Iowa hurricane risk
Polk County has the highest hurricane risk in Iowa, scoring 27.5 out of 100 — rated "Very Low" by FEMA's National Risk Index.
| # | County | NRI score | Rating |
NOAA events 2016–2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Polk County | 27.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 2 | Washington County | 20.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 3 | Carroll County | 19.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 4 | Delaware County | 19.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 5 | Hardin County | 19 | Very Low | 0 |
| 6 | Hamilton County | 18.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 7 | Lee County | 17.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 8 | Cass County | 17.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 9 | Fayette County | 17.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 10 | Scott County | 17.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 11 | Black Hawk County | 17.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 12 | Tama County | 16.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 13 | Wright County | 16.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 14 | Linn County | 16.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 15 | Henry County | 16.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 16 | Des Moines County | 15.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 17 | Marshall County | 15.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 18 | Audubon County | 15.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 19 | Clayton County | 14.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 20 | Adair County | 14.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 21 | Calhoun County | 14.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 22 | Story County | 14.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 23 | Clinton County | 14 | Very Low | 0 |
| 24 | Davis County | 13.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 25 | Johnson County | 13.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 26 | Van Buren County | 13.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 27 | Jefferson County | 13.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 28 | Webster County | 13.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 29 | Muscatine County | 12.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 30 | Greene County | 12.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 31 | Dallas County | 12.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 32 | Buchanan County | 12.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 33 | Jasper County | 12.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 34 | Chickasaw County | 12.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 35 | Floyd County | 12.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 36 | Winneshiek County | 12 | Very Low | 0 |
| 37 | Benton County | 11.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 38 | Louisa County | 11.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 39 | Poweshiek County | 11.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 40 | Allamakee County | 11.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 41 | Franklin County | 11.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 42 | Cerro Gordo County | 11.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 43 | Dubuque County | 11.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 44 | Mahaska County | 11.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 45 | Union County | 11 | Very Low | 0 |
| 46 | Iowa County | 10.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 47 | Jackson County | 10.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 48 | Keokuk County | 10.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 49 | Cedar County | 10.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 50 | Taylor County | 10.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 51 | Wapello County | 10.2 | Very Low | 0 |
| 52 | Guthrie County | 10.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 53 | Butler County | 10 | Very Low | 0 |
| 54 | Howard County | 9.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 55 | Boone County | 9.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 56 | Grundy County | 9.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 57 | Appanoose County | 9.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 58 | Jones County | 9.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 59 | Wayne County | 8.9 | Very Low | 0 |
| 60 | Humboldt County | 8.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 61 | Madison County | 8.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 62 | Decatur County | 8.5 | Very Low | 0 |
| 63 | Adams County | 8.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 64 | Bremer County | 8.4 | Very Low | 0 |
| 65 | Marion County | 8.1 | Very Low | 0 |
| 66 | Lucas County | 8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 67 | Clarke County | 7.8 | Very Low | 0 |
| 68 | Ringgold County | 7.7 | Very Low | 0 |
| 69 | Warren County | 7.6 | Very Low | 0 |
| 70 | Monroe County | 7.3 | Very Low | 0 |
| 71 | Crawford County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 72 | Fremont County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 73 | Hancock County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 74 | Harrison County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 75 | Mills County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 76 | Mitchell County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 77 | Monona County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 78 | Montgomery County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 79 | Page County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 80 | Pottawattamie County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 81 | Sac County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
| 82 | Shelby County | 0 | No Rating | 0 |
Source: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20.0, December 2025. Scores are 0–100 percentile rankings among all US counties. See the methodology page for definitions. Download the full CSV for all counties.
Hurricane risk nationally:
Other hazard risks in Iowa:
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest hurricane risk county in Iowa?
Polk County, IA has the highest hurricane risk in Iowa, with a FEMA National Risk Index score of 27.5 out of 100 (rated "Very Low").
What causes hurricane risk in Iowa?
Hurricane risk covers expected annual losses from tropical cyclone winds — storm surge is captured separately under coastal flooding. High scores concentrate along the Gulf Coast and Atlantic Seaboard from Texas through New England, with Florida's peninsula and barrier islands typically leading national rankings. The NRI score also accounts for population exposure and community resilience.