Iowa, 1985
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 1985 was 241 against 285 in 1984.
Counties with the most recorded events
Notable events
| Date | County | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 May 1985 | Clayton | Tornado | F3 | $25,000,000 | 2 | 25 |
| 11 May 1985 | Mahaska | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | 4 |
| 23 Jun 1985 | Cass | Tornado | F1 | $250,000 | — | 1 |
| 19 Apr 1985 | Ida | Thunderstorm Wind | 0 mph | — | — | 1 |
| 22 Sep 1985 | Wayne | Tornado | F2 | $2,500,000 | — | — |
| 21 Apr 1985 | Lyon | Tornado | F1 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 21 Apr 1985 | Lyon | Tornado | F0 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 4 Aug 1985 | Plymouth | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 4 Aug 1985 | Cherokee | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 11 May 1985 | Polk | Tornado | F0 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 11 May 1985 | Marion | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 11 May 1985 | Poweshiek | Tornado | F0 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 14 Aug 1985 | Linn | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 23 May 1985 | Pocahontas | Tornado | F0 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 26 Jun 1985 | Union | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 26 Jun 1985 | Union | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 26 Jun 1985 | Dallas | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 23 Jun 1985 | Cass | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 23 Jun 1985 | Cass | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 5 Jul 1985 | Bremer | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 14 May 1985 | Clinton | Tornado | F1 | — | — | — |
| 30 May 1985 | Clay | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 16 Jun 1985 | Union | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 21 Jun 1985 | Black Hawk | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 13 Aug 1985 | Sac | Tornado | F1 | — | — | — |
| 13 Aug 1985 | Pocahontas | Tornado | F1 | — | — | — |
| 14 Aug 1985 | Jones | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 14 Aug 1985 | Delaware | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 24 Aug 1985 | Delaware | 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 1985
No declaration touching Iowa was made in 1985.
Flood insurance claims with a 1985 date of loss
11 NFIP claims, 8 of them paid, for $57,475.
Sources: NOAA NCEI Storm Events through 30 Jun 2026; OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2 (29 Sep 2026); OpenFEMA NfipClaims v3 (8 Sep 2026). Built 30 Sep 2026.