Henry County

Population 19,349 (2025) 434 sq mi

Henry County has recorded 20 tornadoes since 1950, 89th most of 99 counties in Iowa; the most recent was on April 16, 2024.

Hazard fingerprint for Henry County Tornado: 59th percentile. Tropical: 0th percentile. Wildfire: 0th percentile. Flood: 43th percentile. Hail & wind: 60th percentile. Heat: 33th percentile. Cold: 68th percentile. Winter: 81th percentile. TORTROPFIREFLOODSEVEREHEATCOLDWINTER

Hazard fingerprint Each spoke is this county’s percentile among U.S. counties where that hazard occurs. How it is computed

2026
  • Tornado damage paths since 195020

At a glance

The record for Henry County in eight numbers. Each links to its section below.

Tornadoes since 1950

20

89th of 99 in Iowa

Fewer than the typical Iowa county, which has had 35

Details

Flood insurance claims

1

88th of 99 in Iowa

$0 paid since 2013

Details

Strongest tornado

F3

May 9, 1959, 17.8 mile path

Federal disaster declarations

16

Most recent: Covid-19 Pandemic, 2020

Details

Record high

111°F

Reached 2 times, most recently July 15, 1936

Details

Record low

−27°F

February 13, 1905

Details

Snowiest season

68.2in

Winter of 1911-12

Costliest event since 1996

$1.0M

Tornado, May 10, 2003

Details

Tornadoes

About one every 3.8 years since 1950, one of them rated F3/EF3 or stronger.

Strongest

May 9, 1959

F3, 17.8 mile path

250 yards wide.

Most recent

Tuesday, April 16, 2024

EF2, 41.7 mile path

2 years ago.

Tornadoes by decade Doppler radar era² 1950s: 2 2 1960s: 2 2 1970s: 4 4 1980s: 2 2 1990s: 1 1 2000s: 2 2 2010s: 6 6 2020s: 1 1 1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020s
Recorded tornadoes per decade. The 2020s are incomplete.
Tornadoes by month J: 1 F: 0 M: 0 A: 4 M: 7 7 J: 4 J: 2 A: 0 S: 2 O: 0 N: 0 D: 0 JFMAMJJASOND
By month of occurrence, all years.

Every recorded tornado

Tornadoes in Henry County since 1950
Apr 16, 2024EF241.760000
Sep 25, 2018EF11.120000
Sep 25, 2018EF00.32000
May 10, 2017EF02.85000
Jul 16, 2015EF01.51000
Jun 20, 2015EF13.57520
May 3, 2012EF26.744000
Apr 25, 2008EF11.32000
May 10, 2003F127.920000
Jun 12, 1999F00.11000
Jun 29, 1983F10.11000
Jul 5, 1980F10.14000
May 4, 1977F10.12000
May 4, 1977F20.13010
Apr 21, 1973F11.015000
Jun 12, 1970F11.05000
Jan 24, 1967F00.115000
Apr 16, 1960F115.850000
May 9, 1959F317.825010
May 13, 1957F16.81000
  1. Injuries and deaths are for the tornado’s whole path, which may extend beyond the county. Deaths recorded within Henry County: 0.
  2. Weak tornadoes were under-recorded before Doppler radar coverage became national in the early 1990s, so earlier decades read low. Ratings use the Fujita scale before February 2007 and the Enhanced Fujita scale after.

Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, 1950 to 2025.

Hurricanes and tropical storms

No tropical storm or hurricane has tracked within 100 miles since records began in 1851.

Wildfire and smoke

No large wildfire has been mapped here since satellite mapping began in 1984.

Smoke overhead

Smokiest year

2023: 67 days

Heavy smoke on 20 days in 2021, the most of any year.

Last 10 years

24.5 days a year

Medium or heavy smoke, 2016 to 2025.

2025

19 days

Medium or heavy smoke. 41 so far in 2026.

Days with medium or heavy smoke overhead, by year 2011: 15 2012: 21 2013: 14 2014: 10 2015: 23 2016: 2 2017: 8 2018: 13 2019: 11 2020: 26 2021: 45 2022: 21 2023: 67 67 2024: 33 2025: 19 201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025
Days each year on which a satellite-traced plume of medium or heavy smoke covered the county’s population centre, 2011 to 2025.
  1. A smoke day is a date on which a smoke plume traced by NOAA Hazard Mapping System analysts from satellite imagery covered this place's point (the county's population centre or the city centre). Counts here are of medium or heavy smoke. Since 2018 analysts have often drawn light smoke as one area over most of the continent, so light-smoke counts are not comparable from year to year. The plumes show smoke anywhere in the air above, not air quality at the ground, and smoke hidden by cloud is missed.

NOAA Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, 2011 to 2026, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Floods and flood insurance

1 federal flood insurance claims since 2013, with $0 paid.

Federal flood insurance claims by year
Claims per year since 2013. Years with fewer than five claims are not shown.

Flood events since 1996

  • Flash Flood17
  • Flood10
  • Heavy Rain2

1 death recorded in flood events since 1996.

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026. NOAA Storm Events through 2026.

Drought

In severe drought or worse for 150 of 1,581 months since 1895 (9%); the longest spell lasted 22 months.

150

Months in severe drought or worse since 1895

72

Months in extreme drought

9%

Share of all months, severe or worse

17

Drought reports to the Weather Service since 1996

Lowest reading

March 1902

−7.09, extreme drought

Longest severe spell

22 months

December 1955 to September 1957.

Latest month

September 2026

+2.83, moderately wet

Last severe month: February 2024.

Months in severe drought or worse, by year 1895: 0 1896: 0 1897: 2 1898: 0 1899: 3 1900: 2 1901: 9 1902: 5 1903: 0 1904: 0 1905: 0 1906: 0 1907: 0 1908: 0 1909: 0 1910: 2 1911: 4 1912: 0 1913: 2 1914: 12 12 1915: 4 1916: 0 1917: 0 1918: 0 1919: 0 1920: 0 1921: 0 1922: 0 1923: 2 1924: 0 1925: 0 1926: 0 1927: 0 1928: 0 1929: 0 1930: 0 1931: 2 1932: 0 1933: 0 1934: 8 1935: 0 1936: 4 1937: 1 1938: 0 1939: 0 1940: 0 1941: 0 1942: 0 1943: 0 1944: 0 1945: 0 1946: 0 1947: 0 1948: 0 1949: 0 1950: 1 1951: 1 1952: 0 1953: 4 1954: 9 1955: 1 1956: 12 1957: 9 1958: 0 1959: 0 1960: 0 1961: 0 1962: 0 1963: 1 1964: 9 1965: 0 1966: 0 1967: 0 1968: 0 1969: 0 1970: 0 1971: 0 1972: 0 1973: 0 1974: 0 1975: 0 1976: 0 1977: 2 1978: 0 1979: 0 1980: 0 1981: 0 1982: 0 1983: 0 1984: 0 1985: 0 1986: 0 1987: 2 1988: 8 1989: 7 1990: 0 1991: 0 1992: 0 1993: 0 1994: 0 1995: 0 1996: 0 1997: 1 1998: 0 1999: 0 2000: 3 2001: 0 2002: 0 2003: 0 2004: 0 2005: 2 2006: 7 2007: 1 2008: 0 2009: 0 2010: 0 2011: 0 2012: 0 2013: 0 2014: 1 2015: 0 2016: 0 2017: 0 2018: 0 2019: 0 2020: 0 2021: 0 2022: 0 2023: 5 2024: 2 2025: 0 18951905191519251935194519551965197519851995200520152025
Months each year with a Palmer index of −3 or lower, 1895 to 2025. Twelve means the whole year.
  1. The Palmer Drought Severity Index is computed by NOAA each month from the county's average temperature and precipitation, relative to the county's own climate. Zero is normal; -3 or lower is severe drought and -4 or lower extreme drought. It describes the long-term balance of moisture, not water supply or crop losses.

NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, 1895 to September 2026, issued October 6, 2026.

Earthquakes

1 earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles since 1900; the largest was magnitude 4.0 in 1905.

0

Magnitude 2.5+ inside the county since 1973

0

Magnitude 3+ within 50 miles since 1973

1

Magnitude 4+ within 50 miles since 1900

0

Magnitude 5+ within 50 miles since 1900

Largest within 50 miles

April 13, 1905

Magnitude 4.0

Near Keokuk, Iowa; 28.5 miles away.

Most recent, magnitude 3 or more

April 13, 1905

Magnitude 4.0

Near Keokuk, Iowa; 28.5 miles away.

Every earthquake of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles

Earthquakes of magnitude 4 or more within 50 miles
Apr 13, 19054.028.5—Near Keokuk, Iowa
  1. Earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more in the USGS Comprehensive Catalog since 1900. Within 50 miles means the epicentre lies within 50 miles of the county boundary (or inside the county).
  2. Small earthquakes were under-recorded before the modern seismic networks of the 1970s and are still missed in remote areas, so early decades read low. Magnitudes are as the catalogue reports them and mix scales (moment, local and body-wave).

USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog, 1900 to present, retrieved October 30, 2026.

Severe weather and other events

502 events in the National Weather Service record, 445 of them since 1996.

60

Hail reports, 1 inch or larger

7

Hail, 2 inches or larger

131

Damaging gusts, 58 mph+

136

Winter weather events since 1996

5

Heat events since 1996

18

Cold events since 1996

Largest hail

April 21, 1973

4.00 inches

Strongest measured or estimated gust

October 29, 2004

90 mph

More event types since 1996

Other Storm Events types since 1996
Lightning300May 15, 2009
Dense fog and smoke1000Nov 21, 2012

Costliest events since 1996

  1. May 10, 2003Tornado$1.0 million
    National Weather Service narrative

    Tornado developed 3.3 miles west northwest of Mt Pleasant and moved east northeast passing 2.6 miles north of Mt Pleasant, to 3.5 miles west and 2.2 miles north of Mt Union. The tornado exited into Louisa County 3.1 miles north northeast of Mt Union at 1905 CST. Length was 16.4 miles in Henry County Iowa and rated F1 based on damage to farm houses to the west and north of Mt Union.

  2. Jun 1, 2008Flood$535,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Major to record flooding occurred during the month of June 2008 with most forecast points above flood stage for the majority of the month. The flooding during this month was more prolific and severe than the flooding in April 2008, and the flooding in April had been the most prolific flood event since 1997.||While some locations were still experiencing flooding as June began, many of the tributary rivers to the Mississippi in Iowa rose above flood stage during the first few days of the month. At locations that were already above flood stage, the rivers stopped their fall and began climbing again.||Persistent heavy rain from late May into early June resulted in record crests on the…

  3. May 10, 2003Thunderstorm Wind$500,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A strong spring storm system moved through the Mississippi valley during the late afternoon and evening hours producing widespread severe weather. In an unprecedented move, WFO Quad Cities held a press conference the day before to warn of a high probability of significant tornadoes in the afternoon and evening hours of Saturday May 10th, with the area most at risk south of a Keosauqua, Iowa to Princeton, Illinois line. Supercell thunderstorms developed and continued into the evening hours spawning several long track tornadoes and produced copious amounts of large hail. Luckily, most of the tornado tracks were in open country and therefore damage was minimized.

  4. Aug 13, 2010Flood$500,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Heavy rains during the second week of August resulted in the Skunk River at Augusta going above the moderate flood stage level of 17 feet on August 13 around 2 pm CDT. It crested above the major flood stage level around 23.3 feet around 1 pm CDT August 16. It fell below the moderate flood stage level around 920 am CDT August 24.

  5. May 3, 2012Tornado$500,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    The tornado began near 120th street near Wayland in Henry County and moved northeast to near Crawfordsville in Washington County. The tornado was on the ground for approximately 10 minutes in Henry County. Damage along the path of the tornado included: several farm outbuildings destroyed, roof damage to homes, trees snapped, and power poles damaged. The most severe damage occurred near and to the northeast of Noble (Washington County) where several turkey farms sustained extensive damage and two large wooden truss power poles were snapped off. Two homes between Noble and Crawfordsville had the roof removed as well as the exterior walls on the upper floor. One of the homes had a…

  6. Oct 29, 2004Thunderstorm Wind$450,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Main axis of damage is a less than a mile wide path running from 1.3 miles NNW of Rome (near the intersection of White Oak Rd and 208th Street) to 3.2 miles E of Winfield on 120th Street. Between 4 miles Northwest of Mount Pleasant to 2 miles NNE of Mount Pleasant, the damage path widened to 4 miles. Numerous trees and powerlines were downed with severe damage to an ANR pipeline pumping station located northwest of Mount Pleasant. Three homes suffered significant damage...including one which was blown off its foundation while another lost its roof. Numerous outbuildings and sheds were destroyed with grain wagons overturned. The Winfield cemetary (located southeast of town) had its…

  7. Sep 13, 2008Flash Flood$250,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Heavy rains caused flash flooding in Oakland Mills, IA, Mount Pleasant, IA, Mount Union, IA and New London, IA during the morning of September 13.||Near Oakland Mills, a campground along the Skunk River had to be evacuated due to the rapidly rising river level.||In Mount Pleasant, sewers were backed up, several streets were flooded, cars were stranded in flood waters, and several basements flooded.||South of Mount Pleasant, Big Creek near Highway 218 and 295th St flooded out of its banks and several area ditches were full with flood waters.||In the Mount Union area, several roads were under water.||In New London, where 24-hour rainfall totals ranged between 5.5 and 8.5 inches,…

  8. Feb 24, 2007Ice Storm, Henry$129,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    According to the Mt. Pleasant News, a direct injury from hypothermia occurred in the city of Winfield. An unidentified young woman was found semi-unconscious on February 25, with a low body temperature and transported to a hospital. She was treated and eventually recovered. With the power out due to the ice storm, the temperature in the house dropped into the mid 40s.

  9. May 10, 2003Thunderstorm Wind$100,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    A strong spring storm system moved through the Mississippi valley during the late afternoon and evening hours producing widespread severe weather. In an unprecedented move, WFO Quad Cities held a press conference the day before to warn of a high probability of significant tornadoes in the afternoon and evening hours of Saturday May 10th, with the area most at risk south of a Keosauqua, Iowa to Princeton, Illinois line. Supercell thunderstorms developed and continued into the evening hours spawning several long track tornadoes and produced copious amounts of large hail. Luckily, most of the tornado tracks were in open country and therefore damage was minimized.

  10. Apr 30, 2003Hail$100,000
    National Weather Service narrative

    Supercell thunderstorms developed in the afternoon and evening north of a warm front that ran from Southern Iowa into Central Illinois. Three distinct supercells produced a majority of the wind, hail, and heavy rain reports from Jefferson County Iowa into Henry County Illinois. Mercer County Illinois was under tornado warnings on a continuous basis for 2 hours. Officials at a high school track meet in Aledo, Illinois ushered all students into the safety of the school resulting in no injuries. The training of the supercells from Louisa County Iowa to Henry County Illinois dumped heavy rain over the Edwards River and Pope Creek basins in Illinois with radar estimating 9 inches of…

  1. Storm Events records before 1996 cover only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail. Damage figures are as reported by the National Weather Service at the time, not adjusted for inflation.

NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1950 to 2026, issued October 26, 2026.

Weather records

From Burlington Municipal Airport, 25.7 miles from the county’s population centre, with records from 1897.

All-time high
111°F2 times, most recently Jul 15, 1936
All-time low
−27°FFeb 13, 1905
Warmest night
84°FJul 27, 1936
Coldest day
−10°FFeb 3, 1996
Wettest day
6.28 inJun 29, 1933
Snowiest day
13.5 inJan 26, 1967
Hottest year
1998mean 57.3°F
Coldest year
1917mean 48.1°F
Wettest year
201054.13 in
Driest year
195622.87 in
Snowiest season
68.2 in1911-12
Average monthly high and low temperature and precipitation, last 30 years, Burlington Municipal Airport 32°F 33° 17° 1.4 Jan 38° 20° 1.6 Feb 51° 32° 2.5 Mar 64° 42° 4.0 Apr 74° 53° 4.7 May 83° 63° 4.9 Jun 86° 66° 4.0 Jul 84° 64° 3.7 Aug 79° 57° 3.3 Sep 66° 45° 3.1 Oct 51° 33° 1.9 Nov 38° 23° 1.8 Dec Precipitation, inches
Average daily high and low by month, and average monthly precipitation, over the last 30 years.
Nights at or below freezing per year 1976: 140 1977: 118 1978: 131 1979: 134 1986: 86 1987: 110 1988: 130 1989: 133 1990: 119 1991: 121 1992: 111 1993: 123 1994: 113 1995: 125 1996: 141 141 1997: 136 1998: 71 1999: 102 2000: 127 2001: 119 2002: 129 2003: 127 2004: 112 2005: 118 2006: 101 2007: 126 2008: 123 2009: 108 2010: 116 2011: 118 2012: 109 2013: 138 2014: 134 2015: 107 2016: 104 2017: 104 2018: 140 2019: 130 2020: 121 2021: 115 2022: 132 2023: 112 2024: 93 2025: 112 19761992200220122022
Nights at or below freezing each complete year, last 50 years. Thirty-year average: 117.5.
Snowfall by winter 1960: 24.1 in 1961: 50.3 in 1962: 27.5 in 1963: 37.2 in 1964: 39.6 in 1965: 5.8 in 1966: 21.8 in 1967: 11.5 in 1968: 20.3 in 1969: 33.3 in 1970: 17.9 in 1971: 31.5 in 1972: 13.0 in 1973: 20.9 in 1974: 54.8 in 54.8 1975: 18.0 in 1976: 23.8 in 1977: 45.3 in 1978: 49.9 in 1986: 11.7 in 1987: 20.8 in 1988: 14.6 in 1989: 19.3 in 1990: 15.1 in 1991: 15.9 in 1992: 27.1 in 1993: 28.4 in 1994: 15.8 in 1995: 21.2 in 1996: 40.5 in 1997: 21.5 in 1998: 17.2 in 2006: 24.5 in 2007: 42.7 in 2008: 31.1 in 2009: 18.0 in 1960197019871997
Total snowfall each winter (July to June), last 50 winters.

Median first snow

November 25

Earliest: September 25, 1942

Median last snow

March 24

Latest: May 5, 1944

0 of 88 winters had no measurable snow.

Station Burlington Municipal Airport (USW00014931), 683 ft elevation, 25.7 miles from the population centre. Daily records from 1897 to October 26, 2026; 99.6% of days in the last 30 years are complete. Records at a single station can differ from a city’s official threaded record, which may combine several stations.

NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily.

Federal disaster declarations

16 since 1953. The most recent: Covid-19 Pandemic, March 23, 2020.

Federal disaster declarations
Mar 23, 2020BiologicalCovid-19 PandemicMajor disasterDR-4483-IA
Mar 13, 2020BiologicalCovid-19EmergencyEM-3480-IA
Mar 23, 2019FloodSevere Storms and FloodingMajor disasterDR-4421-IA
Jul 2, 2013Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and FloodingMajor disasterDR-4126-IA
Jul 29, 2010Severe StormSevere Storms, Flooding, and TornadoesMajor disasterDR-1930-IA
May 27, 2008Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and FloodingMajor disasterDR-1763-IA
Mar 14, 2007Severe StormSevere Winter StormsMajor disasterDR-1688-IA
Sep 10, 2005HurricaneHurricane Katrina EvacuationEmergencyEM-3239-IA
May 25, 2004Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and FloodingMajor disasterDR-1518-IA
Jun 19, 2002FloodSevere Storms and FloodingMajor disasterDR-1420-IA
May 2, 2001Severe StormSevere Storms, Tornadoes and FloodingMajor disasterDR-1367-IA
Jul 2, 1998FloodSevere Storms, Tornadoes and FloodingMajor disasterDR-1230-IA
Jun 24, 1996Severe StormSevere Storms and FloodingMajor disasterDR-1121-IA
Jul 9, 1993FloodSevere Storms & FloodingMajor disasterDR-996-IA
May 23, 1973FloodSevere Storms & FloodingMajor disasterDR-386-IA
Aug 14, 1969FloodHeavy Rains & FloodingMajor disasterDR-269-IA

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries, retrieved October 30, 2026. Statewide declarations are not listed.

How this compares

Where Henry County stands among 99 counties in Iowa and 3,143 in the United States.

Ranks
Tornadoes since 19502089 / 991,572 / 3,143
Tornadoes rated F3/EF3 or stronger182 / 991,281 / 3,143
Tropical cyclones within 50 mi0——
Hurricane-strength passes within 50 mi0——
Wildfire acres since 19840——
Flood insurance claims188 / 992,799 / 3,143
Flood insurance paid$0——
Disaster declarations1676 / 992,158 / 3,143
Flood events since 19962993 / 992,147 / 3,143
Hail and wind events since 199621877 / 991,817 / 3,143
Winter storm events since 199613627 / 99586 / 3,143
Reported damage since 1996$5.0 million94 / 992,382 / 3,143
River crests at major flood stage0——
High tide flooding days a year, last 10 years0.0——
Months in severe drought since 189515060 / 99937 / 3,143
Medium or heavy smoke days a year, last 10 years24.596 / 99690 / 3,143
Earthquakes M4+ within 50 mi since 190016 / 991,397 / 3,143
Earthquakes M2.5+ in the county since 19730——

Neighbouring counties

Neighbouring counties
Des Moines County2400352
Jefferson County13000
Lee County3900141
Louisa County1804,375120
Van Buren County280053
Washington County250015

Sources and vintage

Every number on this page comes from these public records.

  • Tornadoes NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database, through 2025.
  • Tropical cyclones NOAA National Hurricane Center HURDAT2 (Atlantic; Northeast and Central Pacific), through 2025.
  • Wildfire USGS/USFS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity, through 2026.
  • Storm events NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, through 2026.
  • Flood insurance OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims v3, refreshed August 4, 2026.
  • Declarations OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries v2, retrieved October 30, 2026.
  • Weather records NOAA NCEI Global Historical Climatology Network Daily, station USW00014931.
  • River crests NOAA National Weather Service, National Water Prediction Service river gauges, retrieved October 30, 2026.
  • Drought NOAA NCEI nClimDiv county Palmer Drought Severity Index, through September 2026.
  • Smoke NOAA NESDIS Hazard Mapping System smoke analysis, retrieved October 30, 2026.
  • Earthquakes USGS ANSS Comprehensive Earthquake Catalog (ComCat), retrieved October 30, 2026.

Joins, thresholds and known limits are set out in the methodology. Found an error? Report it. Page built October 30, 2026.