Iowa, 1978
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 1978 was 141 against 101 in 1977.
Counties with the most recorded events
Notable events
| Date | County | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Sep 1978 | Poweshiek | Tornado | F3 | $2,500,000 | 4 | 43 |
| 16 Sep 1978 | Jasper | Tornado | F3 | $250,000 | 2 | 2 |
| 26 Jun 1978 | Poweshiek | Tornado | F2 | $2,500,000 | — | 1 |
| 16 Sep 1978 | Mahaska | Tornado | — | $250,000 | — | 1 |
| 6 Jul 1978 | Lyon | Tornado | F2 | $2,500,000 | — | — |
| 5 Jul 1978 | Sioux | Tornado | F2 | $2,500,000 | — | — |
| 5 Jul 1978 | Plymouth | Tornado | F2 | $2,500,000 | — | — |
| 16 Sep 1978 | Mahaska | Tornado | — | $250,000 | — | — |
| 7 Jun 1978 | Lee | Tornado | — | $250,000 | — | — |
| 7 Jul 1978 | Grundy | Tornado | — | $25,000 | — | — |
| 14 Jul 1978 | Emmet | Tornado | — | $25,000 | — | — |
| 14 Jul 1978 | Palo Alto | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 14 Jul 1978 | Palo Alto | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 14 Jul 1978 | Kossuth | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 14 Jul 1978 | Kossuth | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 5 Jul 1978 | Buena Vista | Tornado | — | $25,000 | — | — |
| 5 Jul 1978 | Sac | Tornado | — | $25,000 | — | — |
| 14 Jun 1978 | Kossuth | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 17 Jun 1978 | Mahaska | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 19 Jun 1978 | Fremont | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 1 Jul 1978 | Lee | Tornado | — | $25,000 | — | — |
| 5 Jul 1978 | Sioux | Tornado | — | $25,000 | — | — |
| 16 Sep 1978 | Marshall | Tornado | F3 | — | — | — |
| 14 Jul 1978 | Emmet | Tornado | — | — | — | — |
| 25 Jun 1978 | Calhoun | Tornado | — | — | — | — |
| 15 Jun 1978 | Wright | Tornado | — | — | — | — |
| 19 Jun 1978 | Lyon | 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 1978
No declaration touching Iowa was made in 1978.
Flood insurance claims with a 1978 date of loss
63 NFIP claims, 40 of them paid, for $178,842.
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.