Mahaska County 911 Communications

06/11/2026

What a morning in Mahaska County.

Many residents woke up to thunderstorms, heavy rainfall, frequent lightning, and strong winds as a line of severe weather moved through the area. Conditions changed quickly, creating hazardous travel conditions and periods of reduced visibility across the county.

Residents may have also heard the outdoor warning sirens this morning. Sirens are designed to alert people who are outdoors to seek shelter and obtain additional weather information.

As the weather clears, please continue to use caution around standing water, debris, and any storm-damaged areas. Remember: Turn Around, Don't Drown. Never drive through flooded roadways, as water depth and road conditions can be difficult to determine.

Thank you to everyone who stayed weather aware this morning. Events like today's storms are a good reminder to have multiple ways to receive weather alerts, including weather radios, smartphone alerts, local media, and trusted weather apps.

With another round of storms coming through this afternoon, remain weather aware and be sure your alerts are working.
Photo Credit: Officer Nord, Oskaloosa Police Dept

06/10/2026

***Outdated Post***

There is a Slight Risk (Level 2 of 5) for severe thunderstorms tonight, with the highest local risk expected in west and northwest Iowa. Storms are most likely to move through overnight between 10:00 PM tonight and 5:00 AM Wednesday, as a warm capping layer aloft keeps the severe threat before sunset very low (under 10%). The primary threats with this system are damaging winds and large hail up to half-dollar size (1.25 inches), with the highest risk of these hazards located over west/northwest Iowa. Secondary hazards include heavy rain capable of producing localized flash flooding or urban street ponding, along with a lower but still possible tornado threat mainly over western Iowa.

06/02/2026

Mahaska County Emergency Management would like to inform the public that a disaster exercise will be taking place tomorrow, June 3rd, in the northwest part of Mahaska County.

The exercise will occur between approximately 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Residents north of Peoria on Hwy T33 near Cordova Ave may notice an increased presence of emergency vehicles and personnel in the area during this time.

For safety and traffic flow purposes, motorists are encouraged to avoid the area if possible.

This is only an exercise and is part of ongoing preparedness and response training for local emergency services and partner agencies.

Thank you for your cooperation and support as we work to strengthen community preparedness.

05/17/2026

04/23/2026

While showers and a few storms will be common through the day, the main round of severe weather will arrive after 3pm. Damaging winds are the main concern, and hail and a tornado or two will be possible early on.

04/14/2026

As we prepare for an evening of possible dangerous weather in Mahaska County we wanted to remind everyone of the criteria in place for activating the OUTDOOR storm warning system. The sirens are meant to alert you if you are outside, away from your phone and needing to take shelter. It is always best practice to have a second or third alternative to receive the alerts. Please sign up for weather alerts at https://mahaskaready.com/mahaskaa-ert if you haven't already.

The outdoor alert system will be activated through Mahaska County 911 Communications when the following conditions are present:

Tornado Warning - A tornado or funnel cloud has been visually confirmed and/or a tornado warning has been issued indicating that the specific area is in the path of an approaching tornado, or whenever any reported tornado sighting within the particular area is confirmed.

Wind Speeds – Winds greater than 70mph, at these speeds whole trees can be blown down or other damage which can cause injury or death.

Hail- Golf ball sized hail (1.75 inches) or larger

This information can also be found at https://mahaskaready.com/siren-activation%2Ftesting See less