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Wapello County, Iowa severe weather history spans 594 recorded events between 1956 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 44.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #602 nationally and #19 in Iowa.
594
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
64
Direct injuries
$44.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Wapello County, Iowa severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Wapello County, Iowa severe weather history averages 8.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2010s, with 239 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 99 events fall before 1990 and 495 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Wapello County, Iowa record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $31.3M 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 Wapello County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 262 | 0 | $2.2M | 100 | 1956–2025 |
| Hail | 125 | 0 | $654K | 2.75 | 1966–2023 |
| Heavy Rain | 76 | 0 | $45K | 0 | 2007–2024 |
| Flood | 60 | 0 | $6.2M | 0 | 1998–2019 |
| Flash Flood | 36 | 0 | $4.0M | 0 | 2000–2021 |
| Tornado | 27 | 2 | $31.3M | F2 | 1958–2023 |
| Funnel Cloud | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1996–2023 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | $60K | 0 | 1996–2010 |
Decade by decade
Wapello County, Iowa severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
28 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 21 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984-06-07 | EF4 | 3 | 64 | 134.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2023-03-31 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 26.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1999-04-08 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 16.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 2001-04-11 | EF2 | 2 | 3 | 8.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 1990-06-16 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-04-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 18.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1988-11-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 47.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1988-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 71.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1982-09-13 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 26.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Wapello County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 2001 | Tornado | AGENCY | 2 | 3 | $400K |
| Sep 24, 2010 | Flood | EDDYVILLE | 0 | 50 | $10K |
| Apr 27, 2014 | Thunderstorm Wind | OTTUMWA | 0 | 10 | $100K |
| Jul 20, 2025 | Thunderstorm Wind | ELDON | 0 | 1 | $15K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Harrows Creek was out of its bank and flowing across West Second Street. Cars were stranded on North Jefferson Street. A portion of the 1600 block of East Main Street was washed out by flood waters. Law enforcement closed the roads.
Local law enforcement and trained spotters report water flowing over Highway 149 and North Court Road in the 2600 to 2700 block on the north side of Ottumwa. Water was up to the windows of cars with vehicles stalling and traffic backing up.
Emergency manager reported several trees down across the city of Eddyville, a utility pole snapped, and two houses that had trees that fell on top of them. Degree of damage to the homes was unknown at the time. This is a delayed report and time estimated form radar.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
35,362
Population (ACS)
$125K
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 2, 2013 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
| May 31, 2013 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 29, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Ottumwa 201
- Eldon 122
- Eddyville 112
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Wapello County, Iowa?
594 events are on record between 1956 and 2025, causing 2 direct deaths and $44.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Wapello County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 262 recorded events — 44.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Wapello County?
28 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 21 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Wapello County?
20 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Wapello County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Wapello County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wapello County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 65 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Wapello 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
- Van Buren County 327
- Warren County 883
- Union County 406
- Washington County 371
- Taylor County 442
- Wayne County 332
Cite this page
“Wapello County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/wapello-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.