Iowa, 1983
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 1983 was 211 against 154 in 1982.
Counties with the most recorded events
Notable events
| Date | County | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Jun 1983 | Des Moines | Tornado | F1 | $2,500,000 | — | 27 |
| 1 May 1983 | Fremont | Tornado | F2 | $2,500,000 | — | 3 |
| 1 May 1983 | Mills | Tornado | F1 | $2,500 | — | 3 |
| 1 Jul 1983 | Cedar | Tornado | F1 | $250,000 | — | 1 |
| 13 Jun 1983 | Dickinson | Tornado | F1 | $250,000 | — | 1 |
| 6 May 1983 | Polk | Tornado | F2 | $2,500,000 | — | — |
| 1 Jul 1983 | Scott | Tornado | F0 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 6 May 1983 | Harrison | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 6 May 1983 | Page | Tornado | F1 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 1 May 1983 | Montgomery | Tornado | F1 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 5 Sep 1983 | Woodbury | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 1 May 1983 | Page | Tornado | F1 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 29 Jun 1983 | Johnson | Tornado | F1 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 29 Jun 1983 | Linn | Tornado | F1 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 29 Jun 1983 | Tama | Tornado | F1 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 29 Jun 1983 | Tama | Tornado | F1 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 3 Jul 1983 | Fayette | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 6 May 1983 | Polk | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 27 May 1983 | Carroll | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 27 May 1983 | Guthrie | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 5 Sep 1983 | Cherokee | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 1 May 1983 | Taylor | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 29 Jun 1983 | Chickasaw | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 18 Jun 1983 | Keokuk | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 29 Jun 1983 | Henry | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 6 May 1983 | Dallas | Tornado | F1 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 1 May 1983 | Fremont | Tornado | F1 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 1 May 1983 | Page | Tornado | F0 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 1 May 1983 | Page | Tornado | F0 | $250 | — | — |
| 1 May 1983 | Louisa | Tornado | F0 | $250 | — | — |
| 3 Jul 1983 | Union | Tornado | F0 | $30 | — | — |
| 13 Jun 1983 | Emmet | Tornado | F0 | $30 | — | — |
| 2 Jul 1983 | Polk | 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 1983
No declaration touching Iowa was made in 1983.
Flood insurance claims with a 1983 date of loss
126 NFIP claims, 72 of them paid, for $166,153.
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.