Hazard Plain Automated baseline

Kossuth County, IA

Risk-assessment baseline packet

County FIPS:
19109
Release:
2026-10
Data as of:
2026-09-30
Storm Events data through:
2026-06-30

Hazard Plain is an independent product built from public federal data. It is not a FEMA document and is not reviewed or endorsed by FEMA or any state agency.

Hazard Plain release 2026-10, as of 2026-09-30.

Summary

Plan status as of 2026-09-30: Approved, expires 2029-08-27. Plan: Kossuth County (FEMA plan 110130), approved 2024-08-28.

Since the plan was approved on 2024-08-28: no new hazard declaration and 21 NOAA Storm Events records; details under "What changed since your last plan".

Highest expected annual loss (FEMA National Risk Index, modeled total; see B1-a): Inland Flooding ($4,671,245 a year), Drought ($3,426,568) and Cold Wave ($3,302,717).

The tables that follow are organized by the items of FEMA's Local Mitigation Plan Review Tool, Element B (B1-a to B2-c); each heading says which item its tables support.

Plan clock

Status:
Approved, expires 2029-08-27
Plan:
Kossuth County (FEMA plan 110130)
Approved:
2024-08-28
Days to expiry:
1,062

What changed since your last plan (approved 2024-08-28)

New federal declarations:
none
Storm Events records since approval:
21 records (data through 2026-06-30)
Repetitive loss now:
FMA RL 0, SRL 0 (44 CFR 77.2); any definition: 0
Repeat-flood change:
this release sets the baseline count.

Sources: 1, 2, 4, 6 (numbered list at the end)

Plan status for every jurisdiction listed in this county: 17 rows, in the section "Plan clock: Plan status for every jurisdiction listed in this county" on the following pages.

State plan status and tribal plans in this state: see the state page.

Plan clock

Plan status for every jurisdiction listed in this county

Source: 1

JurisdictionTypeStatusPlanApprovedExpiresDays to expirynegative = days since expiryUpdate underwayNotes
Kossuth CountyCountyApproved, expires 2029-08-27Kossuth County (FEMA plan 110130)2024-08-282029-08-271,062
Algona cityCityApproved, expires 2029-08-27Kossuth County (FEMA plan 110130)2024-08-282029-08-271,062
Bancroft cityCityApproved, expires 2029-08-27Kossuth County (FEMA plan 110130)2024-08-282029-08-271,062this jurisdiction approved 2024-10-15
Burt cityTownApproved, expires 2029-08-27Kossuth County (FEMA plan 110130)2024-08-282029-08-271,062
Fenton cityTownApproved, expires 2029-08-27Kossuth County (FEMA plan 110130)2024-08-282029-08-271,062
Lakota cityCityApproved, expires 2029-08-27Kossuth County (FEMA plan 110130)2024-08-282029-08-271,062
Ledyard cityCityApproved, expires 2029-08-27Kossuth County (FEMA plan 110130)2024-08-282029-08-271,062
Lone Rock cityCityApproved, expires 2029-08-27Kossuth County (FEMA plan 110130)2024-08-282029-08-271,062
Lu Verne cityCityApproved, expires 2029-08-27Kossuth County (FEMA plan 110130)2024-08-282029-08-271,062this jurisdiction approved 2024-10-15
Swea City cityCityApproved, expires 2029-08-27Kossuth County (FEMA plan 110130)2024-08-282029-08-271,062
Titonka cityCityApproved, expires 2029-08-27Kossuth County (FEMA plan 110130)2024-08-282029-08-271,062
Wesley cityCityApproved, expires 2029-08-27Kossuth County (FEMA plan 110130)2024-08-282029-08-271,062
Whittemore cityCityApproved, expires 2029-08-27Kossuth County (FEMA plan 110130)2024-08-282029-08-271,062
Name not given in FEMA data (ID 1917880)School/School DistrictPlan 110053 approved 2025-04-09, pending adoption here; not yet eligibleKeokuk County (FEMA plan 110053), pending adoption here2025-04-09 by FEMA; not yet adopted here2030-04-08 once adoptedFEMA tracker shows a plan approvable pending adoptionNot yet eligible: adopt the approved plan.
Algona Community School DistrictSchool/School DistrictPlan 110130 approved 2024-08-28, pending adoption here; not yet eligibleKossuth County (FEMA plan 110130), pending adoption here2024-08-28 by FEMA; not yet adopted here2029-08-27 once adoptedFEMA tracker shows a plan approvable pending adoptionNot yet eligible: adopt the approved plan.
North Kossuth Community School DistrictSchool/School DistrictApproved, expires 2029-08-27Kossuth County (FEMA plan 110130)2024-08-282029-08-271,062this jurisdiction approved 2025-06-16
West Bend-Mallard Community School DistrictSchool/School DistrictExpired on 2018-05-21Palo Alto County (FEMA plan 36749)2013-05-212018-05-21-3,054

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-a: hazard identification

Hazards NRI does not cover (local data needed)

  • dam failure (incl. upstream dams)
  • levee failure
  • flash flood as its own subtype
  • ice jams
  • debris flows
  • erosion (riverine and coastal)
  • land subsidence and sinkholes
  • expansive soils

The 18 National Risk Index hazards, ranked by expected annual loss (EAL)

Sources: 5, 6

Rank by EALHazardNRI risk ratingEAL ratingEAL buildingsmodeled dollars per yearEAL agriculturemodeled dollars per yearCost of expected deaths and injuriesFEMA's dollar value per year, not property damageEAL total (see note)modeled dollars per yearStorm Events records, 1996 to 2026-06-30countWhy this hazard can be left outNRI Not Applicable, no declaration and no Storm Events record since 1996Storm Events coverage note
1Inland FloodingVery LowRelatively Low$4,068,557$600,702$1,987$4,671,24590
2DroughtRelatively HighRelatively Highn/a$3,426,568n/a$3,426,56835
3Cold WaveRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$2,736$772,479$2,527,501$3,302,71736Includes 9 Frost/Freeze records (outside NRI's Cold Wave definition; counted in this table and in B1-d, not in the B1-e descriptor).
4TornadoRelatively LowRelatively Moderate$1,963,412$36,149$780,407$2,779,96914
5Strong WindRelatively LowRelatively Moderate$348,876$68,915$142,628$560,418192Includes 49 High Wind records (a NOAA non-thunderstorm wind type, outside NRI's Strong Wind definition).
6HailRelatively LowRelatively Low$102,690$247,380$73,515$423,584155
7Winter WeatherRelatively ModerateRelatively Moderate$44,260$1,450$158,296$204,006101
8LightningRelatively LowRelatively Low$13,524n/a$180,591$194,1143
9Ice StormRelatively LowRelatively Low$62,406n/a$3,150$65,55614
10Heat WaveVery LowVery Low$7,098$9$21,030$28,1374
11EarthquakeVery LowVery Low$14,501n/a$3,051$17,552Storm Events does not record earthquakes.
12WildfireVery LowVery Low$6,255$108$385$6,7490No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
13LandslideVery LowVery Low$64n/a$441$5060No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).
HurricaneNot ApplicableNot Applicable0NRI rates hurricane Not Applicable for this county, and no counted federal declaration for this county names it (EM-3239-IA names it but is not counted as a local occurrence; see B1-d).No recorded events in Storm Events since 1996 (data through 2026-06-30).

Total = buildings + agriculture + population equivalence; FEMA values each expected death (or 10 injuries) at $13.7 million (2024 dollars).

NRI risk rating combines expected annual loss with social vulnerability and community resilience; EAL rating rates expected annual loss alone. Both compare this county with all U.S. counties.

Local data needed: state and local wildfire and landslide records (Storm Events records these hazards only in part).

Not applicable to this county per NRI, with no federal declaration and no Storm Events record since 1996: avalanche, coastal flooding, tsunami and volcanic activity. That is the evidence for leaving them out of the plan.

The state hazard mitigation plan also lists hazards for this county; FEMA asks the plan to explain any hazard it leaves out.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-b: hazard location

Affects the whole county (national data give no location within it): Cold Wave, Drought, Hail, Heat Wave, Ice Storm, Lightning, Strong Wind and Winter Weather.

Inland Flooding: The FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) is the required location source for flooding. See the FEMA Flood Map Service Center (https://msc.fema.gov) for this county.

Hazards that vary within the county: highest-rated census tracts

Source: 5

HazardHighest-rated census tractsNRI risk rating, score 0 to 100
Earthquaketract 9505 (Very Low, 15.1); tract 9503 (Very Low, 12.3); tract 9501 (Very Low, 11.3)
Hurricaneno tract has a National Risk Index rating for this hazard
Landslidetract 9506 (Relatively Low, 85.1); tract 9502 (Very Low, 80.1); tract 9501 (Very Low, 79.7)
Tornadotract 9505 (Very High, 96.6); tract 9501 (Relatively High, 92.5); tract 9506 (Relatively High, 91.2)
Wildfiretract 9505 (Relatively Low, 75.3); tract 9504 (Relatively Low, 71.6); tract 9506 (Very Low, 64.0)

Up to 3 census tracts per hazard, highest National Risk Index rating first, then highest score; a tract number is the Census tract number (for example 9505 is Census Tract 9505). FEMA's Resilience Analysis and Planning Tool maps the National Risk Index for every tract: https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/practitioners/resilience-analysis-and-planning-tool

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-c: hazard extent

Extent: scale, observed range and worst recorded event per hazard

Sources: 6, 7

HazardScaleRecordscount and yearsObserved rangeWorst recorded eventMost damaging (when different)How it applies to jurisdictionsNote
Cold/Wind Chill, Extreme Cold/Wind Chillwind chill27 records, 1996 to 2025 (27 zone-level)1 day to 4 days (median 2 days); 22 with a recorded value4 consecutive days, 2024-01-13 to 2024-01-16, zone-levelCold/Wind Chill, 1999-09-21, property not reported; $294,117.65 crops (zone total, 1999 dollars)Countywide (zone-level records).Cold/Wind Chill records from May to September (a frost night, not a cold wave) are counted but not used for the longest run.
Frost/Freeze (outside NRI's Cold Wave definition)crop damage9 records, 1996 to 2019 (9 zone-level)Frost/Freeze, 2011-09-15, $2,700,000 crop damage (2011 dollars); NWS zone IAZ005Countywide (zone-level records).
DroughtU.S. Drought Monitor scale (D0 to D4)35 records, 2001 to 2024 (35 zone-level)3 days to 337 days (median 31 days); 9 with a recorded value337 days (about 11.1 months), 2020-10-06 to 2021-09-07, a run of 12 consecutive Storm Events drought records, zone-levelDrought, 2012-07-01, $0 property; $90,000,000 crops (zone total, 2012 dollars)Countywide (zone-level records).Storm Events enters a drought at D2 or worse east of the Rockies and D3 or worse from the Rockies west (NWS Instruction 10-1605); NRI drought counts D3 and D4 only.
EarthquakeModified Mercalli (local data)0Storm Events does not record earthquakes; the USGS earthquake catalog is the source.
Hailhail size (inches)197 records, 1961 to 20250.5 in to 3 in (median 1 in); 197 with a recorded value3 in hail, 2010-06-17; same size also recorded on 1967-08-22, 1974-05-28Hail, 1999-06-06, $10,000 property; $100,000 crops (1999 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Algona city (43 records), Bancroft city (20 records), Swea City city (17 records), Lakota city (10 records), Wesley city (10 records), Whittemore city (10 records), Titonka city (9 records), Fenton city (4 records), Ledyard city (4 records), Lu Verne city (4 records); and 2 more jurisdictions (see the Excel file).
Excessive Heat, Heatheat index (in event narratives)4 records, 2001 to 2019 (4 zone-level)1 day to 14 days (median 2.5 days); 4 with a recorded value14 consecutive days, 2011-07-15 to 2011-07-28, zone-levelCountywide (zone-level records).
Hurricane, Tropical Storm, Tropical DepressionSaffir-Simpson0Storm Events files every zone of a storm's episode under the storm's type; flooding from the storm is filed as Flood or Flash Flood records.
Ice StormSperry-Piltz ice scale (local data)14 records, 1996 to 2023 (14 zone-level)Ice Storm, 2011-02-20, $50,000 property; $0 crops (2011 dollars); NWS zone IAZ005Countywide (zone-level records).
Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flooddamage and flood days (flood depth: FIRM)90 records, 1997 to 2024 (27 zone-level)Flood, 2010-06-12, $0 property; $40,000,000 crops (2010 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Burt city (23 records), Lu Verne city (22 records), Algona city (12 records), Wesley city (6 records), Whittemore city (6 records), Bancroft city (2 records), Fenton city (1 record), Swea City city (1 record), Titonka city (1 record). Zone-level records (27) apply countywide.Flood depth: see the FEMA Flood Insurance Rate Map. Storm Events damage is often $0 or blank for floods, major ones included; FEMA Public Assistance by declaration (B1-d) shows which floods cost the most.
Debris Flownone (count and damage only)0
Lightningannualized frequency (the measure FEMA's Local Mitigation Planning Handbook names)3 records, 1996 to 2015Lightning, 1996-06-21, $8,000 property; crops not reported (1996 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Bancroft city (2 records), Whittemore city (1 record).Storm Events lists lightning with damage or casualties.
High Wind and Strong Wind (outside NRI's Strong Wind definition)wind speed (kt and mph)49 records, 1996 to 2025 (49 zone-level)35 kt (40 mph) to 61 kt (70 mph) (median 52 kt (60 mph)); 47 with a recorded value61 kt (70 mph) measured, High Wind, 2001-04-07; NWS zone IAZ005High Wind, 1998-11-10, $300,000 property; $5,100 crops (zone total, 1998 dollars)Countywide (zone-level records).
Thunderstorm Windwind speed (kt and mph)184 records, 1964 to 202548 kt (55 mph) to 85 kt (98 mph) (median 56 kt (64 mph)); 167 with a recorded value85 kt (98 mph), measurement type not recorded, Thunderstorm Wind, 1989-04-22Thunderstorm Wind, 1998-05-15, $500,000 property; $50,000 crops (1998 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Algona city (40 records), Swea City city (15 records), Whittemore city (13 records), Bancroft city (7 records), Burt city (6 records), Ledyard city (6 records), Fenton city (5 records), Titonka city (5 records), Lakota city (4 records), Lone Rock city (4 records); and 2 more jurisdictions (see the Excel file).
TornadoEnhanced Fujita (Fujita before Feb 2007)38 records, 1964 to 2020F/EF0 to F/EF4 (median F/EF1); 35 with a recorded valueF4 tornado, 1964-08-29, 15.8 mi path length (whole path, pre-1996), 100 yd wide, $250,000 property; crops not recorded (1964 dollars), 2 direct injuriesTornado, 1979-06-28, $25,000,000 property; crops not recorded (1979 dollars)Event records naming jurisdictions in the plan: Algona city (2 records), Bancroft city (1 record), Ledyard city (1 record).Before 1996 a tornado is listed once, under the county where it began, with its whole path's rating and length; from 1996 on, each county lists its own segment. Length is not used to rank tornadoes (see Methods).
Wildfireacres burned (local data)0
Winter Storm, Heavy Snow, Blizzard, Lake-Effect Snow, Winter Weather, Sleetnone in data (snowfall: local data)101 records, 1996 to 2025 (101 zone-level)Winter Storm, 2007-02-24, $250,000 property; $0 crops (2007 dollars); NWS zone IAZ005Countywide (zone-level records).

Where a hazard names more than 10 jurisdictions, the table lists the 10 with the most records; every one is in the Excel file, sheet "B1-c Extent".

In event narratives only (local data needed): wind chill, temperature, heat index, ice thickness, acres burned and snow depth; any physical measure of debris flow and lightning.

Storm Events records are more complete after 1996; before 1996 only Tornado (from 1950), Hail and Thunderstorm Wind (from 1955) exist. Zone-level records from zones that no NWS zone-county file places in this county (mostly before 2020) are not counted here (the Methods page explains the zone matching).

Dollars are nominal (as reported), labeled with the year; not adjusted for inflation.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-d: previous occurrences

Federal declarations for this county: 20 declarations covering 17 separate hazard incidents counted in this packet (declarations for the same incident count once; non-natural and evacuation-only declarations are not counted).

Federal disaster declarations for this county

Sources: 1, 2, 3

DeclaredIncident beganFEMA numberTypeTitleMapped hazardCounty Public Assistancefederal share obligated, nominal dollarsFlagsNotes
2024-06-242024-06-16DR-4796-IAMajor disasterSevere Storms, Flooding, Straight-Line Winds, and TornadoesInland Flooding; Strong Wind; Tornado$277,158.65in the 12 months before plan approval; within last 5 years
2024-05-242024-05-20DR-4784-IAMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and FloodingInland Flooding; Tornado$242,070.14in the 12 months before plan approval; within last 5 years
2020-03-232020-01-20DR-4483-IAMajor disasterCOVID-19 PandemicNon-natural, not counted$290,487.21
2020-03-132020-01-20EM-3480-IAEmergencyCOVID-19Non-natural, not countedno Public Assistance recordedsame incident as DR-4483
2019-03-232019-03-12DR-4421-IAMajor disasterSevere Storms and FloodingInland Flooding$2,325,485.36
2018-08-202018-06-06DR-4386-IAMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and FloodingInland Flooding; Strong Wind; Tornado$439,951.08
2014-07-242014-06-14DR-4184-IAMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Straight-Line Winds, and FloodingInland Flooding (primary); also designated: Strong Wind, Tornado$125,529.06
2010-07-292010-06-01DR-1930-IAMajor disasterSevere Storms, Flooding, and TornadoesInland Flooding; TornadoPA not declared for this county
2008-05-272008-05-25DR-1763-IAMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and FloodingInland Flooding; Tornado$325,558.55
2007-03-302007-02-28EM-3275-IAEmergencySnowWinter Weather$75,890.32
2005-09-102005-08-29EM-3239-IAEmergencyHurricane Katrina EvacuationHurricane: evacuation support, not a local hazard event; not countedno Public Assistance recorded
2004-05-252004-05-19DR-1518-IAMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes, and FloodingInland Flooding; Tornado$94,095.97
1998-07-021998-06-13DR-1230-IAMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes and FloodingInland Flooding (primary); also designated: TornadoPA not declared for this county
1993-07-091993-04-13DR-996-IAMajor disasterSevere Storms & FloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1993-04-261993-03-26DR-986-IAMajor disasterSevere Storms & FloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded
1991-12-261991-10-31DR-928-IAMajor disasterIce StormIce Stormno Public Assistance recorded
1991-07-121991-06-01DR-911-IAMajor disasterSevere Storms & FloodingInland FloodingPA not declared for this county
1984-06-271984-06-07DR-715-IAMajor disasterSevere Storms, Tornadoes, Hail & FloodsHail; Inland Flooding; TornadoPA not declared for this county
1979-07-011979-07-01DR-590-IAMajor disasterHigh Winds & TornadoesTornadono Public Assistance recorded
1965-04-221965-04-22DR-193-IAMajor disasterFloodingInland Floodingno Public Assistance recorded

County Public Assistance: applicants the FEMA record places in this county, including any state agencies FEMA files there; statewide rows are listed on the state page; federal share obligated, nominal dollars.

Statewide declarations

Source: 2

DeclaredIncident beganFEMA numberTypeTitleMapped hazard
1962-09-051962-09-05DR-133-IAMajor disasterFloodsInland Flooding
1961-03-311961-03-31DR-111-IAMajor disasterFloodsInland Flooding
1958-07-051958-07-05DR-86-IAMajor disasterFloodsInland Flooding
1954-06-231954-06-23DR-17-IAMajor disasterFloodInland Flooding
1953-06-111953-06-11DR-8-IAMajor disasterFloodInland Flooding

FEMA recorded these with designated area Statewide and no county, so they are listed on every county page in the state and not counted with county rows. Local data needed: whether each one affected this county.

Public Assistance filed under this county for declarations that do not list it: 1 row, $32,791.90

Sources: 2, 3

FEMA numberDeclaredTitleApplicantPA obligatedfederal share obligated, nominal dollars
DR-1998-IA2011-06-27FloodingAlgona Municipal Utilities$32,791.90

FEMA's Public Assistance summaries file these applicants under this county, but FEMA's declaration rows for these disasters do not designate it (an electric cooperative or district serving several counties, for example). Not in any declaration row above and not counted.

Public Assistance not placed in any Iowa county: 11 rows, $7,881,708.52; listed on the Iowa state page.

Source: 3

Previous occurrences by hazard, with explicit no-event rows

Sources: 2, 6, 7

HazardStorm Events records, all years on file(years in the Period column)Since plan approvalrecordsIn the 12 months before plan approvalrecordsLast 5 yearsrecordsDeclared incidents, all yearsseparate disastersDeclared since approvalseparate disastersPeriodStatement
Cold Wave36115001996 to 2026-06-30Includes 9 Frost/Freeze records.
Drought351214001996 to 2026-06-30
Earthquake000000Storm Events does not record earthquakes; the USGS earthquake catalog is the source.
Hail1975214101955 to 2026-06-30
Heat Wave4000001996 to 2026-06-30
Hurricane0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Ice Storm14001101996 to 2026-06-30
Inland Flooding900991401996 to 2026-06-30
Landslide0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Lightning3000001996 to 2026-06-30
Strong Wind23312328301955 to 2026-06-30Includes 49 High Wind records.
Tornado380001001950 to 2026-06-30
Wildfire0000001996 to 2026-06-30No recorded events, 1996 to 2026-06-30, NOAA NCEI Storm Events
Winter Weather1012312101996 to 2026-06-30

Notable Storm Events records

Sources: 1, 6, 7

DateEvent typeMagnitude or extentDamagenominal dollarsDeaths, injuriesdirect onlyLocationFlagsWhy listed
2024-01-13Extreme Cold/Wind Chill$0 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2024 dollars)0, 0NWS zone IAZ005 (KOSSUTH), zone-levelin the 12 months before plan approval; within last 5 yearsB1-c worst recorded: Cold/Wind Chill, Extreme Cold/Wind Chill
2020-10-06Drought$0 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2020 dollars)0, 0NWS zone IAZ005 (KOSSUTH), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Drought
2011-09-15Frost/Freeze$0 property; $2,700,000 crops (zone total, 2011 dollars)0, 0NWS zone IAZ005 (KOSSUTH), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Frost/Freeze
2010-06-17Hail3 in$15,000 property; $50,000 crops (2010 dollars)0, 0LEDYARDB1-c worst recorded: Hail
2010-06-12Flood$0 property; $40,000,000 crops (2010 dollars)0, 0HANNA to STEVENSB1-c worst recorded: Flash Flood, Flood, Lakeshore Flood
2010-01-25Blizzard$75,000 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2010 dollars)1, 0NWS zone IAZ005 (KOSSUTH), zone-leveldeaths or injuries recorded
2007-02-24Winter Storm$250,000 property; $0 crops (zone total, 2007 dollars)0, 0NWS zone IAZ005 (KOSSUTH), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: Winter Storm, Heavy Snow, Blizzard, Lake-Effect Snow, Winter Weather, Sleet
2001-04-07High Wind61 kt (70 mph) measured$100,000 property; crops not reported (zone total, 2001 dollars)0, 0NWS zone IAZ005 (KOSSUTH), zone-levelB1-c worst recorded: High Wind and Strong Wind
1996-03-25Blizzarddamage not reported1, 0NWS zone IAZ005 (KOSSUTH), zone-leveldeaths or injuries recorded
1989-04-22Thunderstorm Wind85 kt (98 mph), measurement type not recordeddamage not recorded (pre-1996 record)0, 0location not recordedB1-c worst recorded: Thunderstorm Wind
1979-06-28TornadoF3, 15.9 mi path length (whole path, pre-1996), 300 yd wide$25,000,000 property; crops not recorded (1979 dollars)2, 34location not recordeddeaths or injuries recorded
1964-08-29TornadoF4, 15.8 mi path length (whole path, pre-1996), 100 yd wide$250,000 property; crops not recorded (1964 dollars)0, 2location not recordedB1-c worst recorded: Tornado

The full list is in the Excel file, sheet "B1-d Storm Events history" (751 rows).

Location is the place NOAA recorded, as written in its data; it need not be a jurisdiction in this plan.

Local data needed: state-declared emergencies, from your state emergency management agency (federal data do not include them).

Tribal and special-area declarations in this state are listed on the state page.

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-e: probability of future events

Probability: FEMA annualized frequency and descriptor per hazard

Sources: 5, 6

HazardFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)unit per rowUnitIn plain termsDescriptorDescriptor basisNRI events or days in its record period (hail, wind and tornado are area-weighted, so can be fractional)NRI periodLocationNote
Cold Wave11.5event-days per yearabout 11.5 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 15 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (50%)2192005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide
Drought15.2event-days per yearabout 15.2 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 9 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (30%)5112000 to 2025 (25.25 years; D3 and D4 only)countywide
Earthquake0.000455annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county has at least minor-damage shaking in a year: 0.0455%not shownmodeledsee B1-fNo descriptor (Storm Events does not record earthquakes).
Hail4.59events per yearabout 4.59 per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)174.3 (modeled)1986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Heat Wave3.79event-days per yearabout 3.79 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 4 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (13.3%)662005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide
Hurricaneevents per year1851 to 2024 (Atlantic)see B1-fNot Applicable in NRI for this county; no descriptor.
Ice Storm0.616event-days per yearabout 0.616 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 11 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (36.7%)421946-12-31 to 2014-02-12 (67 years)countywide
Inland Flooding2.57event-days per yearabout 2.57 days per yearLikelyStorm Events event-days in 19 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (63.3%)721996 to 2023 (28 years)see B1-f
Landslide0.106events per year (modeled)about 1 in 9 yearsLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shownmodeledsee B1-f
Lightning41.1days per year with a strikeabout 41.1 days per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1995 to 2023 (29 years; CONUS)countywide
Strong Wind3.7events per yearabout 3.7 per yearHighly likelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)1411986 to 2023 (38 years)countywide
Tornado0.81events per yearabout 0.81 per yearLikelyFEMA annualized frequency (modeled)not shown1950 to 2023 (EF2+); 1986 to 2023 (EF0-1)see B1-f
Wildfire0.0000832annual probability at a locationchance a given location in the county burns in a year: 0.00832%Storm Events records in 0 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (0%)not shownmodeledsee B1-fNo descriptor: no Storm Events record 1996 to 2025
Winter Weather19.9event-days per yearabout 19.9 days per yearHighly likelyStorm Events event-days in 29 of 30 years, 1996 to 2025 (96.7%)3782005-11-12 to 2024-11-12 (19 years)countywide

FEMA annualized frequency (modeled) is the National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025) estimate of how often a hazard affects this county in a year; it is not recorded events divided by years, and its unit differs by hazard (events, event-days, or days with a lightning strike per year). For earthquake, wildfire, coastal flooding and tsunami the value is the chance (or number of events) at a location in the county, not across the county, so no "1 in N years" is given and the descriptor comes from Storm Events where it has a record (none for earthquake). The Methods page gives each hazard's method, from FEMA's National Risk Index Technical Documentation v1.20.

Where NRI gives event-days, the descriptor comes from the share of years with a Storm Events record; NRI's source records more events, so the two differ.

Descriptor scale used in this packet (defined per unit)

Sources: 5, 6

UnitDescriptorDefinition
events per yearHighly likely1 or more per year
events per yearLikelyabout once in 1 to 10 years
events per yearPossibleabout once in 10 to 100 years
events per yearUnlikelyless than once in 100 years
annual probabilityLikely10% to under 100% chance in a given year
annual probabilityPossible1% to under 10% chance in a given year
annual probabilityUnlikelyunder 1% chance in a given year
event-days (share of years)Highly likelyevent-days recorded in 90% or more of years
event-days (share of years)Likelyevent-days recorded in 10% to under 90% of years
event-days (share of years)Possibleevent-days recorded in some years but under 10% of years
lightning strike-daysHighly likelycloud-to-ground strikes on 1 or more days per year

Intensity bands: historical frequency (Storm Events)

Source: 6

HazardBandYearsEventscounty-coded recordsYears in periodEvents per yearevents / years
Hail1.00-1.99 in1996 to 202596303.2
Hail2.00 in+1996 to 20258300.267
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)50-64 kt1996 to 2025124304.13
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)65 kt+1996 to 202518300.6
Thunderstorm Wind (counted as NRI Strong Wind)unmeasured or below 50 kt1996 to 20251300.0333
TornadoEF0-11996 to 202512300.4
TornadoEF2-31996 to 20251300.0333
TornadoEF4-51996 to 20250300
Tornadounrated (EFU)1996 to 20251300.0333

The bands show how often events of each severity were recorded in this county, to profile how severe events have been (FEMA's probability item asks for the range of intensities).

Hail smaller than 1 inch is not counted: on 2010-01-05 the National Weather Service raised its severe-hail threshold from 3/4 inch to 1 inch, so smaller reports became less common after 2009 (NWS Service Change Notice 09-52). NRI hail frequency uses a 0.75 inch threshold.

Optional: future conditions. Not a required item in the 2025 FEMA Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guide; some states ask for it. The federal Climate Mapping for Resilience and Adaptation (CMRA) site gives county exposure to future climate conditions (https://resilience.climate.gov/).

Supports FEMA checklist item B1-f: hazards that vary across jurisdictions

Range of census tract risk within the county

Source: 5

HazardTractsrated of allNRI risk score, 0 to 100Tracts by rating
MinMedianMax
Cold Wave6 of 693.694.897.0Very High 3, Relatively High 3
Drought6 of 687.298.699.5Relatively High 4, Relatively Low 2
Earthquake6 of 69.611.215.1Very Low 6
Hail6 of 675.885.489.7Relatively High 2, Relatively Moderate 4
Heat Wave6 of 64.14.98.0Very Low 6
Hurricane0 of 6Not Applicable 6
Ice Storm6 of 659.968.078.3Relatively Moderate 2, Relatively Low 4
Inland Flooding6 of 639.957.369.8Relatively Moderate 5, Relatively Low 1
Landslide6 of 658.178.185.1Relatively Low 1, Very Low 5
Lightning6 of 670.276.590.8Relatively High 2, Relatively Moderate 4
Strong Wind6 of 685.187.491.4Relatively High 6
Tornado6 of 688.390.796.6Very High 1, Relatively High 5
Wildfire6 of 654.861.175.3Relatively Low 2, Very Low 4
Winter Weather6 of 693.995.898.1Very High 3, Relatively High 3

Drought: Agriculture is all of NRI's expected annual loss for this hazard in the county, so the tract range mostly reflects where crop and livestock value is.

Hail: Agriculture is 58% of NRI's expected annual loss for this hazard in the county, so the tract range mostly reflects where crop and livestock value is.

Rated tracts only: No Rating (score 0.0), Not Applicable and Insufficient Data tracts are counted but not used for the minimum, median and maximum.

The score ranks a tract against all U.S. tracts (100 = highest). The rating is FEMA's category for the tract's risk value, computed differently, so the two can disagree.

Frequency data for cold wave, drought, hail, heat wave, ice storm, lightning, strong wind and winter weather are county-wide or coarse (49 km grid or NWS zone), the same for every jurisdiction; the tract range mostly reflects where buildings and people are (crop and livestock value where a line above names agriculture).

Each jurisdiction (starting figures from federal data)

Sources: 1, 3, 4, 6

JurisdictionTypePlan statusRepetitive lossFMA RL and SRL (44 CFR 77.2); repeat-flood, any definitionPublic Assistance to this jurisdictionFEMA records matched by applicant name; federal share obligated, nominal dollarsEvent records naming this placeall years; since its plan
Kossuth CountyCountyApproved, expires 2029-08-27FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$1,546.900 total; 0 since its plan
Algona cityCityApproved, expires 2029-08-27FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$262,265.5297 total; 3 since its plan
Bancroft cityCityApproved, expires 2029-08-27FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$40,630.1432 total; 1 since its plan
Burt cityTownApproved, expires 2029-08-27FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$56,149.9532 total; 0 since its plan
Fenton cityTownApproved, expires 2029-08-27FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$14,137.4010 total; 1 since its plan
Lakota cityCityApproved, expires 2029-08-27FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$57,532.5114 total; 0 since its plan
Ledyard cityCityApproved, expires 2029-08-27FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0no Public Assistance recorded11 total; 1 since its plan
Lone Rock cityCityApproved, expires 2029-08-27FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$6,673.076 total; 0 since its plan
Lu Verne cityCityApproved, expires 2029-08-27FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$1,159.4828 total; 0 since its plan
Swea City cityCityApproved, expires 2029-08-27FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$342,350.1233 total; 1 since its plan
Titonka cityCityApproved, expires 2029-08-27FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$1,563.6915 total; 0 since its plan
Wesley cityCityApproved, expires 2029-08-27FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$99,509.0119 total; 1 since its plan
Whittemore cityCityApproved, expires 2029-08-27FMA RL 0, SRL 0; any 0$26,142.8930 total; 0 since its plan

Repetitive-loss counts are for whole NFIP communities, which can extend beyond this county (see the note in B2-c).

School districts and special districts get a plan clock row only.

County Public Assistance in B1-d also includes applicants filed under the county that are not jurisdictions in this plan (for example state agencies, special districts and nonprofits), so the jurisdiction rows add up to less.

Supports FEMA checklist items B2-a and B2-b: vulnerability and potential impacts

Local data needed

The table below gives county-level starting figures; the plan describes impacts for each jurisdiction and its own assets.

  • Critical facilities and lifelines per hazard
  • A problem statement per jurisdiction per hazard
  • Changes in development in hazard-prone areas since the last approval, or a statement of none (E1-a)
  • Future assets

County-level starter: exposure, expected annual loss and damage since the plan

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7

HazardBuilding exposuremodeled dollarsAgriculture exposuremodeled dollarsPopulation exposedpeopleEAL buildingsmodeled dollars per yearEAL agriculturemodeled dollars per yearCost of expected deaths and injuriesFEMA's dollar value per year, not property damageEAL as % of exposurebuildings; agriculture where notedStorm Events damage since 2024-08-28county-coded records, property plus crops, nominal dollarsZone-level damage since planproperty plus crops, reported for the zonePublic Assistance since plannominal dollars; see noteNote
Cold Wave$6,477,548,624$757,175,62614,815$2,736$772,479$2,527,501under 0.0001%$0
Droughtn/a$287,588,440n/an/a$3,426,568n/a1.19% (agriculture)$0NRI has no building exposure for this hazard; agriculture shown
Earthquake$11,226,964,125n/a14,828$14,501n/a$3,0510.000129%
Hail$6,477,548,624$757,175,62614,815$102,690$247,380$73,5150.00159%$0
Heat Wave$6,477,548,624$757,175,62614,815$7,098$9$21,0300.00011%
HurricaneNot Applicable in NRI for this county
Ice Storm$6,477,548,624n/a14,815$62,406n/a$3,1500.000963%
Inland Flooding$6,475,611,569$41,167,53638$4,068,557$600,702$1,987n/a (see note)NRI counts the full building value of any census block with some flood loss; this is not the value of buildings in the floodplain. Use local FIRM overlays for B2-a/B2-b.
Landslide$38,411,602n/a110$64n/a$4410.000167%
Lightning$6,477,548,624n/a14,815$13,524n/a$180,5910.000209%
Strong Wind$6,477,548,624$757,175,62614,815$348,876$68,915$142,6280.00539%$16,000$0
Tornado$6,477,548,624$757,175,62614,815$1,963,412$36,149$780,4070.0303%
Wildfire$1,429,358,240$114,409,7503,273$6,255$108$3850.000438%
Winter Weather$6,477,548,624$757,175,62614,815$44,260$1,450$158,2960.000683%$0

Totals since 2024-08-28 (Storm Events through 2026-06-30): 14 county-coded records, 14 with a damage value recorded (including $0), $16,000; 7 zone-level records, 7 with a damage value recorded (including $0), $0 reported for the zone; Public Assistance: no counted declaration since the plan.

FEMA does not split Public Assistance by hazard. A declaration mapped to several hazards is listed under each of them with its full amount, so the per-hazard column does not add up to the total; the unit total counts each declaration once.

NRI computes earthquake exposure on its own basis, so it exceeds the county building value in B2-a.

Supports FEMA checklist item B2-a: vulnerability (county context)

County context

Source: 5

MeasureValue
Population14,815
Building value (total, not at risk)$6,477,548,624
Agriculture value (total, not at risk)$757,175,626
NRI risk rating (all hazards)Very Low
Expected annual loss, buildings and agriculture, all hazards$11,788,137
Expected annual loss, population equivalence, all hazards (NRI values each statistical life at $13.7M; a modeled value of expected deaths and injuries, not property damage)$3,892,983
Social vulnerability ratingVery Low
Community resilience ratingRelatively High
NRI versionDecember 2025

FEMA's all-hazard expected annual loss adds buildings, agriculture and population equivalence; this table gives the property part and the population-equivalence part as separate rows.

Social vulnerability: higher means people are more likely to be harmed and slower to recover. Community resilience: lower means the community is less able to recover. High social vulnerability and low resilience both raise the NRI risk rating.

Supports FEMA checklist item B2-c: repetitive loss properties

Repetitive loss in this county, both definitions

Sources: 1, 4

DefinitionPropertiesSevere repetitive lossProperties
Repetitive loss, FMA definition (44 CFR 77.2)0Severe repetitive loss, FMA definition (44 CFR 77.2)0
Repetitive loss, NFIP insurance definition0Severe repetitive loss, NFIP insurance definition0

The state NFIP coordinator's list, the source FEMA's Handbook names, often uses the NFIP insurance definition (second row).

Repeat-flood properties: county and state-level rows

Sources: 1, 4

ScopeRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
County total0000000
Statewide, no county in FEMA's file0010100

The statewide row counts properties FEMA's file gives with no county in this state; they are listed for reference and are not in this county's counts.

Repeat-flood properties by jurisdiction in the plan (NFIP community)

Sources: 1, 4

JurisdictionNFIP community IDRL, FMApropertiesSRL, FMApropertiesRL, NFIPpropertiesSRL, NFIPpropertiesAny categorypropertiesMitigatedpropertiesCurrently insuredproperties
Kossuth County1908840000000
Algona city1901800000000
Bancroft city1905500000000
Burt city1905600000000
Fenton city1904370000000
Lakota city1907530000000
Ledyard city1907580000000
Lone Rock city1952060000000
Lu Verne city1907680000000
Swea City city1906640000000
Titonka city1908400000000
Wesley city1906810000000
Whittemore city1906850000000

Counts by occupancy group for each jurisdiction are in the Excel file, sheet "B2-c Jurisdictions".

Jurisdiction rows are whole NFIP communities and need not add up to the county total: a community that extends into another county is counted in full on each jurisdiction row, while the county table counts only its part in this county.

County repeat-flood properties by occupancy group: 0 in every occupancy group.

Sources: 1, 4

FMA RL and FMA SRL are the Flood Mitigation Assistance definitions (44 CFR 77.2), the ones the FEMA Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guide cites. NFIP repetitive loss (the FEMA insurance definition) is 2 or more claims over $1,000 in 10 years, and a property can leave that group once it is mitigated. Also shown: NFIP severe repetitive loss, any category, mitigated and currently insured. The Methods page gives the OpenFEMA field details.

Counts are aggregates of FEMA's public NFIP Multiple Loss Properties file (FEMA's data date 2026-08-02; file version 2026-08-04). No property is identified. County assignment is FEMA's geocode.

In this county 0 properties are FMA repetitive loss but not NFIP repetitive loss, and 0 properties are NFIP repetitive loss but not FMA repetitive loss.

Exact counts; no count suppression.

Sources

Tables cite these sources by number. The full list, for the plan's bibliography (FEMA review item A4-a):

  1. FEMA, OpenFEMA HazardMitigationPlanStatuses v1, version 2026-09-29T134039Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/HazardMitigationPlanStatuses (API)
  2. FEMA, OpenFEMA DisasterDeclarationsSummaries v2, version 2026-09-29T162832Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v2/DisasterDeclarationsSummaries (API)
  3. FEMA, OpenFEMA PublicAssistanceFundedProjectsSummaries v1, version 2026-09-29T150754Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/PublicAssistanceFundedProjectsSummaries (API)
  4. FEMA, OpenFEMA NfipMultipleLossProperties v1, version 2026-08-04T164045Z, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/api/open/v1/NfipMultipleLossProperties (API)
  5. FEMA, FEMA National Risk Index 1.20.0 (December 2025), county and census tract tables, version 1.20.0, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.fema.gov/about/reports-and-data/openfema/nri/v120/NRI_Table_Counties.zip (download, 25 MB), https://www.fema.gov/about/reports-and-data/openfema/nri/v120/NRI_Table_CensusTracts.zip (download, 635 MB)
  6. NOAA NCEI, NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, details files (csvfiles v1.0), version c20260918, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/swdi/stormevents/csvfiles/
  7. NOAA National Weather Service, NWS county-public forecast zones correlation file, version bp03mr20 to bp16ap26 (11 files; newest bp16ap26), pulled 2026-09-30, https://www.weather.gov/gis/ZoneCounty
  8. U.S. Census Bureau, Census 2024 Gazetteer, 2020 place by county, CT county-to-cousub crosswalk, version 2024-gazetteer, pulled 2026-09-30, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_counties_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_cousubs_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_place_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_unsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_elsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/maps-data/data/gazetteer/2024_Gazetteer/2024_Gaz_scsd_national.zip, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/codes2020/national_place_by_county2020.txt, https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/ct_change/ct_cou_to_cousub_crosswalk.xlsx (used to match place names and codes; no table prints its values)

What this packet is and what the plan adds

This packet is the federal data for the plan's risk assessment (the summary on page 1 says how it is organized); the plan and FEMA's review decide whether each item is met.

The plan adds what only the community has: local data on assets, critical facilities, development and each jurisdiction's impacts; local hazard history, including state-declared emergencies; the mitigation strategy; and adoption.

How the federal data are built: National Risk Index values are FEMA's model, not counts of events. Storm Events is more complete from 1996; zone-level records are placed by forecast zone, not by location in the county. Public Assistance for a jurisdiction is matched by applicant name. The Methods page gives every rule and the known edge cases.

OpenFEMA disclaimer

This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).

Reuse, citation and corrections

Reuse and citation: Hazard Plain text and tables are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/); credit Hazard Plain and the release. The underlying federal data are public domain; OpenFEMA data are also subject to the OpenFEMA terms and conditions.

Cite this: Hazard Plain (2026). Kossuth County, IA: risk-assessment baseline packet, release 2026-10 (data as of 2026-09-30; County FIPS 19109). Automated baseline. https://hazardplain.org/ia/19109/ Built from FEMA OpenFEMA, the FEMA National Risk Index and NOAA NCEI Storm Events; source versions in the packet's Sources list.

Corrections: to report an error, name the packet, the table and what your records show. Contact: [email protected]