Data · Iowa

Iowa storm damage and disaster statistics

Compiled from NOAA and FEMA data, November 10, 2026 How the figures are built

In short

From 2016 to 2025 the National Weather Service logged 19,781 storm event reports in Iowa, with property damage estimates totalling $879 million. That is the 21st highest of the 50 states and D.C.

Damaging wind was reported most often (5,241 reports). Tornado accounted for the most reported damage ($627 million). FEMA has issued 42 major disaster declarations for Iowa since 2000.

19,781

storm event reports, 2016–2025

$879M

property damage estimated in those reports

major disaster declarations since 2000

3,386

hail reports, 270 of two inches or larger

759

tornado reports, 99 rated EF2 or stronger

$333M

home damage verified by FEMA inspectors since 2002

Reported storm damage in Iowa, year by year

Property damage estimated in National Weather Service storm reports for Iowa. Not insured losses, and not adjusted for inflation.

Largest single damage estimate

$200 million

Tornado, Marshall, 2018. Large events are recorded county by county, so one disaster can appear as several entries.

A quiet year on this chart can mean few damaging storms, or storms whose reports carried no damage estimate.

What hits Iowa: reports and damage by type

Damaging wind 5,241
Winter weather 4,120
Hail 3,386
Flood 1,952
Tornado 759
Lightning 56
Wildfire 5

Storm event reports by type, 2016 to 2025.

Tornado $627M
Flood $203M
Damaging wind $31.2M
Lightning $13.5M
Hail $3.4M
Winter weather $818K
Wildfire $305K

Property damage estimated in those reports, 2016 to 2025.

Federal disasters in Iowa

FEMA has recorded 42 major disaster declarations, 4 emergency declarations and 0 fire management declarations for Iowa since 2000.

The most recent major disaster declaration in this data is Severe Storms And Flooding (severe storm), declared September 1, 2026.

Some states change their rules on public adjuster fees and contracts after a declared disaster. See what a declaration changes.

Severe Storm 29
Flood 9
Winter Storm 1
Tornado 1
Biological 1
Severe Ice Storm 1

Major disaster declarations by cause since 2000.

Home damage FEMA has verified in Iowa

After a declared disaster, homeowners can register with FEMA and have their home inspected. These are the totals for Iowa since 2004.

67,475

homeowners registered, across 11 disasters

$333M

damage verified by FEMA inspectors

$252M

individual assistance FEMA approved for those owners

50,795

homes inspected

2,715

inspections that found more than $30,000 of damage

$6,547

average verified damage per inspected home

FEMA assistance is not insurance and is capped. It measures damage against its own habitability standard, and it counts only owners who registered and were inspected.

How Iowa ranks

Iowa compared with the other states and the District of Columbia
Measure	Iowa	Rank of 51	In context
Storm event reports	19,781	10th	610 per 100,000 residents
Reported property damage	$879 million	21st	$271 per resident
Hail reports	3,386	9th	270 of two inches or larger
Tornado reports	759	6th	99 rated EF2 or stronger
Major disaster declarations since 2000	42	14th	4 emergency declarations
FEMA-verified home damage since 2002	$333 million	18th	67,475 homeowners registered

If you have a claim in Iowa

Iowa questions

What causes the most storm damage in Iowa?

Tornado accounts for the most property damage in National Weather Service reports for Iowa from 2016 to 2025: $627 million of a $879 million total. Damaging wind is the most frequently reported, with 5,241 reports.

How often does it hail in Iowa?

The National Weather Service logged 3,386 hail reports in Iowa from 2016 to 2025. 270 involved hail two inches or larger, and the largest reported stone measured 4 inches. One storm can produce several reports.

How many tornadoes does Iowa get?

759 tornado segments were recorded in Iowa from 2016 to 2025, and 99 were rated EF2 or stronger. A tornado that crosses a county line is recorded once per county.

How many federal disasters has Iowa had?

FEMA records 42 major disaster declarations and 4 emergency declarations for Iowa since 2000. The most common cause of a major disaster declaration was severe storm.

How much home damage has FEMA verified in Iowa?

Since 2004, 67,475 homeowners in Iowa registered with FEMA across 11 disasters. Inspectors verified $333 million in damage and FEMA approved $252 million in individual assistance. These figures cover only people who registered and were inspected.

Use this data

You are welcome to quote these figures and reuse the charts in news stories, research and blog posts. Please credit the page with a link.

PublicAdjuster.cc, "Iowa storm damage and disaster statistics," https://publicadjuster.cc/data/iowa/. Compiled from the NOAA Storm Events Database and FEMA OpenFEMA data, November 10, 2026.

Download all states (CSV) How the figures are built

The underlying records are published by NOAA, FEMA and the U.S. Census Bureau. This product uses the FEMA OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).