Howard County weather alerts
There are no active weather alerts for Howard County, IA right now.
Since 2016 the National Weather Service has issued about 746 alerts that included Howard County, roughly 75 a year. The most common is the winter weather advisory (99 from 2016 to 2025). The last tornado warning was issued on July 2, 2026. 37 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 Howard County at the moment. This page updates automatically when the National Weather Service issues one. Check neighboring Mitchell County, Winneshiek County, Mower County, Fillmore County.
Howard County alert history
Alert events that included Howard County or its forecast zones, from the NWS warning archive.
| Alert type | 2016–2025 | 2026 | Last issued |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Weather Advisory | 99 | 6 | March 16, 2026 |
| Dense Fog Advisory | 91 | 8 | September 30, 2026 |
| Severe Thunderstorm Warning | 77 | 16 | August 21, 2026 |
| Severe Thunderstorm Watch | 66 | 8 | August 18, 2026 |
| Wind Advisory | 65 | 5 | May 12, 2026 |
| Cold Weather Advisory | 58 | 3 | January 26, 2026 |
| Winter Storm Watch | 37 | 1 | March 15, 2026 |
| Flood Watch | 32 | 3 | September 19, 2026 |
| Winter Storm Warning | 30 | 1 | February 20, 2026 |
| Heat Advisory | 24 | 2 | July 20, 2026 |
| Tornado Watch | 22 | 5 | July 20, 2026 |
| Freeze Warning | 19 | 2 | October 17, 2026 |
| Flash Flood Warning | 18 | 1 | July 8, 2026 |
| Flood Warning | 16 | 2 | July 9, 2026 |
| Tornado Warning | 16 | 6 | July 2, 2026 |
| Frost Advisory | 14 | 3 | May 11, 2026 |
| Extreme Cold Warning | 12 | 1 | January 23, 2026 |
| Red Flag Warning | 11 | 2 | March 28, 2026 |
| Blizzard Warning | 10 | 1 | March 15, 2026 |
| Flood Advisory | 6 | 1 | July 2, 2026 |
| Extreme Heat Warning | 5 | 2 | July 26, 2026 |
| Extreme Heat Watch | 4 | 2 | July 27, 2026 |
| High Wind Warning | 4 | 1 | March 13, 2026 |
| Fire Weather Watch | 3 | 2 | March 28, 2026 |
| Freeze Watch | 3 | 1 | October 17, 2026 |
| High Wind Watch | 2 | 1 | March 13, 2026 |
| Extreme Cold Watch | 2 | 1 | January 23, 2026 |
Tornado history in Howard County
37 tornadoes have been recorded in Howard County since 1950, injuring 19 people. That ranks 41 of 99 counties in Iowa. The most recent was on April 12, 2022 (rated EF0).
Strongest tornadoes in Howard County
| Date | Rating | County | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 1965 | F4 | Floyd County | 41.6 mi | 200 yd | 0 | 11 |
| July 12, 1971 | F4 | Howard County | 10.9 mi | 1,320 yd | 0 | 8 |
| July 19, 1994 | F3 | Howard County | 23 mi | 150 yd | 0 | 0 |
| July 19, 1994 | F2 | Howard County | 8.5 mi | 40 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 15, 1968 | F2 | Howard County | 4.7 mi | 250 yd | 0 | 0 |
Most recent tornadoes
| Date | Rating | County | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 12, 2022 | EF0 | Howard County | 4.5 mi | 125 yd | 0 | 0 |
| April 12, 2022 | EF1 | Mitchell County | 9.1 mi | 325 yd | 0 | 0 |
| December 15, 2021 | EF0 | Howard County | 4.6 mi | 90 yd | 0 | 0 |
| December 15, 2021 | EF0 | Howard County | 4.4 mi | 45 yd | 0 | 0 |
| December 15, 2021 | EF0 | Howard County | 5.9 mi | 45 yd | 0 | 0 |
About Howard County
- Population: 9,360 (2024 estimate)
- State: Iowa
- NOAA Weather Radio SAME code: 019089 (how to use it)