City vs city
Des Moines vs Iowa City, IA
Iowa City currently scores 2 points higher overall than Des Moines, with the largest gap in tornado.
Use this comparison for relocation decisions, insurance shopping, and hazard-prioritized mitigation planning.
Hazard breakdown
Scores describe each city’s reference grid tile, not every property. A missing model is unavailable, not zero risk. Air quality uses an ingested EPA AirNow snapshot and may not reflect current conditions; other factors describe baseline exposure. The overall score blends different hazards and is not a probability of damage. Read the scoring methodology and sources.
Overall
Des Moines: 46/100 · Iowa City: 48/100
Iowa City is 2 points higher.
Flood
Des Moines: 73/100 · Iowa City: 64/100
Des Moines is 9 points higher.
Des Moines: FEMA NFHL flood zones: 10 features intersect this tile.
Iowa City: FEMA NFHL flood zones: 13 features intersect this tile.
Wind
Des Moines: 18/100 · Iowa City: 17/100
Des Moines is 1 points higher.
Des Moines: Wind exposure derived from ingested design wind / climatology tiles.
Iowa City: Wind exposure derived from ingested design wind / climatology tiles.
Lightning
Des Moines: 58/100 · Iowa City: 47/100
Des Moines is 11 points higher.
Des Moines: Lightning exposure derived from ingested climatology tiles.
Iowa City: Lightning exposure derived from ingested climatology tiles.
Tornado
Des Moines: 12/100 · Iowa City: 38/100
Iowa City is 26 points higher.
Des Moines: Tornado risk derived from NOAA SPC historical reports.
Iowa City: Tornado risk derived from NOAA SPC historical reports.
Hail
Des Moines: 100/100 · Iowa City: 100/100
No gap.
Des Moines: Hail risk derived from NOAA SPC historical reports.
Iowa City: Hail risk derived from NOAA SPC historical reports.
Storm surge
Des Moines: Unavailable · Iowa City: Unavailable
A score difference cannot be calculated without both sources.
Des Moines: Storm surge model is not available for this location yet.
Iowa City: Storm surge model is not available for this location yet.
Wildfire
Des Moines: 31/100 · Iowa City: 43/100
Iowa City is 12 points higher.
Des Moines: Wildfire exposure derived from ingested fire potential tiles.
Iowa City: Wildfire exposure derived from ingested fire potential tiles.
Ingested air quality
Des Moines: 32/100 · Iowa City: 24/100
Des Moines is 8 points higher.
Des Moines: Air quality score derived from the latest ingested EPA AirNow AQI grid; may not reflect current conditions. See methodology for the recorded ingest date.
Iowa City: Air quality score derived from the latest ingested EPA AirNow AQI grid; may not reflect current conditions. See methodology for the recorded ingest date.