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Washington County, Iowa severe weather history spans 371 recorded events between 1964 and 2026. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 47.2% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,382 nationally and #58 in Iowa.
371
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
29
Direct injuries
$69.7M
Property damage
The record
What the Washington County, Iowa severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Washington County, Iowa severe weather history averages 6.0 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 113 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 38 events fall before 1990 and 333 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $40.5M in reported property damage. In total, 9 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Washington County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 175 | 0 | $21.6M | 107 | 1964–2026 |
| Hail | 101 | 0 | $2.3M | 2.75 | 1969–2026 |
| Flash Flood | 29 | 0 | $2.1M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 27 | 0 | $3.1M | 0 | 1998–2019 |
| Tornado | 26 | 0 | $40.5M | F3 | 1965–2026 |
| Heavy Rain | 6 | 0 | $37K | 2 | 2003–2006 |
| Lightning | 3 | 0 | $75K | 0 | 1997–2011 |
| Funnel Cloud | 3 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–2002 |
| Winter Weather | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2001–2001 |
Decade by decade
Washington 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: 18 touched down inside it and 10 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-03-31 | EF4 | 0 | 3 | 19.9 mi | Crossed in |
| 1998-05-15 | EF3 | 0 | 47 | 47.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1965-04-23 | EF3 | 0 | 1 | 47.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 1959-05-09 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 6.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 2012-05-03 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 6.7 mi | Crossed in |
| 2006-04-02 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1989-04-27 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 18.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1988-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 36.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1988-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 71.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1984-06-07 | EF2 | 0 | 1 | 24.0 mi | Crossed in |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Washington County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 1998 | Tornado | WASHINGTON | 0 | 28 | $9.0M |
| Apr 24, 1965 | Tornado | 0 | 1 | $250K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Heavy rains resulted in flash flooding in and around Wellman, IA during the morning of August 3. Major flooding was observed on Smith Creek on the south edge of town. County Road W 38 had to be closed due to the flood waters. Much of the town, including the fire station and water treatment plant, was under water. Some residences had 8 to 10 feet of water in their basements. Some water rescues were performed. The flood water was still about a foot deep in parts of town, especially near the fire station, during the late morning hours.
The tornado began near 120th street near Wayland in Henry County and moved into Washington County near Noble and lifted near Crawfordsville. The tornado was on the ground for approximately 10 minutes in Washington County. Damage along the path of the tornado included: several farm outbuildings destroyed, roof damage to homes, trees snapped, and power poles damaged. The most severe damage occurred near and to the northeast of Noble (Washington County) where several turkey farms sustained extensive damage and two large wooden truss power poles were snapped off. Two homes between Noble and Crawfordsville had the roof removed as well as the exterior walls on the upper floor. One of the homes had a car lofted and tumbled across the yard.
Heavy rains during the second and third weeks of June resulted in the English River at Kalona going above the moderate flood stage level of 16 feet on June 12 around 11 pm. It crested above the major flood stage around 19 feet around 7 pm June 15. It fell below the moderate flood stage on the evening of the 17th. It crested for a second time at 16.8 feet at 1 pm June 19. It fell below moderate flood stage the morning of June 20. It rose back above the moderate level on the 23rd, cresting at 17.4 feet at 1 am June 24. It finally fell and stayed below the moderate flood stage level around 2 am June 26.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
22,561
Population (ACS)
$204K
Median home value
15
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 29, 2010 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| May 27, 2008 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Washington 111
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Washington County, Iowa?
371 events are on record between 1964 and 2026, causing 0 direct deaths and $69.7M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Washington County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 175 recorded events — 47.2% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Washington County?
28 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 18 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Washington County?
15 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Washington County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Washington County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Washington County as relatively low risk, placing it in the 44 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Washington 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
- Warren County 883
- Wayne County 332
- Wapello County 594
- Webster County 758
- Van Buren County 327
- Winnebago County 317
Cite this page
“Washington County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/washington-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.