Lightning in Iowa

Events

366

Deaths

7

Injuries

46

Damage

$26 million

• Tornadoes and Hail in Iowa, May 25, 20089 deaths · 70 injured · $102 million · EF5 · 115 eventsA very intense upper low was located over the southwest U.S. and lifted northeast during the weekend of the 24th into the morning of the 26th.
• Tornadoes and Flooding in Iowa, June 29, 1998125 injured · $86 million · F2 · 97 eventsA complex weather situation was set up over the central U.S. as a mesoscale convective system passed to the south of Iowa during the overnight hours and early morning of the 29th. Initially, the surface warm front was located to the south of this system.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Iowa, April 8, 199916 injured · $8.5 million · F4 · 50 eventsAs mentioned in the narrative above, an intense low pressure formed to the southwest of Iowa. The low tracked northeast and lifted into eastern Nebraska. Ahead of the low, a strong low level jet of around 60 knots continued through the day.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Iowa, August 9, 200922 injured · $206 million · 3 in hail · 84 eventsA very warm, moist, and unstable airmass was in place over Iowa from 8th into the 9th. Surface temperatures on the 8th warmed into the upper 80s and 90s, with dew point readings in the 70s.
• Tornado and Flash Flooding in Iowa, August 10 to 12, 20101 death · 4 injured · $52 million · EF0 · 64 eventsOnce again the atmosphere over Iowa became very unstable during the peak heating of the day. CAPE rose to 3500-4500 J/kg by the mid to late afternoon with lifted indices of -8 to -10 C.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Iowa, May 21 to 22, 200415 injured · $4.3 million · F2 · 79 eventsA very unstable airmass was over Iowa and helped kick off the seasons first severe weather outbreak. At the surface a warm frontal boundary extended nearly east to west across the state and provided the focus for thunderstorm development.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Iowa, May 29 to 30, 200811 injured · $3.0 million · EF2 · 70 eventsA very unstable airmass moved into Iowa during the day on the 29th as a warm front lifted north into the state during the afternoon.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Iowa, May 17, 20171 death · 1 injured · $901,000 · 1 in hail · 102 eventsAfter a cold front stalled out across northwest Iowa the previous night, much of Iowa was firmly within the warm sector of an approaching surface low. As a result, winds were strong out of the south, helping keep dew points in the mid to upper 60s.
• Flash Flooding and Flooding in Iowa, June 30, 20181 death · $9.0 million · 1.5 in hail · 58 eventsA frontal boundary was draped across areas just west of Iowa during the morning hours of June 30th, and slowly moved eastward into the state throughout the day.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Iowa, August 19 to 20, 20191 injured · $748,000 · EF3 · 41 eventsGenerally speaking, a bit of everything occurred during an overnight/early morning severe mesoscale convective system that rolled across Iowa.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Iowa, June 20 to 21, 19971 death · 7 injured · $535,000 · 2 in hail · 53 eventsStrong and damaging winds swept through Eastern Iowa and Northwestern Illinois causing several injuries and one fatality. Many large healthy, even landmark, trees were downed. Downed trees caused widespread power outages and blocked roads.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Iowa, June 20, 20151 death · 2 injured · $475,000 · EF1 · 44 eventsWidespread severe thunderstorms from the late morning through the evening hours June 20th, produced large hail, damaging winds, and heavy rains. In addition 4 tornadoes occurred. One tornado resulted in 2 injuries when a house was destroyed.
• Tornadoes and Flood in Iowa, May 15, 19981 injured · $4.8 million · F2 · 80 eventsAs the system mentioned above continued to evolve, a widespread outbreak of severe weather took place over Iowa. Strong upper level dynamics moved over the state over the top of an unstable air mass.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Iowa, August 31, 20141 injured · $2.1 million · EF1 · 144 eventsAn unstable airmass was in place across Iowa with afternoon highs reaching well into the 80s, and dewpoint readings in the low to mid 70s. CAPE rose to 2000 to 3000 J/kg.
• Flash Flooding and Flooding in Iowa, June 23 to 25, 2015$4.7 million · 3.5 in hail · 156 eventsA slowly northward moving boundary/warm front was draped across the area throughout the day. By the evening vigorous storms fired up just north of the boundary and continued as the low level jet began to pick up. Numerous reports of large hail and damaging winds were reported.
• Tornado and Flash Flood in Iowa, June 1, 2010$4.8 million · EF2 · 56 eventsA cold front moved into Iowa from the northwest, while a warm front pushed into the southwest part of Iowa from the south during the afternoon and evening hours.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flooding in Iowa, May 22 to 23, 20044 injured · $3.2 million · F1 · 101 eventsThe synoptic situation was very similar to what it was the previous day. A complex weather situation was in place due to the convection from the previous night. An outflow boundary extended east to west across northern Missouri.
• Tornadoes and Hail in Iowa, March 22, 2011$1.3 million · EF2 · 64 eventsLow pressure formed to the west of Iowa and during the morning it was located over central Nebraska with a warm front extending east-southeast across southern Iowa. The low advanced east during the day as the warm front moved little.
• Flash Flooding and Flooding in Iowa, July 28 to 30, 2015$7.5 million · 1 in hail · 98 eventsA boundary was pushing through the state with ongoing convection through central Iowa through the day. As the boundary neared the area, the convection intensified and impacted central and southern Iowa in the evening to early morning hours.
• Tornadoes and Flash Flood in Iowa, June 27 to 28, 1998$1.3 million · F2 · 39 eventsIowa was located in the warm sector of a developing storm system to the west. The warm front had moved to the northern Iowa border during the afternoon of the 27th with dew point temperatures in the mid 70s to around 80 blanketing the state in the warm sector.
• Tornado and Hail in Iowa, April 27, 201411 injured · $656,000 · EF1 · 28 eventsA strong upper low moved into the central United States. Surface low pressure was located over northwest Kansas into southwest Nebraska during the late afternoon. A warm front extended from the low across northern Missouri into southern Illinois.
• Tornado and Flash Flooding in Iowa, June 18, 1998$3.7 million · F1 · 78 eventsA warm front extended from a low pressure area over northeast Nebraska, southeast through central into southeast Iowa. A cold front extended south from the low into Kansas. South of the warm front, dew point temperatures were in the low 70s.
• Lightning Strikes in Iowa, August 8, 20001 death · $165,000 · 2 eventsDuring the night, the thunderstorms mentioned above advanced east and south. In addition, thunderstorms spread north from Missouri into southern Iowa. An outflow boundary moved into central Iowa during the early morning hours and initiated an intensification of the convection.
• Heavy Snow and Lightning Strike in Iowa, October 26, 1997$90 million · 27 eventsThe first major winter storm of the season developed over the central Rockies as a powerful upper level jet stream dove into the southern Rockies. Intense low pressure developed over northern Oklahoma, then drifted northeast on the early morning of the 26th.
• Hail and Damaging Winds in Iowa, April 13, 20061 injured · $1.2 million · 2.75 in hail · 107 eventsAn upper level disturbance combined with a strong low level jet of 30 to 40 knots initiated thunderstorms in a semi-moist atmosphere across eastern Iowa and northwest Illinois.

Lightning everywhereEvery kind of event in Iowa

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24.