Iowa, 1953
The year's recorded storm events, federal disaster declarations and flood insurance claims.
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.
Events by hazard
Includes events recorded by forecast zone. The state's yearly total for 1953 was 32 against 6 in 1952.
Counties with the most recorded events
Notable events
| Date | County | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Jun 1953 | Adair | Tornado | F5 | $250,000 | 1 | 2 |
| 20 May 1953 | Story | Tornado | F3 | — | 1 | — |
| 20 May 1953 | Linn | Tornado | F3 | — | — | 4 |
| 10 May 1953 | Hancock | Tornado | F4 | $250,000 | — | 3 |
| 20 May 1953 | Jones | Tornado | F3 | — | — | 3 |
| 27 Jun 1953 | Warren | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | 2 |
| 21 Mar 1953 | Woodbury | Tornado | F1 | $2,500 | — | 2 |
| 10 May 1953 | Howard | Tornado | F4 | — | — | 2 |
| 27 Jun 1953 | Mahaska | Tornado | F2 | $2,500 | — | 1 |
| 21 Mar 1953 | Emmet | Tornado | F3 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 10 May 1953 | Cerro Gordo | Tornado | F4 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 10 May 1953 | Clayton | Tornado | F3 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 21 Mar 1953 | Monona | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 21 Mar 1953 | Tama | Tornado | F2 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 10 May 1953 | Wayne | Tornado | F4 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 10 May 1953 | Tama | Tornado | F2 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 27 Jun 1953 | Montgomery | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 24 Apr 1953 | Iowa | Tornado | F1 | — | — | — |
| 20 May 1953 | Hardin | Tornado | F3 | — | — | — |
| 20 May 1953 | Hardin | Tornado | F3 | — | — | — |
| 20 May 1953 | Chickasaw | Tornado | F3 | — | — | — |
| 24 May 1953 | Iowa | Tornado | F1 | — | — | — |
| 7 Jun 1953 | Plymouth | Tornado | F2 | — | — | — |
| 7 Jun 1953 | Ida | Tornado | F2 | — | — | — |
| 7 Jun 1953 | Pocahontas | Tornado | F2 | — | — | — |
| 7 Jun 1953 | Palo Alto | Tornado | F2 | — | — | — |
| 7 Jun 1953 | Webster | Tornado | F2 | — | — | — |
| 7 Jun 1953 | Madison | Tornado | F2 | — | — | — |
| 7 Jun 1953 | Calhoun | Tornado | F3 | — | — | — |
| 7 Jun 1953 | Boone | Tornado | F1 | — | — | — |
| 7 Jun 1953 | Webster | Tornado | F2 | — | — | — |
| 7 Jun 1953 | Poweshiek | Tornado | F2 | — | — | — |
Up to 40 events with deaths, injuries, damage of $50,000 or more, or a tornado rating, ranked by deaths, injuries and damage.
Federal disaster declarations in 1953
| Declared | Number | Type | Incident | Title | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Jun 1953 | DR-8 | Major disaster | Flood | Flood | 0 |
Flood insurance claims with a 1953 date of loss
No NFIP claims in Iowa carry a 1953 date of loss. The NFIP claims file begins with 1978 losses.
Sources: NOAA NCEI Storm Events through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2 (1 Oct 2026); OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 (8 Sep 2026). Built 1 Oct 2026.