Polk County weather alerts
There are no active weather alerts for Polk County, IA right now.
Since 2016 the National Weather Service has issued about 964 alerts that included Polk County, roughly 96 a year. The most common is the severe thunderstorm warning (212 from 2016 to 2025). The last tornado warning was issued on August 13, 2026. 70 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 Polk County at the moment. This page updates automatically when the National Weather Service issues one. Check neighboring Warren County, Boone County, Marion County, Jasper County.
Polk County alert history
Alert events that included Polk County or its forecast zones, from the NWS warning archive.
| Alert type | 2016–2025 | 2026 | Last issued |
|---|---|---|---|
| Severe Thunderstorm Warning | 212 | 44 | October 9, 2026 |
| Winter Weather Advisory | 93 | 3 | March 16, 2026 |
| Dense Fog Advisory | 89 | 4 | September 17, 2026 |
| Severe Thunderstorm Watch | 78 | 11 | September 6, 2026 |
| Wind Advisory | 78 | 3 | April 8, 2026 |
| Flood Warning | 63 | 20 | October 4, 2026 |
| Heat Advisory | 47 | 4 | August 31, 2026 |
| Cold Weather Advisory | 40 | 3 | January 26, 2026 |
| Flood Watch | 36 | 7 | September 30, 2026 |
| Tornado Watch | 33 | 9 | September 14, 2026 |
| Tornado Warning | 29 | 7 | August 13, 2026 |
| Winter Storm Watch | 22 | 1 | March 15, 2026 |
| Freeze Warning | 20 | 1 | October 17, 2026 |
| Flash Flood Warning | 17 | 9 | September 9, 2026 |
| Winter Storm Warning | 17 | 1 | February 19, 2026 |
| Red Flag Warning | 16 | 4 | March 28, 2026 |
| Frost Advisory | 13 | 2 | May 2, 2026 |
| Extreme Heat Watch | 9 | 2 | July 27, 2026 |
| Extreme Cold Warning | 8 | 1 | January 23, 2026 |
| Snow Squall Warning | 8 | 0 | December 28, 2025 |
| Extreme Heat Warning | 7 | 2 | July 26, 2026 |
| Freeze Watch | 7 | 1 | October 17, 2026 |
| High Wind Warning | 6 | 3 | March 15, 2026 |
| High Wind Watch | 4 | 1 | March 15, 2026 |
| Fire Weather Watch | 4 | 2 | March 28, 2026 |
| Blizzard Warning | 4 | 1 | March 15, 2026 |
| Extreme Cold Watch | 3 | 1 | January 23, 2026 |
| Ice Storm Warning | 1 | 0 | January 15, 2017 |
Tornado history in Polk County
70 tornadoes have been recorded in Polk County since 1950, killing 8 people and injuring 161. That ranks 1 of 99 counties in Iowa. The most recent was on July 15, 2024 (rated EF1).
Strongest tornadoes in Polk County
| Date | Rating | County | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 5, 2022 | EF4 | Madison County | 70.6 mi | 900 yd | 6 | 5 |
| June 18, 1974 | F4 | Polk County | 15.3 mi | 400 yd | 2 | 50 |
| September 28, 1986 | F4 | Polk County | 20 mi | 250 yd | 0 | 0 |
| June 7, 1953 | F2 | Madison County | 116 mi | 200 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 21, 2024 | EF2 | Polk County | 40.8 mi | 1,000 yd | 0 | 4 |
Most recent tornadoes
| Date | Rating | County | Path length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| July 15, 2024 | EF1 | Polk County | 6.9 mi | 300 yd | 0 | 0 |
| June 25, 2024 | ? | Polk County | 0.1 mi | 30 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 24, 2024 | EF0 | Polk County | 1.5 mi | 50 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 24, 2024 | EF0 | Polk County | 3.2 mi | 100 yd | 0 | 0 |
| May 24, 2024 | EF0 | Dallas County | 9.2 mi | 80 yd | 0 | 0 |
About Polk County
- Population: 516,185 (2024 estimate)
- State: Iowa
- NOAA Weather Radio SAME code: 019153 (how to use it)
- Cities: Des Moines