Iowa, 1974
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 1974 was 343 against 181 in 1973.
Counties with the most recorded events
Notable events
| Date | County | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Jun 1974 | Polk | Tornado | F4 | $25,000,000 | 2 | 50 |
| 20 Jun 1974 | Clinton | Tornado | F3 | $2,500,000 | 1 | 20 |
| 28 Apr 1974 | Cedar | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | 16 |
| 12 Aug 1974 | Delaware | Tornado | F4 | $2,500,000 | — | 12 |
| 28 May 1974 | Worth | Tornado | F3 | $2,500,000 | — | 3 |
| 12 Aug 1974 | Iowa | Tornado | F4 | $250,000 | — | 2 |
| 28 Apr 1974 | Johnson | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | 2 |
| 18 Jun 1974 | Webster | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | 1 |
| 13 May 1974 | Scott | Tornado | F3 | $2,500,000 | — | — |
| 13 May 1974 | Montgomery | Tornado | F3 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 9 Jun 1974 | Kossuth | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 13 May 1974 | Des Moines | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 22 Jun 1974 | Hamilton | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 18 Jun 1974 | Story | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 9 Jun 1974 | Humboldt | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 13 May 1974 | Des Moines | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 13 May 1974 | Scott | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 3 Jun 1974 | Mitchell | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 22 Jul 1974 | Johnson | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 18 Jun 1974 | Marshall | Tornado | F0 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 28 Apr 1974 | Polk | Tornado | F0 | $250 | — | — |
| 30 May 1974 | Wright | Tornado | F0 | $250 | — | — |
| 16 May 1974 | Muscatine | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 16 May 1974 | Scott | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 16 May 1974 | Scott | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 3 Jun 1974 | Franklin | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 3 Jul 1974 | Carroll | 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 1974
| Declared | Number | Type | Incident | Title | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Jun 1974 | DR-443 | Major disaster | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding | 39 |
Flood insurance claims with a 1974 date of loss
No NFIP claims in Iowa carry a 1974 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.