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State disaster-history atlas

Iowa disaster history

Compare federal administrative declarations and NOAA county-coded observed-event reports across 99 Iowa county equivalents. The directory opens every county atlas. A full profile with separately counted FEMA and NOAA sources is currently available for 99 counties.

Data updated Oct 5, 2026 · Current conditions: Live Dashboard →

Find any Iowa county atlas99 county equivalents · 99 full two-source profiles

State baselines by official source

Each median is calculated across every county equivalent using the same source, unit, and coverage period as its linked county profile. Category totals describe records, not severity or losses.

Administrative records

FEMA declaration distribution

OpenFEMA county-designation records show where federal disaster declarations included a county. A single declaration can designate many counties, and declaration decisions do not inventory every physical event.

County median
20
County sample size
99
Statewide county records
1,914
Statewide category distribution
CategoryRecordsShare of this source
Severe storm74639%
Flood72037.6%
Biological19810.3%
Winter storm1216.3%
Hurricane995.2%
Tornado271.4%
Drought30.2%
Coverage
Jan 1, 1964 – Oct 5, 2026
Source updated
Oct 5, 2026
Retrieved by HazardNow
Oct 5, 2026
Completeness for stated rules
complete

Observed-event reports

NOAA observed-event distribution

NOAA Storm Events totals include distinct county-coded records in the comparable all-event era beginning in 1996. Forecast-zone and marine-zone records are excluded from county totals.

County median
351
County sample size
99
Statewide county records
40,285
Statewide category distribution
CategoryRecordsShare of this source
High wind13,97634.7%
Hail13,72634.1%
Flood5,94114.7%
Severe storm3,5548.8%
Tornado2,7146.7%
Lightning3660.9%
Winter storm60%
Other20%
Coverage
Jan 1, 1996 – Jun 30, 2026
Source updated
Sep 18, 2026
Retrieved by HazardNow
Oct 5, 2026
Completeness for stated rules
partial

County profile previews

Preview county record totals and seasonal context here, or use the full directory above. Every profile includes monthly NOAA seasonality, representative records, same-source comparisons, preparedness implications, print and sharing tools, and source disclosures.

How to read this state atlas

Compare like with like

Compare FEMA declarations only with FEMA declarations, and NOAA county-event records only with NOAA county-event records. Coverage periods must match.

Interpret the median carefully

A county above or below the state median has a different historical record count for the selected official source and coverage period.

Expect reporting limitations

Administrative policy and observation practices change. NOAA finalized records also lag recent event months, and zone-coded events are excluded from county totals.

Browse historical disasters by hazardSearch the national FEMA and NOAA atlasReview data sources