O'Brien County weather alerts
There are no active weather alerts for O'Brien County, IA right now.
Since 2016 the National Weather Service has issued about 994 alerts that included O'Brien County, roughly 99 a year. The most common is the severe thunderstorm warning (163 from 2016 to 2025). The last tornado warning was issued on September 2, 2026. 36 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 O'Brien County at the moment. This page updates automatically when the National Weather Service issues one. Check neighboring Osceola County, Clay County, Sioux County, Cherokee County.
O'Brien County alert history
Alert events that included O'Brien County or its forecast zones, from the NWS warning archive.
| Alert type | 2016–2025 | 2026 | Last issued |
|---|---|---|---|
| Severe Thunderstorm Warning | 163 | 36 | October 9, 2026 |
| Dense Fog Advisory | 117 | 6 | September 30, 2026 |
| Winter Weather Advisory | 102 | 5 | March 7, 2026 |
| Wind Advisory | 99 | 3 | June 17, 2026 |
| Severe Thunderstorm Watch | 77 | 14 | September 2, 2026 |
| Cold Weather Advisory | 62 | 4 | March 16, 2026 |
| Flood Warning | 50 | 0 | July 6, 2024 |
| Red Flag Warning | 42 | 6 | May 14, 2026 |
| Heat Advisory | 41 | 7 | September 4, 2026 |
| Winter Storm Watch | 35 | 1 | March 15, 2026 |
| Flash Flood Warning | 24 | 0 | September 17, 2025 |
| Fire Weather Watch | 22 | 3 | March 28, 2026 |
| Flood Watch | 21 | 2 | September 6, 2026 |
| Winter Storm Warning | 20 | 0 | December 6, 2025 |
| Blizzard Warning | 16 | 1 | March 15, 2026 |
| Frost Advisory | 14 | 4 | May 20, 2026 |
| Tornado Watch | 14 | 3 | June 10, 2026 |
| Extreme Heat Warning | 12 | 2 | July 25, 2026 |
| Freeze Warning | 12 | 2 | October 17, 2026 |
| Tornado Warning | 12 | 2 | September 2, 2026 |
| High Wind Warning | 11 | 3 | March 15, 2026 |
| Extreme Cold Warning | 10 | 1 | January 23, 2026 |
| Extreme Heat Watch | 7 | 0 | July 27, 2025 |
| Extreme Cold Watch | 4 | 1 | January 23, 2026 |
| Freeze Watch | 3 | 1 | October 17, 2026 |
| High Wind Watch | 2 | 1 | March 13, 2026 |
| Ice Storm Warning | 2 | 0 | January 2, 2023 |
Tornado history in O'Brien County
36 tornadoes have been recorded in O'Brien County since 1950, injuring 9 people. That ranks 45 of 99 counties in Iowa. The most recent was on July 20, 2024 (rated unknown).
Strongest tornadoes in O'Brien County
| Date | Rating | County | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 5, 1964 | F3 | Woodbury County | 67 mi | 300 yd | 0 | 7 |
| October 1, 1971 | F3 | O'Brien County | 11.2 mi | 10 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 5, 1965 | F2 | O'Brien County | 21.8 mi | 10 yd | 0 | 0 |
| June 11, 2008 | EF2 | O'Brien County | 5.7 mi | 300 yd | 0 | 0 |
| July 19, 1980 | F2 | O'Brien County | 3.3 mi | 160 yd | 0 | 0 |
Most recent tornadoes
| Date | Rating | County | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 20, 2024 | ? | O'Brien County | 0.6 mi | 25 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 31, 2024 | EF0 | O'Brien County | 1 mi | 75 yd | 0 | 0 |
| December 15, 2021 | EF1 | O'Brien County | 3.9 mi | 100 yd | 0 | 0 |
| October 23, 2015 | EF0 | O'Brien County | 0.2 mi | 50 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 11, 2014 | EF0 | O'Brien County | 0.5 mi | 50 yd | 0 | 0 |
About O'Brien County
- Population: 14,260 (2024 estimate)
- State: Iowa
- NOAA Weather Radio SAME code: 019141 (how to use it)