Iowa, 1959
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 1959 was 66 against 49 in 1958.
Counties with the most recorded events
Notable events
| Date | County | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 May 1959 | Wayne | Tornado | F4 | $250,000 | — | 5 |
| 10 May 1959 | Adair | Tornado | F4 | $2,500,000 | — | 1 |
| 9 May 1959 | Van Buren | Tornado | F3 | $250,000 | — | 1 |
| 31 May 1959 | Story | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 9 May 1959 | Keokuk | Tornado | F3 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 9 May 1959 | Jefferson | Tornado | F3 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 18 May 1959 | Adams | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 8 Jul 1959 | Floyd | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 26 May 1959 | Fremont | Tornado | F2 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 28 May 1959 | Clay | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 28 May 1959 | Palo Alto | Tornado | F2 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 28 Jun 1959 | Story | Tornado | F0 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 4 May 1959 | Montgomery | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 4 May 1959 | Greene | Tornado | F2 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 9 May 1959 | Tama | Tornado | F2 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 10 May 1959 | Franklin | Tornado | F2 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 9 May 1959 | Poweshiek | Tornado | F1 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 28 May 1959 | Clay | Tornado | F2 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 30 May 1959 | Emmet | Tornado | F1 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 25 Jun 1959 | Howard | Tornado | F1 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 4 May 1959 | Audubon | Tornado | F2 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 4 May 1959 | Adair | Tornado | F2 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 4 May 1959 | Adair | Tornado | F2 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 10 May 1959 | Montgomery | Tornado | F2 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 10 May 1959 | Polk | Tornado | F1 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 10 May 1959 | Polk | Tornado | F2 | $2,500 | — | — |
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 1959
No declaration touching Iowa was made in 1959.
Flood insurance claims with a 1959 date of loss
No NFIP claims in Iowa carry a 1959 date of loss. The NFIP claims file begins with 1978 losses.
Sources: NOAA NCEI Storm Events through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2 (29 Sep 2026); OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 (8 Sep 2026). Built 30 Sep 2026.