Woodbury County, Iowa severe weather history spans 856 recorded events between 1953 and 2026. The dominant hazard is hail, accounting for 43.1% of all recorded events. It ranks #237 nationally and #8 in Iowa.
856
Recorded events
2
Direct deaths
65
Direct injuries
$297.1M
Property damage
The record
What the Woodbury County, Iowa severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Woodbury County, Iowa severe weather history averages 11.7 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2000s, with 305 events logged in that decade alone. Roughly 117 events fall before 1990 and 739 from 1990 onward — a gap that reflects the expansion of NOAA reporting practice as much as the weather itself.
The deadliest hazard in the Woodbury County, Iowa record is tornado, responsible for 2 direct deaths. The costliest is tornado, with $258.3M 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 Woodbury County
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | 369 | 0 | $3.0M | 4.5 | 1962–2026 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 339 | 0 | $14.2M | 85 | 1955–2025 |
| Tornado | 57 | 2 | $258.3M | F4 | 1953–2022 |
| Flood | 41 | 0 | $12.0M | 0 | 2006–2024 |
| Flash Flood | 39 | 0 | $9.6M | 0 | 1996–2024 |
| Heavy Rain | 6 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2012–2016 |
| Lightning | 4 | 0 | $40K | 0 | 1999–2020 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 2017–2017 |
Decade by decade
Woodbury County, Iowa severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
59 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 56 touched down inside it and 3 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-10-04 | EF4 | 0 | 0 | 24.7 mi | Touched down here |
| 1986-07-28 | EF4 | 0 | 2 | 52.5 mi | Crossed in |
| 1994-07-05 | EF3 | 0 | 0 | 1.8 mi | Touched down here |
| 1979-05-08 | EF3 | 0 | 4 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
| 1964-05-05 | EF3 | 0 | 7 | 67.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 1973-06-18 | EF2 | 2 | 10 | 2.0 mi | Touched down here |
| 2021-12-15 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 8.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2013-10-04 | EF2 | 0 | 2 | 26.6 mi | Crossed in |
| 1983-09-05 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 2.5 mi | Touched down here |
| 1975-05-22 | EF2 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Woodbury County
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 18, 1973 | Tornado | 2 | 10 | $250K | |
| Jul 25, 1986 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 16 | $0 | |
| May 6, 1964 | Tornado | 0 | 7 | $2.5M | |
| Jun 18, 1973 | Tornado | 0 | 5 | $250K | |
| Jun 17, 1984 | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 | 4 | $0 | |
| May 8, 1979 | Tornado | 0 | 4 | $25K | |
| May 8, 1979 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $25K | |
| Jun 7, 1971 | Tornado | 0 | 3 | $25K |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
Water inundated western areas of Moville during the evening of March 13, and continued through early on March 15. Iowa Highway 140 was closed north of Highway 20 at Moville due to flooding. At the height of the flooding, 29 sections of roadway were closed in Woodbury County, including two sections requiring long term repairs (Highway 982 near Holly Springs and County road L37 near Danbury). Other flooding resulted in extensive damage to public infrastructure. Gravel roads were hit especially hard as ice-plugged culverts resulted in large sections of roadway washing away.
Thunderstorm winds caused widespread damage in and near Sioux City. Tree damage included large trees blown down, blocking several roads. A few vehicles were destroyed and numerous vehicles damaged by falling trees and tree debris. Falling trees also damaged several residences and garages, causing one known injury. The winds lifted a three car garage off its foundation, and overturned it onto a nearby pasture. One large tree split an occupied trailer in the middle, missing residents who were sleeping at both ends. Numerous power lines and poles were blown down or broken, leaving an estimated 19,000 customers without power, several thousand of which were still without power 24 hours later. Numerous buildings, especially residences, sustained roof damage, especially to shingles. The winds damaged or blew down several signs, damaged fences, and blew down a large awning that sheltered gasoline pumps at a convenience store. The winds flattened crops near the city, but the amount of crop damage was not known, especially since crops were expected to partially recover.
Downburst thunderstorm winds caused extensive tree damage in Sioux City. Large trees were uprooted, snapped, and stripped. A few vehicles were completely destroyed by the falling trees. Houses and other buildings, including a nursing home, were also damaged by trees and debris. Many streets were blocked. Power lines and poles were also blown down, resulting in power outages affecting at least forty thousand people. Traffic lights were blown down. Roofs were damaged, including the roof blown off a medical office building, and sheet metal ducting blown off a roof. A 95 foot radio tower was also blown down, damaging a car and small building.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Relatively Moderate
FEMA NRI risk rating
106,247
Population (ACS)
$183K
Median home value
18
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| May 21, 2025 | Winter Storm | SEVERE WINTER STORM | DR |
| Jun 24, 2024 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, FLOODING, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND TORNADOES | DR |
| Mar 23, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 PANDEMIC | DR |
| Mar 13, 2020 | Biological | COVID-19 | EM |
| Mar 23, 2019 | Flood | SEVERE STORMS AND FLOODING | DR |
| Aug 20, 2018 | Severe Storm | SEVERE STORMS, TORNADOES, STRAIGHT-LINE WINDS, AND FLOODING | DR |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Sioux City 260
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Woodbury County, Iowa?
856 events are on record between 1953 and 2026, causing 2 direct deaths and $297.1M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Woodbury County?
Hail, with 369 recorded events — 43.1% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Woodbury County?
59 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 56 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Woodbury County?
18 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Woodbury County, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Woodbury County compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Woodbury County as relatively moderate risk, placing it in the 83 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Woodbury 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
- Winneshiek County 440
- Worth County 300
- Winnebago County 317
- Wright County 351
- Webster County 758
- Wayne County 332
Cite this page
“Woodbury County, Iowa.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/iowa/woodbury-county/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.