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Iowa tornado warnings

The National Weather Service issued 932 tornado warnings, 5,374 severe thunderstorm warnings and 628 flash flood warnings for Iowa from 2016 to 2025, about 93, 537 and 63 a year. That ranks 13th of 52 states and territories for tornado warnings. Pottawattamie County had the most of any county: 45 tornado warnings.

Iowa warnings and radar right now

Checking the National Weather Service for Iowa…

Iowa counties ranked by tornado warnings

Warnings that listed each county, 2016 to 2025, and tornadoes recorded in the county since 1950. A warning can list several counties, so the county numbers add up to more than the state total.

CountyTornado warningsSevere thunderstormFlash floodTornadoes since 1950
Pottawattamie County453553656
Linn County441892866
Jones County431811548
Marion County38191747
Clinton County372161554
Scott County371982968
Jackson County371752631
Benton County361451748
Harrison County352782236
Delaware County351592146
Montgomery County34179632
Cedar County341781445
Johnson County341612946
Adair County33217834
Madison County331921038
Jasper County312161247
Warren County312011050
Mills County302441626
Page County30169843
Polk County292121770
Dallas County292041360
Fremont County28233939
Buchanan County281392250
Dubuque County271522836
Mahaska County27147928
Iowa County271152236
Union County26179942
Muscatine County261582340
Shelby County24162831
Hardin County24154947
Poweshiek County24129833
Pocahontas County24124949
Marshall County23187939
Des Moines County231412124
Boone County221741158
Washington County221671628
Lee County221602543
Guthrie County21188933
Van Buren County211392028
Sioux County201973950
Monroe County20129815
Adams County191611028
Calhoun County19152741
Henry County191411420
Story County181761566
Greene County18170935
Cass County181561143
Ringgold County181321129
Kossuth County171731642
Lucas County17148613
Louisa County171461718
Cerro Gordo County171431640
Butler County171321130
Keokuk County171141833
Webster County161801263
Lyon County161652945
Monona County161631830
Carroll County16149537
Grundy County16145840
Tama County16140648
Howard County16771844
Clarke County15158421
Hancock County151551529
Wapello County1596828
Franklin County141661329
Humboldt County141271227
Floyd County14671827
Osceola County131522231
Woodbury County131342560
Taylor County13114740
Decatur County13110719
Buena Vista County13105430
Crawford County13102545
Appanoose County1397825
Plymouth County121932654
O'Brien County121632438
Wayne County121101033
Wright County111571340
Hamilton County11149556
Clay County11148943
Jefferson County111231214
Black Hawk County111211140
Bremer County11781029
Davis County1094522
Winneshiek County10812024
Fayette County10791932
Palo Alto County9115823
Worth County9981125
Clayton County9842518
Mitchell County9761420
Winnebago County81111226
Sac County8103328
Allamakee County8632214
Audubon County7129616
Chickasaw County6782130
Cherokee County51561334
Dickinson County41391031
Emmet County478322
Ida County399917

Iowa warnings by year

Each warning counts once for the state, however many counties it covered. 2008 is the first full year the National Weather Service drew an outline around every warning.

Tornadoes since 1950

3,143 tornadoes have been recorded in Iowa since 1950, 54 of them rated 4 or 5 on the F or EF scale. They killed 98 people and injured 2,339. June had the most (792).

Warnings for Iowa by year
YearTornadoSevere thunderstormFlash flood
2026 to Oct 1919183695
20255859268
202420483583
20239854030
20227953427
202110636630
20203542335
201976483103
201812459784
20179862237
201654382131
20156139571
201497670108
201359476124
20122643129
201110064486
201099684203
20095243875
20082421,012230

What stands out in Iowa

2008 was the busiest year for tornado warnings in Iowa since 2008, with 242 tornado warnings, and it was also the busiest year for flash flood warnings (230).

Since 2008, 6 tornado warnings and 16 flash flood warnings for Iowa were raised to a tornado emergency or a flash flood emergency for at least part of the warned area: the Weather Service’s rarest warning, used when a severe threat to life is happening or about to happen.

130 severe thunderstorm warnings for Iowa carried the “destructive” tag (winds of 80 mph or more, or hail 2.75 inches or larger) since the tag started in August 2021. Only those severe thunderstorm warnings set off Wireless Emergency Alerts on phones.

6 tornadoes in Iowa since 1950 were rated F5 or EF5, the strongest recorded there. The most recent was on May 25, 2008.

National Weather Service warnings from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet archive through October 19, 2026; tornado ratings from the Storm Prediction Center and NOAA Storm Events.

States next to Iowa

Tornado warnings for each neighboring state, 2016 to 2025.

Get alerts for a home anywhere in Iowa.

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Iowa tornado warnings: questions people ask

How many tornado warnings does Iowa get a year?

About 93 a year: the National Weather Service issued 932 tornado warnings for Iowa from 2016 to 2025, 13th of 52 states and territories.

Which Iowa county gets the most tornado warnings?

Pottawattamie County has the most: 45 tornado warnings listed it from 2016 to 2025, ahead of Linn County with 44. A warning can list several counties, so county counts add up to more than the state total.

Which Iowa city gets the most tornado warnings?

Davenport has the most among cities and towns with 10,000 people or more: the outlines of 12 tornado warnings covered its center from 2016 to 2025.

When is tornado season in Iowa?

June and May: 49% of the 3,143 tornadoes recorded in Iowa since 1950 came in those two months. Tornadoes have struck Iowa in every month of the year.

About these numbers

Counts are National Weather Service warnings that listed an Iowa county, through October 19, 2026. How Kinwarn counts · Iowa data (CSV)

Cite: Kinwarn. “Iowa tornado warnings.” kinwarn.com/iowa. National Weather Service data through October 19, 2026.

Sources: IEM warning archive · NWS 2007 outlines · SPC tornado database · Census places · Census population estimates · NWS tornado alerts