---
title: Atlas Commons research objects — natural-hazard risk profile for Iowa
license: CC0-1.0
source: FEMA National Risk Index
---

# Atlas Commons research objects — natural-hazard risk profile for Iowa

Iowa's natural-hazard risk from public federal sources, with each figure's epistemic status labeled: recorded facts (NOAA storm events, property damage, and deaths for the 2025 storm year) are observations of what occurred; the cross-state rank is derived (an in-house ranking over the recorded single-year totals); rating figures (FEMA expected annual loss, FEMA NRI composite score, social vulnerability and community resilience indices) are models that authorities compute — not direct measurements; the two-lens and boundary notes are interpretation — state-level aggregates, not a verdict on any specific property. Sources: FEMA National Risk Index, NOAA Storm Events Database. CC0.

## Claims

### FEMA EXPECTED annual loss from natural hazards in Iowa is $1,834,453,417 (a modeled expectation)

**MODELED.** The FEMA National Risk Index models an EXPECTED annual loss of $1,834,453,417 from all natural hazards for Iowa (99 counties, 2026). An annualized expectation of future loss, not a record.

Source: FEMA National Risk Index — https://hazards.fema.gov/nri/
Falsifier: occurred=FALSE: a MODELED figure — an authority's computed quantity ESTIMATING an independent/latent value (an index or annualized expectation), REPRODUCIBLE from its disclosed inputs, NOT a record of an event. adjudged=TRUE because FEMA National Risk Index (an external authority) computes and publishes it. The grounding promises "reproduce this from the inputs" — so a categorical authority VERDICT that is NOT reproducible (a star rating, a risk class) is a 'determination', not 'modeled'. Superseded by the next release.

### FEMA NRI composite risk SCORE for Iowa is 39.6767/100 (dominant hazard: Drought)

**MODELED.** The FEMA National Risk Index composite risk score (0-100, county average; ~50 is the national midpoint, so above 50 is above the typical U.S. county) for Iowa is 39.6767. A modeled composite index, not a recorded quantity.

Source: FEMA National Risk Index — https://hazards.fema.gov/nri/
Falsifier: occurred=FALSE: a MODELED figure — an authority's computed quantity ESTIMATING an independent/latent value (an index or annualized expectation), REPRODUCIBLE from its disclosed inputs, NOT a record of an event. adjudged=TRUE because FEMA National Risk Index (an external authority) computes and publishes it. The grounding promises "reproduce this from the inputs" — so a categorical authority VERDICT that is NOT reproducible (a star rating, a risk class) is a 'determination', not 'modeled'. Superseded by the next release.

### FEMA NRI social vulnerability SCORE for Iowa is 29.8629/100 (a modeled index of who bears the risk)

**MODELED.** The FEMA National Risk Index social vulnerability score (0–100, county average; built on the CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index) for Iowa is 29.8629. A modeled composite of the social conditions that worsen a community's hazard outcomes — not a record of harm, and not a judgment of any person.

Source: FEMA National Risk Index (CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index) — https://hazards.fema.gov/nri/
Falsifier: occurred=FALSE: a MODELED figure — an authority's computed quantity ESTIMATING an independent/latent value (an index or annualized expectation), REPRODUCIBLE from its disclosed inputs, NOT a record of an event. adjudged=TRUE because FEMA National Risk Index (CDC/ATSDR Social Vulnerability Index) (an external authority) computes and publishes it. The grounding promises "reproduce this from the inputs" — so a categorical authority VERDICT that is NOT reproducible (a star rating, a risk class) is a 'determination', not 'modeled'. Superseded by the next release.

### FEMA NRI community resilience SCORE for Iowa is 77.504/100 (a modeled index of the capacity to absorb and recover)

**MODELED.** The FEMA National Risk Index community resilience score (0–100, county average; built on the HVRI Baseline Resilience Indicators for Communities) for Iowa is 77.504. A modeled composite of a community's capacity to prepare for, absorb, and recover from hazards — not a measured outcome.

Source: FEMA National Risk Index (HVRI Baseline Resilience Indicators for Communities) — https://hazards.fema.gov/nri/
Falsifier: occurred=FALSE: a MODELED figure — an authority's computed quantity ESTIMATING an independent/latent value (an index or annualized expectation), REPRODUCIBLE from its disclosed inputs, NOT a record of an event. adjudged=TRUE because FEMA National Risk Index (HVRI Baseline Resilience Indicators for Communities) (an external authority) computes and publishes it. The grounding promises "reproduce this from the inputs" — so a categorical authority VERDICT that is NOT reproducible (a star rating, a risk class) is a 'determination', not 'modeled'. Superseded by the next release.

### NOAA recorded 1,254 storm events in Iowa in 2025: $1,369,300 property damage, 1 direct deaths

**RECORDED.** The NOAA Storm Events Database records 1,254 storm events that occurred in Iowa in 2025, with $1,369,300 in reported property damage, 1 direct deaths, and 1 direct injuries, across 19 distinct peril types. These are RECORDED occurrences (occurred=true) — the historical event log, NOT the modeled FEMA risk score above. Damage figures are NOAA's reported estimates and can undercount.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database — https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/
Falsifier: A RECORD of measured/reported events (occurred=true) from NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; superseded when NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database publishes its next release.

### Thunderstorm Wind was the most consequential recorded peril in Iowa in 2025 (1 deaths, $792,300)

**RECORDED.** Of all peril types NOAA recorded in Iowa in 2025, Thunderstorm Wind caused the most direct deaths (1) across 450 events, with $792,300 in reported property damage. A recorded ranking within the actual event log (occurred=true), not a forecast of future perils.

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database — https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/
Falsifier: A RECORD of measured/reported events (occurred=true) from NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; superseded when NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database publishes its next release.

### Iowa's 2025 storm deaths are 0.31 per million residents — 41st of 51 states population-normalized (raw count: 37th of 51)

**DERIVED.** Normalized for population, Iowa's 1 direct storm deaths in 2025 are 0.31 per million residents — the 41st-highest of 51 states, against a typical state's 0.91. The raw count ranks 37th of 51, but per-capita de-confounds state size and is the truer cross-state comparison. In-house rankings over NOAA's recorded single-year counts (occurred=false as a ranking, adjudged=false); population is the Census resident total summed from counties.

Source: Property Atlas — population-normalized rank within the recorded single-year state death distribution — https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/
Falsifier: occurred=FALSE (a calculation, not an event) and adjudged=FALSE (a transparent in-house formula, not an authority's verdict — no external adjudicator). Reproduce it from its named inputs; falsified if the formula or inputs are wrong. Lower warrant than the adjudged figures above.

### Model and record diverge in Iowa: FEMA's dollar-weighted dominant hazard is Drought; the 2025 deadliest force was Thunderstorm Wind

**INTERPRETATION.** FEMA's National Risk Index, weighting expected-loss DOLLARS, names Drought Iowa's dominant hazard. The 2025 NOAA record, weighting LIVES, shows Thunderstorm Wind as the deadliest force. Both are correct for the question they answer — dollars and lives are different lenses on the same place. This is the atlas's reading (occurred=false, adjudged=false), not a claim that either authority is wrong.

Source: Property Atlas framing (over the FEMA model and the NOAA record above) — https://property-atlas.ryanjhunter.workers.dev/
Falsifier: occurred=FALSE (a framing, not an event) and adjudged=FALSE (the atlas's reading, not a FEMA or NOAA verdict). The FEMA dominant hazard (modeled) and the deadliest recorded peril (recorded) above are each grounded; this two-lens contrast is the interpretation that joins them.

### What this risk profile is — and is NOT — for Iowa (the epistemic boundary)

**INTERPRETATION.** Every figure above is an official state-level figure from a named public authority (measured or rating, as labeled). They do NOT advise on a specific property's insurability, value, or whether to buy or insure it. For a property-level answer, use the FEMA Map Service Center and a licensed insurance producer.

Source: Property Atlas framing (over the FEMA/NOAA figures above) — https://property-atlas.ryanjhunter.workers.dev/
Falsifier: occurred=FALSE (a framing, not an event) and adjudged=FALSE (the atlas's boundary, not an authority's verdict) — the LOWEST-warrant claim here. The measured figures (NOAA storm loss) and the rating figures (FEMA expected loss, NRI score) above are each grounded; this is the only context note, and the four-status says so.

---

Every claim above carries a four-status warrant (RECORDED / MODELED / DERIVED / INTERPRETATION) and a named source you can re-fetch — this is a research object, not a flat fact. Structured: `https://property-atlas.ryanjhunter.workers.dev/property/states/ia.jsonld`

## Data

### Iowa — every risk indicator (typed)

Each official figure for this state with its four-status warrant and named source. MODELED = an authority's computed index or expectation; RECORDED = an observed total.

| indicator | value | warrant | source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| NRI composite risk score (0–100) | 39.6767 | MODELED | FEMA NRI |
| Dominant hazard | Drought | MODELED | FEMA NRI |
| Expected annual loss (USD/yr) | 1834453417 | MODELED | FEMA NRI |
| Counties in aggregate | 99 | — | FEMA NRI |
| Social vulnerability (0–100) | 29.8629 | MODELED | FEMA NRI · CDC/ATSDR SVI |
| Community resilience (0–100) | 77.504 | MODELED | FEMA NRI · HVRI BRIC |
| Storm property damage (USD) | 1369300 | RECORDED | NOAA Storm Events |
| Storm events recorded | 1254 | RECORDED | NOAA Storm Events |
| Storm direct deaths | 1 | RECORDED | NOAA Storm Events |
| Mitigation dollars obligated (USD) | 18845792 | RECORDED | FEMA BRIC/HMGP |
| Mitigation sub-applications | 80 | RECORDED | FEMA BRIC/HMGP |

### Iowa — recorded storm perils (NOAA, 2025)

RECORDED occurrences from the NOAA Storm Events log — direct deaths only; damage is NOAA's reported estimate; a bounded single-period record, not a forecast.

| peril | events | deaths | injuries | property_damage_usd |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 450 | 1 | 1 | 792300 |
| Flash Flood | 74 | 0 | 0 | 353000 |
| Hail | 197 | 0 | 0 | 147000 |
| Tornado | 34 | 0 | 0 | 51000 |
| Lightning | 2 | 0 | 0 | 26000 |
| High Wind | 130 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Extreme Cold/Wind Chill | 102 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Blizzard | 85 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Winter Storm | 73 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Winter Weather | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Heavy Rain | 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Excessive Heat | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Flood | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Funnel Cloud | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dense Fog | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Strong Wind | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Drought | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Heat | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cold/Wind Chill | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |