Story County, Iowa severe weather history spans 1,100 recorded events between 1950 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 35.5% of all recorded events. It ranks #104 nationally and #3 in Iowa.
1,100
Recorded events
1
Direct deaths
32
Direct injuries
$107.0M
Property damage
The record
What the Story County, Iowa severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Story County, Iowa severe weather history averages 14.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 457 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 81 events fall before 1990 and 1,019 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Story County, Iowa record is tornado, responsible for 1 direct deaths. The costliest is flood, with $55.2M 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 Story County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 390 | 0 | $5.9M | 87 | 1968–2025 |
| Hail | 325 | 0 | $2.7M | 5.5 | 1968–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 174 | 0 | $21K | 0 | 2008–2024 |
| Tornado | 64 | 1 | $37.2M | F5 | 1950–2025 |
| Flash Flood | 64 | 0 | $4.8M | 0 | 1996–2022 |
| Flood | 53 | 0 | $55.2M | 0 | 1998–2024 |
| Funnel Cloud | 17 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2009–2025 |
| Lightning | 13 | 0 | $1.2M | 0 | 1997–2021 |
Decade by decade
Story County, Iowa severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
64 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 53 touched down inside it and 11 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976-06-13 | EF5 | 0 | 9 | 21.3 mi | Crossed in |
| 1953-05-20 | EF3 | 1 | 0 | 116.1 mi | Crossed in |
| 1991-03-22 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 43.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-03-13 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1950-06-15 | EF3 | 0 | 5 | 5.6 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-21 | EF2 | 0 | 4 | 40.8 mi | Crossed in |
| 2005-11-12 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 12.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1990-03-13 | EF2 | 0 | 15 | 15.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1976-06-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.3 mi | Touched down here |
| 1974-06-18 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Story County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 1953 | Tornado | 1 | 0 | $0 | |
| Sep 8, 2005 | Tornado | AMES | 0 | 8 | $150K |
| Jun 16, 1950 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $0 | |
| May 21, 2024 | Tornado | CAMBRIDGE | 0 | 2 | $3.2M |
| Jul 13, 2018 | Lightning | COLO | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| May 23, 2004 | Lightning | NEVADA | 0 | 2 | $0 |
| Apr 8, 1999 | Tornado | SLATER | 0 | 2 | $800K |
| Apr 15, 1994 | Thunderstorm Wind | Huxley | 0 | 2 | $500K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Story County Emergency Manager reports widespread significant tree damage in and around Ames. Some trees uprooted and others snapped off. Empty grain bins and outbuildings damaged across the county. A tree fell on a shed at Iowa State University.
Low lying areas still flooded across portions of the county along with water over some secondary roads and some damage to secondary roads from previous flash flooding. The emergency manager also reported minor damage to the park in Maxwell from flooding, moderate damage to secondary roads with some damage to bridges and trails across the county.
NWS CO-OP observer and Emergency Manager report flash flooding in and near Zearing. Highway 65 is under water in two places, including south 140th St. County pavement E18 is closed in several places east and west of Zearing.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
100,466
Population (ACS)
$259K
Median home value
21
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 20, 2018 | Severe Storm | 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
- Ames 323
- Ames Arpt 138
- Story City 103
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Story County, Iowa?
1,100 events are on record between 1950 and 2025, causing 1 direct deaths and $107.0M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Story County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 390 recorded events — 35.5% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Story County?
64 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 53 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Story County?
21 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Story County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Story County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Story County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 69 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Story 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
- Sioux County 690
- Tama County 431
- Shelby County 303
- Taylor County 442
- Scott County 1,008
- Union County 406
Cite this page
“Story County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/story-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.