Iowa, 1971
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 1971 was 177 against 154 in 1970.
Counties with the most recorded events
Notable events
| Date | County | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Jun 1971 | Fayette | Tornado | F3 | $250,000 | 1 | — |
| 5 May 1971 | Taylor | Tornado | F3 | $250,000 | — | 12 |
| 12 Jul 1971 | Howard | Tornado | F4 | $2,500,000 | — | 4 |
| 12 Jul 1971 | Fayette | Tornado | F4 | $2,500,000 | — | 4 |
| 6 Jun 1971 | Woodbury | Tornado | F0 | $25,000 | — | 3 |
| 12 Jul 1971 | Delaware | Tornado | F3 | $2,500,000 | — | 2 |
| 6 Jun 1971 | Greene | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | 1 |
| 5 May 1971 | Taylor | Tornado | F2 | $25,000 | — | 1 |
| 12 Jul 1971 | Worth | Tornado | F3 | $2,500,000 | — | — |
| 12 Jul 1971 | Chickasaw | Tornado | F4 | $2,500,000 | — | — |
| 1 Oct 1971 | O'Brien | Tornado | F3 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 31 May 1971 | Tama | Tornado | F3 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 18 May 1971 | Mahaska | Tornado | F0 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 18 May 1971 | Benton | Tornado | F3 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 31 May 1971 | Osceola | Tornado | F3 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 31 May 1971 | Dickinson | Tornado | F3 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 31 May 1971 | Hardin | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 12 Jul 1971 | Fayette | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 12 Jul 1971 | Bremer | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 31 May 1971 | Black Hawk | Tornado | F2 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 6 Jun 1971 | Carroll | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 18 May 1971 | Wapello | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 18 May 1971 | Iowa | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 18 May 1971 | Marion | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 18 May 1971 | Benton | Tornado | F3 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 18 May 1971 | Keokuk | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 5 May 1971 | Ringgold | Tornado | F2 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 23 May 1971 | Page | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 6 Jun 1971 | Poweshiek | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 6 May 1971 | Mills | Tornado | F1 | $250 | — | — |
| 23 May 1971 | Page | Tornado | F0 | $250 | — | — |
| 23 May 1971 | Taylor | Tornado | F1 | $30 | — | — |
| 31 May 1971 | Grundy | Tornado | F1 | — | — | — |
| 31 May 1971 | Grundy | Tornado | F1 | — | — | — |
| 31 May 1971 | O'Brien | Tornado | F3 | — | — | — |
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 1971
No declaration touching Iowa was made in 1971.
Flood insurance claims with a 1971 date of loss
No NFIP claims in Iowa carry a 1971 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.