorded events — 39.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Poweshiek County?
36 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 30 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Poweshiek County?
15 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Poweshiek County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Poweshiek County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Poweshiek County as very low risk, placing it in the 31 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Poweshiek 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
- Pottawattamie County 564
- Ringgold County 312
- Polk County 2,151
- Sac County 292
- Pocahontas County 356
- Scott County 1,008
Cite this page
“Poweshiek County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/poweshiek-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.