Iowa, 1986
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 1986 was 358 against 241 in 1985.
Counties with the most recorded events
Notable events
| Date | County | Event type | Magnitude | Property damage | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Apr 1986 | Lyon | Tornado | F2 | $2,500,000 | 1 | 2 |
| 28 Jul 1986 | Woodbury | Tornado | F4 | $250,000,000 | — | 1 |
| 28 Jul 1986 | Monona | Tornado | F4 | $250,000,000 | — | — |
| 24 Jul 1986 | Woodbury | Thunderstorm Wind | 61 mph | — | — | 16 |
| 28 Jun 1986 | Marion | Thunderstorm Wind | 70 mph | — | — | 6 |
| 7 Aug 1986 | Delaware | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | 3 |
| 28 Sep 1986 | Floyd | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | 2 |
| 10 Jun 1986 | Linn | Thunderstorm Wind | 60 mph | — | — | 2 |
| 29 Jun 1986 | Harrison | Thunderstorm Wind | 60 mph | — | — | 1 |
| 28 Sep 1986 | Polk | Tornado | F4 | $2,500,000 | — | — |
| 28 Sep 1986 | Jasper | Tornado | F4 | $2,500,000 | — | — |
| 26 Apr 1986 | Lyon | Tornado | F2 | $2,500,000 | — | — |
| 29 Jun 1986 | Guthrie | Tornado | F2 | $2,500,000 | — | — |
| 29 Jun 1986 | Polk | Tornado | F2 | $2,500,000 | — | — |
| 14 Aug 1986 | Marion | Tornado | F1 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 28 Jul 1986 | Clay | Tornado | F1 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 28 Jul 1986 | Calhoun | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 29 Jun 1986 | Guthrie | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 13 Jul 1986 | Clarke | Tornado | F2 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 13 Jul 1986 | Decatur | Tornado | F1 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 10 Jun 1986 | Iowa | Tornado | F1 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 10 Jun 1986 | Iowa | Tornado | F1 | $250,000 | — | — |
| 8 May 1986 | Jasper | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 8 May 1986 | Plymouth | Tornado | F0 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 22 Sep 1986 | Johnson | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 28 Sep 1986 | Clay | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 8 May 1986 | Monroe | Tornado | F0 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 18 Mar 1986 | Adair | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 28 Jul 1986 | O'Brien | Tornado | F1 | $25,000 | — | — |
| 5 Aug 1986 | Jefferson | Tornado | F0 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 10 May 1986 | Decatur | Tornado | F0 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 10 Jun 1986 | Marion | Tornado | F0 | $2,500 | — | — |
| 10 Jun 1986 | Lucas | Tornado | F0 | $250 | — | — |
| 9 May 1986 | Polk | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 8 May 1986 | Polk | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 28 Sep 1986 | Webster | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 26 Apr 1986 | Crawford | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 28 Jul 1986 | Crawford | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 9 May 1986 | Dallas | Tornado | F0 | — | — | — |
| 8 Jul 1986 | Decatur | 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 1986
No declaration touching Iowa was made in 1986.
Flood insurance claims with a 1986 date of loss
177 NFIP claims, 124 of them paid, for $706,235.
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.