Iowa, 1970
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 1970 was 154 against 150 in 1969.
Counties with the most recorded events
Notable events
| Date | County | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Apr 1970 | Wayne | Tornado | F2 | $2,500,000 | — | — |
| 12 May 1970 | Pottawattamie | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 14 Jul 1970 | Benton | Tornado | F1 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 9 Sep 1970 | Dubuque | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 17 Jun 1970 | Iowa | Tornado | F0 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 14 Jul 1970 | Hardin | Tornado | F2 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 12 May 1970 | Story | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 20 Jun 1970 | Poweshiek | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 8 Oct 1970 | Appanoose | Tornado | F2 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 31 Jul 1970 | Dubuque | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 14 Jul 1970 | Plymouth | Tornado | F2 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 9 Sep 1970 | Butler | Tornado | F2 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 9 Sep 1970 | Bremer | Tornado | F2 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 3 Jul 1970 | Poweshiek | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 9 May 1970 | Washington | Tornado | F2 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 9 May 1970 | Louisa | Tornado | F2 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 22 May 1970 | Guthrie | Tornado | — | $2,500 | — | — |
| 12 Jun 1970 | Henry | Tornado | F1 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 12 May 1970 | Mahaska | Tornado | F1 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 12 May 1970 | Story | Tornado | F1 | $30 | — | — |
| 9 Sep 1970 | Dubuque | Tornado | F3 | — | — | — |
| 10 May 1970 | Story | Tornado | — | — | — | — |
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 1970
No declaration touching Iowa was made in 1970.
Flood insurance claims with a 1970 date of loss
No NFIP claims in Iowa carry a 1970 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.