Benton County weather alerts
There are no active weather alerts for Benton County, IA right now.
Since 2016 the National Weather Service has issued about 901 alerts that included Benton County, roughly 90 a year. The most common is the severe thunderstorm warning (145 from 2016 to 2025). The last tornado warning was issued on April 17, 2026. 48 tornadoes have touched down in the county since 1950.
Updated from the National Weather Service · lists refresh hourly; the live map loads current alerts directly from the NWS
No warnings, watches or advisories include Benton County at the moment. This page updates automatically when the National Weather Service issues one. Check neighboring Black Hawk County, Buchanan County, Linn County, Iowa County.
Benton County alert history
Alert events that included Benton County or its forecast zones, from the NWS warning archive.
| Alert type | 2016–2025 | 2026 | Last issued |
|---|---|---|---|
| Severe Thunderstorm Warning | 145 | 24 | September 9, 2026 |
| Winter Weather Advisory | 104 | 3 | March 16, 2026 |
| Dense Fog Advisory | 97 | 6 | September 17, 2026 |
| Wind Advisory | 72 | 2 | March 12, 2026 |
| Severe Thunderstorm Watch | 60 | 10 | August 13, 2026 |
| Cold Weather Advisory | 49 | 3 | January 26, 2026 |
| Heat Advisory | 45 | 2 | August 31, 2026 |
| Flood Watch | 38 | 8 | September 30, 2026 |
| Tornado Warning | 36 | 1 | April 17, 2026 |
| Freeze Warning | 30 | 2 | October 17, 2026 |
| Tornado Watch | 29 | 7 | July 20, 2026 |
| Flood Warning | 28 | 9 | November 4, 2026 |
| Winter Storm Warning | 28 | 1 | February 20, 2026 |
| Winter Storm Watch | 27 | 1 | March 16, 2026 |
| Frost Advisory | 23 | 2 | May 7, 2026 |
| Flash Flood Warning | 17 | 3 | September 20, 2026 |
| Red Flag Warning | 15 | 2 | March 28, 2026 |
| Extreme Cold Warning | 12 | 1 | January 23, 2026 |
| Freeze Watch | 8 | 1 | October 17, 2026 |
| Extreme Heat Watch | 7 | 2 | July 27, 2026 |
| Extreme Heat Warning | 7 | 2 | July 26, 2026 |
| High Wind Warning | 7 | 2 | March 15, 2026 |
| High Wind Watch | 4 | 2 | March 15, 2026 |
| Extreme Cold Watch | 4 | 1 | January 23, 2026 |
| Fire Weather Watch | 4 | 1 | February 18, 2026 |
| Blizzard Warning | 2 | 2 | March 15, 2026 |
| Ice Storm Warning | 2 | 0 | December 14, 2024 |
| Snow Squall Warning | 1 | 0 | December 9, 2019 |
Tornado history in Benton County
48 tornadoes have been recorded in Benton County since 1950, killing 2 people and injuring 42. That ranks 17 of 99 counties in Iowa. The most recent was on July 11, 2025 (rated EF1).
Strongest tornadoes in Benton County
| Date | Rating | County | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 26, 1965 | F4 | Black Hawk County | 4.7 mi | 200 yd | 1 | 17 |
| April 23, 1961 | F3 | Marshall County | 87.7 mi | 800 yd | 1 | 12 |
| April 19, 1966 | F3 | Poweshiek County | 27.1 mi | 400 yd | 0 | 4 |
| May 18, 1971 | F3 | Benton County | 4.3 mi | 300 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 18, 1971 | F3 | Benton County | 4.3 mi | 200 yd | 0 | 0 |
Most recent tornadoes
| Date | Rating | County | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 11, 2025 | EF1 | Benton County | 4.1 mi | 250 yd | 0 | 0 |
| July 11, 2025 | EF1 | Benton County | 3.8 mi | 20 yd | 0 | 0 |
| September 26, 2023 | ? | Benton County | 0.1 mi | 20 yd | 0 | 0 |
| September 22, 2023 | ? | Benton County | 0.3 mi | 20 yd | 0 | 0 |
| March 31, 2023 | ? | Benton County | 1.4 mi | 10 yd | 0 | 0 |
About Benton County
- Population: 25,799 (2024 estimate)
- State: Iowa
- NOAA Weather Radio SAME code: 019011 (how to use it)