Iowa, 1973
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 1973 was 181 against 64 in 1972.
Counties with the most recorded events
Notable events
| Date | County | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Jun 1973 | Woodbury | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | 2 | 10 |
| 21 Apr 1973 | Iowa | Tornado | F2 | — | — | 6 |
| 18 Jun 1973 | Woodbury | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | 5 |
| 21 Apr 1973 | Johnson | Tornado | F2 | $2,500,000 | — | — |
| 4 Jun 1973 | Jasper | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 4 Jun 1973 | Winneshiek | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 16 Jun 1973 | Black Hawk | Tornado | F1 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 19 Apr 1973 | Lyon | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 19 Apr 1973 | Crawford | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 20 Apr 1973 | Washington | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 1 Jul 1973 | Story | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 25 Sep 1973 | Shelby | Tornado | F2 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 26 Sep 1973 | Wright | Tornado | F2 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 26 Sep 1973 | Hancock | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 26 Sep 1973 | Hancock | Tornado | F2 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 26 Sep 1973 | Cerro Gordo | Tornado | F2 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 9 Oct 1973 | Plymouth | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 9 Oct 1973 | O'Brien | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 21 Sep 1973 | Tama | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 21 Sep 1973 | Webster | Tornado | F3 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 19 Apr 1973 | Ringgold | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 19 Apr 1973 | Union | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 19 Apr 1973 | Clarke | Tornado | F2 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 21 Apr 1973 | Lee | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 21 Apr 1973 | Henry | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 2 Jul 1973 | Grundy | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 16 Jun 1973 | Clarke | Tornado | F0 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 16 Jun 1973 | Des Moines | Tornado | F0 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 20 Apr 1973 | Davis | Tornado | F0 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 21 Sep 1973 | Hardin | Tornado | F1 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 4 Jun 1973 | Bremer | Tornado | F1 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 7 May 1973 | Story | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 7 May 1973 | Black Hawk | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
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 1973
| Declared | Number | Type | Incident | Title | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 May 1973 | DR-386 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | 26 |
Flood insurance claims with a 1973 date of loss
No NFIP claims in Iowa carry a 1973 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.