Storm risk in Pottawattamie County, Iowa
FEMA's overall hazard score for Pottawattamie County is 80.44 (Relatively Low), 616th of 3,144 counties. Hail scores 95.74 (Relatively High), strong wind 95.26 (Relatively High) and tornado 95.23 (Relatively High). Expected hail loss is $127 per $1 million of buildings a year; NOAA logged 83 hail reports in Pottawattamie County from 2014 to June 2026.
FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026. NOAA hail reports 2014 to June 2026.
- Pottawattamie County, coloured by its FEMA rating
- all U.S. counties
- each county in the state
- U.S. median
- state median
Expected yearly loss per $1 million of buildings, log scale. Dot colour is FEMA’s rating band. The tornado lane counts everything exposed, not only buildings.
How FEMA rates Pottawattamie County
| Hazard | Rating | Score (0 to 100) | Rank in U.S. | Rank in IA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Relatively Low | 80.44 | 616 of 3,144 | 6 of 99 |
| Hail | Relatively High | 95.74 | 135 of 3,126 | 6 of 99 |
| Strong wind | Relatively High | 95.26 | 150 of 3,126 | 6 of 99 |
| Tornado | Relatively High | 95.23 | 151 of 3,126 | 5 of 99 |
Expected yearly loss, in dollars
| Hazard | This county, total a year | Per $1M of buildings | State median county | U.S. median county | Rank per $1M, U.S. | Rank per $1M, state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hail | $2,336,094 | $127 | $51 | $22 | 390 of 3,126 | 11 of 99 |
| Strong wind | $1,017,882 | $55 | $66 | $20 | 714 of 3,121 | 65 of 99 |
| Tornado | $14,209,856 | $770 | $417 | $199 | 80 of 3,144 | 6 of 99 |
Rank 1 is the highest. Overall, hail and wind losses count buildings; the tornado row counts everything FEMA exposes, so it overstates building damage. Expected annual loss is an average over many years for the whole county, not a forecast for one roof.
What stands out in Pottawattamie County
- FEMA expects hail in Pottawattamie County to cost $127 per $1 million of buildings a year: 5.67 times the U.S. median and 2.46 times the IA county median, ranked 390th of 3,126 counties nationally and 11th of 99 in Iowa.
- FEMA expects strong wind in Pottawattamie County to cost $55 per $1 million of buildings a year: 2.71 times the U.S. median and 0.83 times the IA county median, ranked 714th of 3,121 counties nationally and 65th of 99 in Iowa.
- FEMA expects tornado in Pottawattamie County to cost $770 per $1 million of buildings a year: 3.87 times the U.S. median and 1.84 times the IA county median, ranked 80th of 3,144 counties nationally and 6th of 99 in Iowa.
- Applying FEMA's estimate to a $183,600 home, the average yearly loss in Pottawattamie County is about $23 for hail and $10 for wind before any deductible; at the U.S. median county rates it would be $4.10 and $3.74.
- If the next years look like 2014 to 2025, a roof kept 20 years in Pottawattamie County meets about 51.7 hail days of 1 inch or more; the median county in NOAA's file (1,275 counties) would give 35.0.
- Built in 1967, the median home in Pottawattamie County is 59 years old, so an original roof has outlived a 3-tab shingle (15 to 20 years) and an architectural one (25 to 30 years); 82.1% of its 40,022 homes are at least 26 years old.
- March to June holds 68 of the 83 hail reports in Pottawattamie County (82 percent); the quietest month is January, with 0 reports.
What hail and wind cost a home here in an average year
Enter a home value. The calculator applies Pottawattamie County’s own loss rate: the county’s expected yearly loss divided by the value of its buildings. It starts at the Census median home value for the county.
Formula: home value × Pottawattamie County yearly loss ÷ building value. Hail: $2,336,094 ÷ $18,451,349,038 = 0.0001266. Wind: $1,017,882 ÷ $18,451,349,038 = 0.0000552. This is FEMA’s estimate of average damage to buildings and does not account for your deductible. Tornado is left out because FEMA’s tornado loss counts people and other exposure, not only buildings.
Read this as a yardstick. The rate is an average over every building in the county, from sheds to office towers, and over many years. Real losses come in rare, large storms; a roof with no damage in 19 years can need full replacement in the 20th. The figure is not a quote and not a prediction for one address.
Pottawattamie County in plain numbers
- Pottawattamie County scores 80.44 in FEMA's overall hazard index (Relatively Low): 616th of 3,144 rated counties and 6th of 99 in Iowa.
- Hail scores 95.74 (Relatively High). FEMA expects $2,336,094 of hail damage to buildings in Pottawattamie County a year, which is $127 per $1 million of buildings, 5.67 times the U.S. median.
- Strong wind scores 95.26 (Relatively High) with $1,017,882 of expected yearly building loss in Pottawattamie County: $55 per $1 million of buildings, 2.71 times the U.S. median.
- Tornado scores 95.23 (Relatively High) and FEMA's expected yearly tornado loss is $14,209,856, counting everything exposed, or $770 per $1 million of buildings in Pottawattamie County.
- FEMA's own event record for Pottawattamie County averages 6.61 hail events and 4.61 strong-wind events a year.
- NOAA logged 83 hail reports in Pottawattamie County between 2014 and June 2026, on 33 days with stones of 1 inch or more; the largest was 4 inches.
- In Pottawattamie County, FEMA counts buildings worth 18.45 billion dollars and 93,646 residents.
- Social vulnerability is Relatively Low in Pottawattamie County.
- Community resilience there is Relatively High, for 93,646 residents.
- 1 city in Pottawattamie County is covered on this site: Council Bluffs. 16 Census ZIP areas have more than half of their land in the county.
- Our guide range for a 2,000 sq ft asphalt roof in Council Bluffs is $6,090 to $13,485.
- Pottawattamie County ranks 27 of the 194 counties with a page here for hail loss per $1 million of buildings, 17 for wind and 7 for tornado.
- In Pottawattamie County, April is the busiest month with 32 of the 83 reports (39 percent), against 0 reports in October.
- Pottawattamie County's worst year was 2022, with 5 hail days at 1 inch or more and 8 reports. At the 2014 to 2025 pace that is 2.58 such days a year, one about every 4.6 months.
- The median home in Pottawattamie County was built in 1967; 66.1% of its 40,022 housing units date from before 1980, 82.1% from before 2000 and 5.3% from 2010 on.
- Census puts the median home value in Pottawattamie County at $183,600, and 70.3% of homes are lived in by their owners.
- 1,488 single-family building permits were issued in Pottawattamie County from 2014 to 2025, about 37.2 per 1,000 homes, peaking in 2018.
- NOAA lists 19 tornado tracks in Pottawattamie County since 2014; the strongest was an EF3 on April 26, 2024 near Carter Lake, 14.8 miles long.
- The fastest gust in NOAA's records for Pottawattamie County is 109 mph on June 3, 2014 at Bentley.
- The nearest county with a page here is Woodbury County, 77 miles from the centre of Pottawattamie County; its hail score is 95.01.
- Across counties the median is one roofing firm for every 5,189 homes; Census counted 3 roofing contractor establishments in Pottawattamie County in 2023, one for every 13,341 homes.
- FEMA has named Pottawattamie County in 5 disaster declarations since 2014, the latest 813 days before its data end, and 4 of them were storm-type.
The hail record of Pottawattamie County, year by year
NOAA logged 83 reports in Pottawattamie County; hail of 1 inch or more fell on 33 days. That is 2.6 such days a year; the median county in NOAA’s file has 1.8.
- reports
- days with hail of 1 inch or more
- * 2026 runs to June only
Reports by calendar month, all years together. Peak: April, 32 reports.
The same numbers as a table (years with at least one report)
| Year | Reports | Days, 1 inch or more | Days, 1.75 inch or more | Largest stone | Damage reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 1.75 in | – |
| 2016 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1.75 in | – |
| 2017 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1.5 in | – |
| 2018 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 1.75 in | – |
| 2019 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1.75 in | – |
| 2020 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 in | – |
| 2021 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2.5 in | – |
| 2022 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 2.75 in | – |
| 2023 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 in | – |
| 2024 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 2.5 in | – |
| 2025 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 4 in | – |
| 2026 (to June) | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 in | – |
Biggest hail days in Pottawattamie County
| Date | Largest stone | Reports that day | Damage reported | Near |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 17, 2025 | 4 in | 9 | none recorded | Weston |
| September 17, 2022 | 2.75 in | 3 | none recorded | Carson |
| June 18, 2021 | 2.5 in | 3 | none recorded | Carson |
| June 25, 2024 | 2.5 in | 3 | none recorded | Council Bluffs |
| June 12, 2024 | 2.5 in | 1 | none recorded | Council Bluffs Arpt |
Where large hail was reported
FEMA scores the county as a whole. NOAA’s reports show where inside Pottawattamie County the big stones fell.
Reported hail locations, Pottawattamie County
- 461 to 1.74 in
- 231.75 to 2.74 in, golf ball to tennis ball
- 62.75 in and up, baseball
Largest plotted stone: 4 in. Bigger dots are bigger stones.
75 reports of 1 inch or larger have coordinates. Each dot is a reported location, not a storm path.
Sources: NOAA, Census county outlineWind and tornado records for Pottawattamie County
Fastest gusts in Pottawattamie County
| Date | Gust | Near |
|---|---|---|
| June 3, 2014 | 109 mph | Bentley |
| December 15, 2021 | 92 mph | Lake Manawa |
| June 3, 2014 | 90 mph | Grable |
| July 31, 2024 | 90 mph | Lake Manawa |
Strongest tornado tracks in Pottawattamie County
| Date | Scale | Length | Injured / killed | Near |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 26, 2024 | EF3 | 14.8 mi | 0 / 0 | Carter Lake |
| April 26, 2024 | EF3 | 14.19 mi | 3 / 1 | Mc Clelland |
| April 26, 2024 | EF3 | 13.31 mi | 0 / 0 | Dumfries |
| December 15, 2021 | EF2 | 6.7 mi | 0 / 0 | Bentley |
19 tornado tracks in all since 2014; the strongest 4 are listed.
How old the roofs are
Census counts homes by the decade they were built. Under each bar is the number of hail days of 1 inch or more that an original roof from that decade has met, at Pottawattamie County’s 2014 to 2025 pace of 2.58 such days a year. Most roofs have been replaced since; the row shows what a roof that never was would have taken.
Bars: share of 40,022 housing units by decade built. Figures under the decade: hail days met by an original roof, at the county’s 2014 to 2025 pace. The pace of earlier years is unknown.
| Median year built | 1967 |
| Built before 1980 | 66.1% |
| Built before 2000 | 82.1% |
| Built since 2010 | 5.3% |
| Owner-occupied | 70.3% |
| Median home value | $183,600 |
| Single-family permits, 2014 to 2025 | 1,488 |
| Permits per 1,000 homes | 37.2 |
Asphalt shingles are rated 15 to 20 years (3-tab) and 25 to 30 years (architectural). Source: Census ACS 2019 to 2023 and Building Permits Survey.
Roofers and past disasters in Pottawattamie County
Roofing firms in Pottawattamie County
| Roofing contractor establishments, 2023 | 3 |
| Change since 2016 | -2 (-40%) |
| Homes per roofing firm | 13,341 |
| Median across counties | 5,189 |
| Employees, 2023 | 10 |
Source for Pottawattamie County: Census County Business Patterns, NAICS 238160.
FEMA disaster declarations naming Pottawattamie County since 2014
| Declarations naming Pottawattamie County | 5 |
| Storm / flood / winter / fire | 4 / 1 / 0 / 0 |
| Median IA county | 3 |
| Rank among 67 IA counties | 20 |
| Days from the latest to the data cutoff | 813 |
Source for Pottawattamie County: OpenFEMA, data to 2026-09-15. Declaration list for Pottawattamie County.
Nearby counties
The closest counties that have a risk page, by distance between county centres. Loss is per $1 million of buildings; the columns marked "times here" divide the neighbour's loss by Pottawattamie County's.
| County | Miles | Overall | Hail loss | Hail, times here | Wind loss | Wind, times here | NOAA hail reports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woodbury County, IA | 77 | Relatively Moderate | $61 | 0.48 | $48 | 0.88 | 92 |
| Story County, IA | 119 | Relatively Low | $21 | 0.17 | $25 | 0.45 | 153 |
| Black Hawk County, IA | 185 | Relatively Low | $26 | 0.21 | $26 | 0.46 | 65 |
| Johnson County, IA | 207 | Relatively Moderate | $117 | 0.93 | $172 | 3.13 | 109 |
| Linn County, IA | 212 | Relatively Moderate | $109 | 0.86 | $25 | 0.46 | 175 |
| Dubuque County, IA | 258 | Relatively Low | $103 | 0.81 | $37 | 0.67 | 63 |
More Iowa counties, nearest first
- Scott County 258 mi
Cities and ZIP areas in Pottawattamie County
1 city in this county is on PickARoofer. ZIP Code Tabulation Areas are Census shapes that approximate ZIP codes; where we have a city’s ZIPs, the share is the part of each area’s land that lies in this county. 16 such areas have more than half their land here.
| City | ZIP areas (share of land in the county) | Pages |
|---|---|---|
| Council Bluffs | 51523 (0%), 51503 (85%), 51501 (100%) | Roofers |
Storm hit your roof in Pottawattamie County? A free inspection tells you if there is damage. One local roofer answers, not five.
Start an inspection requestQuestions
How high is storm risk in Pottawattamie County?
FEMA's National Risk Index gives Pottawattamie County an overall score of 80.44 (Relatively Low), 616th of 3,144. Hail scores 95.74 (Relatively High), strong wind 95.26 (Relatively High) and tornado 95.23 (Relatively High).
In Pottawattamie County, how many hail reports has NOAA logged?
A report is one entry for one storm in one county, so counts follow where people live as well as where hail fell. NOAA has 83 for Pottawattamie County between 2014 and June 2026, on 33 days with hail of 1 inch or more; the largest stone was 4 inches.
What do hail and wind cost a home in Pottawattamie County each year, on average?
Applying FEMA's county rates to its median home value of $183,600: FEMA's estimate is about $23 a year for hail and $10 for wind, before any deductible, against $4.10 and $3.74 at the U.S. median county rates. This is an average over many years and all buildings, not a prediction for one roof; one bad storm costs far more than the average year.
How does Pottawattamie County compare with the rest of Iowa?
Per $1 million of buildings Pottawattamie County loses $127 to hail a year, against $51 in the median county of the state. Among 99 rated counties it is 6th for hail, 6th for strong wind and 5th for tornado.
How old are the roofs in Pottawattamie County?
The median home was built in 1967, 59 years ago, and 82.1% of the 40,022 housing units in Pottawattamie County date from before 2000. Asphalt shingles are rated 15 to 20 years (3-tab) or 25 to 30 years (architectural), so an original roof of either kind is past its rated life. The Census does not record when a roof was replaced.
What does expected annual loss mean?
It is FEMA's estimate of the average yearly loss from a hazard, in dollars, summed over the county. It is built for comparing counties at planning level, not for pricing one house.
Does a high rating mean my roof will be damaged?
No. The index compares counties and cannot say what will happen on your street. After a storm, a roof inspection is the only way to know.
Sources for Pottawattamie County: FEMA National Risk Index, version December 2025, retrieved October 8, 2026; NOAA Storm Events Database hail reports for Pottawattamie County; Census Bureau ZCTA-to-county relationship file (2020); Census ACS and Building Permits Survey, homes in Pottawattamie County; Census County Business Patterns, roofing firms in Pottawattamie County; OpenFEMA, declarations naming Pottawattamie County. Planning-level information about Pottawattamie County, not an inspection and not insurance advice.
This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset 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).