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Wayne County, Iowa severe weather history spans 332 recorded events between 1953 and 2025. The dominant hazard is thunderstorm wind, accounting for 28.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #1,594 nationally and #72 in Iowa.
332
Recorded events
0
Direct deaths
57
Direct injuries
$49.2M
Property damage
The record
What the Wayne County, Iowa severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Wayne County, Iowa severe weather history averages 4.6 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 123 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 42 events fall before 1990 and 290 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The costliest is tornado, with $41.8M 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 Wayne County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thunderstorm Wind | 93 | 0 | $990K | 78 | 1963–2025 |
| Hail | 82 | 0 | $575K | 3 | 1968–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 60 | 0 | $150K | 0 | 2007–2021 |
| Flood | 35 | 0 | $1.1M | 0 | 1997–2011 |
| Tornado | 33 | 0 | $41.8M | F4 | 1953–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 27 | 0 | $4.6M | 0 | 2000–2019 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $50K | 0 | 2004–2004 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2016–2016 |
Decade by decade
Wayne County, Iowa severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
33 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 27 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984-06-07 | EF4 | 3 | 64 | 134.0 mi | Crossed in |
| 1980-06-02 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 31.2 mi | Crossed in |
| 1959-05-20 | EF4 | 0 | 5 | 17.2 mi | Touched down here |
| 1953-05-10 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 6.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2022-03-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 19.4 mi | Crossed in |
| 2022-03-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 2017-03-06 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 14.9 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-04-26 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 9.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1991-04-26 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 15.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1988-05-08 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 47.0 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Wayne County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 22, 2010 | Flood | CONFIDENCE | 0 | 50 | $10K |
| May 21, 1959 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $250K | |
| Apr 27, 1991 | Tornado | 0 | 2 | $2.5M |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Emergency Manager reported flash flooding at several locations over the southwest half of Wayne County between 2030 and 2400 CDT. Several roads were closed due to high water rushing bumper deep. Numerous basements were flooded in Corydon.
NWS storm survey confirmed a tornado touched down about six miles southwest of Seymour in Wayne County where several trees sustained major damage and several farmsteads were damaged. The tornado then tracked northeast through rural sections of Wayne County and produced sporadic tree damage. The tornado then moved into the south side of Seymour and produced significant damage to |several homes and structures with the partial collapse of walls and roof structures and widespread tree damage. A brick school building also sustained major damage to its roof and walls. After doing additional damage to residences to the northeast of the school, it exited Seymour and crossed into Appanoose County.
This tornado formed southwest of Allerton and moved northeast snapping power poles along Idaho Road before clipping the southeast edge of Allerton. A manufactured house had its roof removed on the edge of town with the tornado snapping power poles and a back stop at a park on the east side of town. The tornado then remained in rural areas of central Wayne county with little damage noted. The circulation stayed just southeast of Corydon but did destroy a machine shed along Highway 2 east of town. The tornado continued northeast before dissipating north of Newton Road west of 180th Street.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Very Low
FEMA NRI risk rating
6,532
Population (ACS)
$111K
Median home value
15
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 31, 2015 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| Jul 14, 2014 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
| May 31, 2013 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Wayne County, Iowa?
332 events are on record between 1953 and 2025, causing 0 direct deaths and $49.2M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Wayne County?
Thunderstorm Wind, with 93 recorded events — 28.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Wayne County?
33 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 27 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Wayne County?
15 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Wayne County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Wayne County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Wayne County as very low risk, placing it in the 22 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Wayne 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
- Washington County 371
- Webster County 758
- Warren County 883
- Winnebago County 317
- Wapello County 594
- Winneshiek County 440
Cite this page
“Wayne County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/wayne-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.