Iowa, 1981
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 1981 was 190 against 288 in 1980.
Counties with the most recorded events
Notable events
| Date | County | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 Apr 1981 | Marshall | Tornado | F2 | $2,500,000 | — | 9 |
| 11 Apr 1981 | Taylor | Tornado | F2 | $2,500,000 | — | 2 |
| 12 Jun 1981 | Humboldt | Tornado | F2 | $25,000 | — | 1 |
| 14 Jun 1981 | Osceola | Tornado | F2 | $2,500,000 | — | — |
| 14 Jun 1981 | Osceola | Tornado | F2 | $2,500,000 | — | — |
| 14 Jun 1981 | Dickinson | Tornado | F2 | $2,500,000 | — | — |
| 14 Jun 1981 | Dickinson | Tornado | F2 | $2,500,000 | — | — |
| 4 Apr 1981 | Scott | Tornado | F1 | $2,500,000 | — | — |
| 4 Apr 1981 | Clinton | Tornado | F1 | $2,500,000 | — | — |
| 10 Apr 1981 | Bremer | Tornado | F2 | $2,500,000 | — | — |
| 3 Apr 1981 | Muscatine | Tornado | F0 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 4 Apr 1981 | Scott | Tornado | F0 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 3 Apr 1981 | Iowa | Tornado | F1 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 3 Apr 1981 | Washington | Tornado | F0 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 3 Apr 1981 | Louisa | Tornado | F0 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 23 May 1981 | Ringgold | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 23 May 1981 | Mitchell | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 14 Jun 1981 | Adams | Tornado | F0 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 10 Apr 1981 | Marion | Tornado | F0 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 23 Jun 1981 | Calhoun | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 29 Mar 1981 | Cass | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 7 Jun 1981 | Clarke | Tornado | F1 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 10 Apr 1981 | Warren | Tornado | F0 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 7 Jun 1981 | Wayne | Tornado | F1 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 13 Jun 1981 | Sioux | Tornado | F2 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 23 May 1981 | Madison | Tornado | F1 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 3 Apr 1981 | Wayne | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 3 Apr 1981 | Boone | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 28 Aug 1981 | Chickasaw | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 23 May 1981 | Cass | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 23 May 1981 | Adair | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 23 May 1981 | Adair | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 23 May 1981 | Madison | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 23 May 1981 | Montgomery | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 23 May 1981 | Adair | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 23 May 1981 | Page | 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 1981
No declaration touching Iowa was made in 1981.
Flood insurance claims with a 1981 date of loss
40 NFIP claims, 26 of them paid, for $29,216.
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.