States › Iowa › Kossuth County
Kossuth County, Iowa
Recorded hazard history: storm events since 1950, federal disaster declarations since 1953, flood insurance claims since 1978, and FEMA's risk index.
NCEI notes that Storm Data is compiled from a variety of sources including the National Weather Service, other federal, state and local agencies, the media and the public; that property and crop damage figures are estimates; and that some events are recorded by NWS forecast zone rather than by county. FEMA notes that NFIP claim records are redacted and aggregated to protect the privacy of policyholders. NCEI storm records through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA declarations refreshed 1 Oct 2026; NFIP claims as of 8 Sep 2026.
Kossuth County, Iowa, has 835 weather events in the NCEI Storm Events record since 1950, most of them damaging wind.
That is 85.8 events per 100 square miles, below the Iowa figure of 124.6, and 574.7 per 10,000 residents against 218.0 statewide.
4 events fall in the 12 months to 30 Jun 2026. NCEI attributes 4 deaths and 42 injuries to events in the county, with property damage estimated at $89M and crop damage at $187M.
FEMA has designated the county in 20 federal disaster declarations since 1953; the most recent is Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes (major disaster, 24 Jun 2024).
National Flood Insurance Program policyholders in the county filed 2 claims since 1978, of which 2 were paid, totalling $23K (about $11K per paid claim). FEMA counts 3 residential flood policies in force.
FEMA's National Risk Index rates the county's overall risk as "Very Low" and its expected annual loss as "Relatively Low" ($16M a year across 18 hazards).
Compared with Iowa and the United States
| Measure | Kossuth County | Iowa | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recorded events since 1950 | 835 | 69,606 | 1,977,440 |
| Events per 100 square miles | 85.8 | 124.6 | 56.0 |
| Events per 10,000 residents | 574.7 | 218.0 | 59.6 |
| Events in the last 12 months | 4 | 1,467 | 62,008 |
| Deaths recorded by NCEI | 4 | 223 | 26,435 |
| Property damage (NCEI estimates) | $89M | $6.5B | $575B |
| NFIP claims per 1,000 residents | 0.1 | 4.6 | 8.1 |
| Average paid NFIP claim | $11K | $30K | $43K |
| Claims per 100 policies in force, last 10 years | 33.3 | 21.8 | 16.1 |
County-recorded events plus zone-recorded events whose forecast zone is named for the county. State and US rows include events recorded only by forecast zone. Rates use 2021 Census population and land area.
Events by decade
Trend: 516 events in the 20 years to 2025 against 246 in the 20 years before. Reporting practice changed in 1996 and again with automated reports in the 2000s, so decade totals measure the record as much as the weather.
Events by type
Hazard pages exist for hail, tornado, flood, wind and winter where the county has at least 10 recorded events. "Other" covers heavy rain, debris flow, dust, funnel clouds and similar reports.
Largest recorded events
| Date | Event type | Group | Magnitude | Property damage | Crop damage | Deaths | Injuries | Geography |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Jun 1979 | Tornado | Tornado | F3 | $25M | — | 2 | 34 | County |
| 25 Jan 2010 | Blizzard | Winter | — | $75K | — | 1 | — | Forecast zone |
| 25 Mar 1996 | Blizzard | Winter | — | — | — | 1 | — | Forecast zone |
| 1 Jul 2012 | Drought | Drought | — | — | $90M | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 7 Jun 1984 | Tornado | Tornado | F3 | $25M | — | — | 5 | County |
| 12 Jun 2010 | Flood | Flood | — | — | $40M | — | — | County |
| 1 Aug 2013 | Drought | Drought | — | — | $21M | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 29 Aug 1964 | Tornado | Tornado | F4 | $250K | — | — | 2 | County |
| 1 Aug 2003 | Drought | Drought | — | $13M | — | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 7 Jun 1984 | Tornado | Tornado | F2 | $2.5M | — | — | 1 | County |
| 1 Aug 2012 | Drought | Drought | — | — | $12M | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 1 Aug 2001 | Drought | Drought | — | — | $11M | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 15 Sep 2011 | Frost/Freeze | Cold | — | — | $2.7M | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 19 Jul 1980 | Tornado | Tornado | F2 | $2.5M | — | — | — | County |
| 20 Sep 1980 | Tornado | Tornado | F2 | $2.5M | — | — | — | County |
| 7 Jun 1984 | Tornado | Tornado | F2 | $2.5M | — | — | — | County |
| 10 Oct 2009 | Frost/Freeze | Cold | — | — | $2.5M | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 8 Jun 2008 | Flood | Flood | — | $1.0M | $500K | — | — | County |
| 11 Apr 2012 | Frost/Freeze | Cold | — | — | $1.5M | — | — | Forecast zone |
| 13 May 1997 | Frost/Freeze | Cold | — | $1.0M | $100K | — | — | Forecast zone |
Ranked by deaths, then injuries, then NCEI's damage estimate. Deaths and injuries are NCEI counts (direct plus indirect); no personal details are recorded here.
Federal disaster declarations
| Declared | Number | Type | Incident | Title | Programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Jun 2024 | DR-4796 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes | Public assistance |
| 24 May 2024 | DR-4784 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 23 Mar 2020 | DR-4483 | Major disaster | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 13 Mar 2020 | EM-3480 | Emergency | Biological | Covid-19 | Public assistance |
| 23 Mar 2019 | DR-4421 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 20 Aug 2018 | DR-4386 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 24 Jul 2014 | DR-4184 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, And Flooding | Public assistance |
| 29 Jul 2010 | DR-1930 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, And Tornadoes | Individual assistance |
| 27 May 2008 | DR-1763 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 30 Mar 2007 | EM-3275 | Emergency | Snowstorm | Snow | Public assistance |
| 10 Sep 2005 | EM-3239 | Emergency | Hurricane | Hurricane Katrina Evacuation | Public assistance |
| 25 May 2004 | DR-1518 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, And Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 2 Jul 1998 | DR-1230 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms, Tornadoes And Flooding | Individual assistance |
| 9 Jul 1993 | DR-996 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 26 Apr 1993 | DR-986 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 26 Dec 1991 | DR-928 | Major disaster | Severe Ice Storm | Ice Storm | Public assistance |
| 12 Jul 1991 | DR-911 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | Individual assistance |
| 27 Jun 1984 | DR-715 | Major disaster | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Tornadoes, Hail & Floods | Individual assistance |
| 1 Jul 1979 | DR-590 | Major disaster | Tornado | High Winds & Tornadoes | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
| 22 Apr 1965 | DR-193 | Major disaster | Flood | Flooding | Individual assistance, Public assistance |
Declarations in which FEMA designated this county, from the OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2). DR: major disaster; EM: emergency; FM: fire management assistance. Programs show whether individual or public assistance was made available.
Flood insurance claims
| Year of loss | Claims | Paid claims | Amount paid | Average paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1 | 1 | $21,558 | $21,558 |
| 1979 | 1 | 1 | $1,104 | $1,104 |
OpenFEMA NFIP claims (v3, as of 8 Sep 2026), aggregated by year of loss; amounts are building, contents and increased-cost-of-compliance payments as recorded. Repetitive-loss counts from the NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (2 Aug 2026); policies in force from the NFIP Residential Penetration Rates file (3 Aug 2026).
National Risk Index
| Hazard (NRI) | Risk rating | Expected annual loss |
|---|---|---|
| Inland flooding | $4,671,245 | |
| Drought | $3,426,568 | |
| Cold wave | $3,302,717 | |
| Tornado | $2,779,969 | |
| Strong wind | $560,418 | |
| Hail | $423,584 | |
| Winter weather | $204,006 | |
| Lightning | $194,114 | |
| Ice storm | $65,556 | |
| Heat wave | $28,137 | |
| Earthquake | $17,552 | |
| Wildfire | $6,749 | |
| Landslide | $506 |
FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025 release. Ratings are FEMA's relative comparison of counties; expected annual loss is FEMA's modelled estimate of average yearly building, population and agriculture loss. See how to read the NRI.
Hurricane and tropical storm passes
No HURDAT2 track at tropical-storm strength passes within 100 miles of the county's centre point (through the 2025 season).
Questions and answers
How often does it hail in Kossuth County, IA?
NCEI records 197 hail events in Kossuth County since 1950, in 51 different years; that is about 2.6 recorded events a year. 52 reports were golf-ball size (1.75 in) or larger.
Has Kossuth County had a tornado?
Yes. NCEI records 39 tornadoes in Kossuth County since 1950, 9 of them rated (E)F2 or stronger. Tornado deaths recorded: 2.
When was the last federal disaster declaration for Kossuth County?
24 Jun 2024: Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-Line Winds, And Tornadoes, a major disaster declaration for severe storm. The county appears in 20 declarations since 1953.
How many flood insurance claims have been filed in Kossuth County, and how much was paid?
2 NFIP claims since 1978, 2 of them paid, for $23K in total. FEMA publishes these figures redacted and aggregated; individual properties are not identified.
Is Kossuth County in the National Risk Index's high-risk band?
FEMA's National Risk Index (December 2025) rates the county "Very Low" for overall risk, "Relatively Low" for expected annual loss, "Very Low" for social vulnerability and "Relatively High" for community resilience. These ratings are FEMA's relative comparison across all US counties.
How does Kossuth County compare with the rest of Iowa?
85.8 recorded events per 100 square miles against 124.6 statewide, and 0.1 NFIP claims per 1,000 residents against 4.6. The comparison table on this page shows each measure beside the state and national figures.
Provenance
Storm events: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, yearly details files through 30 Jun 2026 (public domain). Declarations: OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, refreshed 1 Oct 2026. Flood claims: OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 as of 8 Sep 2026; NfipMultipleLossProperties v1 (2 Aug 2026); NfipResidentialPenetrationRates v1 (3 Aug 2026). Risk index: FEMA National Risk Index, December 2025. Hurricane tracks: NHC HURDAT2 through 2025. Population and area: US Census Bureau, 2021 vintage. Built 1 Oct 2026; see the methodology and corrections pages. Hazard hubs: Hail · Tornado · Flood · Wind · Winter.