StateIA1950 → 2025
Iowa
Every recorded Iowa tornado since 1950: 3,099 tornadoes, 55 rated F4/EF4 or stronger, by year, month and county.
Counts use the part of each tornado inside this state. A tornado that crossed a state line is counted in each state it touched.
3,099
Tornadoes
55
F/EF4 or stronger
98
Tornado deaths
13,313
Miles of track
99
Counties with a tornado
Tornadoes per year
19501960197019801990200020102020
Tornadoes by month
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Strongest
Ranked by rating, then deaths, then path length.| # | Date | Rating | Tornado | State | Length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 05/15/68 | F5 | Hampton to Le Roy, Iowa | IA | 62.1 mi | 600 yd | 13 | 462 |
| 2 | 05/25/08 | EF5 | Aplington to Fairbank, Iowa | IA | 41.0 mi | 2,100 yd | 9 | 70 |
| 3 | 10/14/66 | F5 | Belmond, Iowa | IA | 9.7 mi | 1,000 yd | 6 | 172 |
| 4 | 05/15/68 | F5 | Oelwein to Fayette, Iowa | IA | 13.1 mi | 500 yd | 5 | 156 |
| 5 | 06/27/53 | F5 | Anita, Iowa | IA | 0.1 mi | 100 yd | 1 | 2 |
| 6 | 06/13/76 | F5 | Madrid to Story City, Iowa | IA | 21.3 mi | 880 yd | 0 | 9 |
| 7 | 03/05/22 | EF4 | Winterset to Newton, Iowa | IA | 70.6 mi | 900 yd | 6 | 5 |
| 8 | 05/21/24 | EF4 | Villisca to Greenfield, Iowa | IA | 40.7 mi | 1,600 yd | 5 | 35 |
| 9 | 06/07/84 | F4 | Bethany, MO to Wellman, IA | MO, IA | 124 mi | 250 yd | 2 | 64 |
| 10 | 06/28/79 | F4 | Pomeroy to Manson, Iowa | IA | 14.9 mi | 33 yd | 3 | 26 |
Deadliest
Deaths in this state.| # | Date | Rating | Tornado | State | Length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 05/15/68 | F5 | Hampton to Le Roy, Iowa | IA | 62.1 mi | 600 yd | 13 | 462 |
| 2 | 05/25/08 | EF5 | Aplington to Fairbank, Iowa | IA | 41.0 mi | 2,100 yd | 9 | 70 |
| 3 | 10/14/66 | F5 | Belmond, Iowa | IA | 9.7 mi | 1,000 yd | 6 | 172 |
| 4 | 09/16/78 | F3 | State Center to Grinnell, Iowa | IA | 31.8 mi | 200 yd | 6 | 45 |
| 5 | 03/05/22 | EF4 | Winterset to Newton, Iowa | IA | 70.6 mi | 900 yd | 6 | 5 |
| 6 | 05/15/68 | F5 | Oelwein to Fayette, Iowa | IA | 13.1 mi | 500 yd | 5 | 156 |
| 7 | 05/21/24 | EF4 | Villisca to Greenfield, Iowa | IA | 40.7 mi | 1,600 yd | 5 | 35 |
| 8 | 06/11/08 | EF3 | Tekamah to Onawa, Iowa | IA | 13.0 mi | 440 yd | 4 | 48 |
| 9 | 06/28/79 | F4 | Pomeroy to Manson, Iowa | IA | 14.9 mi | 33 yd | 3 | 26 |
| 10 | 04/16/67 | F3 | Keosauqua to Fairfield, Iowa | IA | 19.4 mi | 500 yd | 2 | 16 |
Longest tracks in Iowa
Length on the ground inside this state.| # | Date | Rating | Tornado | State | Length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 06/07/84 | F4 | Bethany, MO to Wellman, IA | MO, IA | 124 mi | 250 yd | 2 | 64 |
| 2 | 05/20/53 | F3 | Gilbert to Cresco, Iowa | IA | 116 mi | 400 yd | 1 | 0 |
| 3 | 06/07/53 | F2 | Van Meter to Swisher, Iowa | IA | 116 mi | 200 yd | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | 04/03/81 | F0 | Ainsworth to Blue Grass, Iowa | IA | 104 mi | 50 yd | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | 04/11/65 | F4 | Lowden to Bellevue, Iowa | IA | 91.5 mi | 200 yd | 1 | 3 |
| 6 | 04/23/61 | F3 | Marshalltown to Monticello, Iowa | IA | 87.7 mi | 800 yd | 1 | 12 |
| 7 | 04/30/54 | F2 | Donnellson to Lowden, Iowa | IA | 85.2 mi | 200 yd | 0 | 1 |
| 8 | 04/30/54 | F4 | Palo to Prairie du Chien, Iowa | IA | 80.4 mi | 200 yd | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | 05/08/88 | F2 | Bloomfield to Columbus Junction, Iowa | IA | 71.0 mi | 60 yd | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | 03/05/22 | EF4 | Winterset to Newton, Iowa | IA | 70.6 mi | 900 yd | 6 | 5 |
Widest since 1995
Maximum path width.| # | Date | Rating | Tornado | State | Length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 04/09/11 | EF3 | Early to Laurens, Iowa | IA | 29.4 mi | 2,640 yd | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | 10/04/13 | EF4 | Sloan to Correctionville, Iowa | IA | 24.7 mi | 2,600 yd | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 05/25/08 | EF5 | Aplington to Fairbank, Iowa | IA | 41.0 mi | 2,100 yd | 9 | 70 |
| 4 | 04/17/25 | EF1 | Tabor to Essex, Iowa | IA | 19.0 mi | 1,971 yd | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | 04/26/24 | EF4 | Yutan, NE to Missouri Valley, IA | NE, IA | 5.8 mi | 1,900 yd | 0 | 4 |
| 6 | 04/26/24 | EF3 | Underwood to Manilla, Iowa | IA | 40.3 mi | 1,900 yd | 1 | 3 |
| 7 | 04/09/11 | EF3 | Odebolt to Schaller, Iowa | IA | 10.1 mi | 1,760 yd | 0 | 0 |
| 8 | 04/27/14 | EF1 | Hedrick to Oxford, Iowa | IA | 45.7 mi | 1,600 yd | 2 | 0 |
| 9 | 05/21/24 | EF4 | Villisca to Greenfield, Iowa | IA | 40.7 mi | 1,600 yd | 5 | 35 |
| 10 | 03/22/11 | EF2 | Winterset to Van Meter, Iowa | IA | 10.0 mi | 1,410 yd | 0 | 0 |
Widest 1950 to 1994
Mean path width.| # | Date | Rating | Tornado | State | Length | Width | Deaths | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 09/28/72 | F2 | Center Point to Galena, Iowa | IA | 64.5 mi | 2,200 yd | 0 | 3 |
| 2 | 05/24/89 | F4 | Corning to Lamoni, Iowa | IA | 49.0 mi | 1,760 yd | 0 | 0 |
| 3 | 06/14/81 | F2 | Ocheyedan to Orleans, Iowa | IA | 21.6 mi | 1,533 yd | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | 06/14/81 | F2 | Ocheyedan to Orleans, Iowa | IA | 21.9 mi | 1,533 yd | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | 07/11/60 | F1 | Storm Lake, Iowa | IA | 4.9 mi | 1,500 yd | 0 | 0 |
| 6 | 05/30/85 | F3 | Elkader, IA to Bloomington, WI | IA, WI | 20.0 mi | 1,500 yd | 2 | 27 |
| 7 | 07/12/71 | F4 | Elma to Fredericksburg, Iowa | IA | 10.9 mi | 1,320 yd | 0 | 8 |
| 8 | 05/26/57 | F0 | Stanton, Iowa | IA | 4.1 mi | 1,000 yd | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | 10/14/66 | F5 | Belmond, Iowa | IA | 9.7 mi | 1,000 yd | 6 | 172 |
| 10 | 04/05/54 | F4 | Tarkio, MO to Shenandoah, IA | MO, IA | 3.3 mi | 900 yd | 0 | 2 |
Counties
select a column to sort| County | Tornadoes | F/EF4+ | Deaths | Years | Strongest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County | 70 | 3 | 8 | 1953–2024 | EF4 |
| Scott County | 68 | 0 | 0 | 1954–2025 | F3 |
| Linn County | 66 | 2 | 1 | 1953–2025 | F4 |
| Story County | 66 | 2 | 1 | 1950–2025 | F5 |
| Webster County | 63 | 3 | 1 | 1953–2024 | F4 |
| Dallas County | 60 | 3 | 0 | 1955–2024 | F4 |
| Boone County | 58 | 2 | 1 | 1953–2025 | F5 |
| Woodbury County | 57 | 2 | 2 | 1953–2022 | F4 |
| Hamilton County | 56 | 1 | 1 | 1953–2024 | F4 |
| Pottawattamie County | 56 | 1 | 1 | 1970–2024 | F4 |
| Clinton County | 53 | 1 | 2 | 1965–2024 | F4 |
| Plymouth County | 52 | 0 | 0 | 1951–2024 | F3 |
| Sioux County | 50 | 0 | 0 | 1958–2024 | F3 |
| Warren County | 50 | 1 | 6 | 1953–2024 | EF4 |
| Buchanan County | 49 | 0 | 2 | 1950–2024 | F3 |
| Pocahontas County | 49 | 3 | 3 | 1953–2024 | F4 |
| Benton County | 48 | 1 | 2 | 1954–2025 | F4 |
| Tama County | 48 | 1 | 1 | 1953–2022 | F4 |
| Hardin County | 47 | 2 | 1 | 1953–2022 | F4 |
| Jasper County | 47 | 2 | 12 | 1953–2024 | EF4 |
| Jones County | 47 | 1 | 1 | 1953–2025 | F4 |
| Marion County | 47 | 0 | 0 | 1962–2024 | F3 |
| Cedar County | 45 | 1 | 1 | 1954–2025 | F4 |
| Crawford County | 45 | 0 | 0 | 1952–2024 | F3 |
| Delaware County | 45 | 3 | 0 | 1954–2025 | F4 |
| Johnson County | 45 | 1 | 4 | 1962–2024 | EF4 |
| Lyon County | 45 | 1 | 1 | 1951–2025 | EF4 |
| Cass County | 43 | 1 | 0 | 1956–2024 | F4 |
| Howard County | 43 | 4 | 14 | 1953–2022 | F5 |
| Kossuth County | 42 | 1 | 2 | 1953–2020 | F4 |
| Union County | 42 | 3 | 0 | 1962–2025 | F4 |
| Calhoun County | 41 | 4 | 4 | 1953–2024 | F4 |
| Black Hawk County | 40 | 2 | 12 | 1960–2020 | EF5 |
| Cerro Gordo County | 40 | 1 | 0 | 1953–2025 | F4 |
| Grundy County | 40 | 2 | 10 | 1960–2025 | EF5 |
| Page County | 40 | 3 | 3 | 1954–2025 | F4 |
| Taylor County | 40 | 2 | 5 | 1954–2024 | EF4 |
| Wright County | 40 | 1 | 6 | 1953–2024 | F5 |
| Lee County | 39 | 0 | 1 | 1954–2025 | F3 |
| Marshall County | 39 | 1 | 7 | 1951–2020 | F4 |
| Muscatine County | 39 | 0 | 2 | 1952–2024 | EF3 |
| Clay County | 38 | 0 | 0 | 1954–2014 | F3 |
| Madison County | 38 | 2 | 6 | 1953–2024 | EF4 |
| Carroll County | 37 | 2 | 0 | 1957–2023 | F4 |
| Fremont County | 37 | 1 | 2 | 1959–2025 | F4 |
| O'Brien County | 37 | 0 | 0 | 1951–2024 | F3 |
| Iowa County | 36 | 3 | 4 | 1953–2023 | F4 |
| Dubuque County | 35 | 1 | 0 | 1954–2025 | F4 |
| Greene County | 35 | 1 | 0 | 1954–2023 | F4 |
| Harrison County | 35 | 1 | 7 | 1967–2024 | EF4 |
| Adair County | 34 | 5 | 7 | 1953–2024 | F5 |
| Guthrie County | 33 | 3 | 1 | 1959–2021 | F4 |
| Keokuk County | 33 | 2 | 4 | 1959–2024 | F4 |
| Poweshiek County | 33 | 0 | 6 | 1956–2023 | F3 |
| Wayne County | 33 | 4 | 2 | 1953–2024 | F4 |
| Fayette County | 32 | 2 | 6 | 1964–2021 | F5 |
| Montgomery County | 31 | 0 | 0 | 1950–2024 | EF3 |
| Osceola County | 31 | 1 | 0 | 1964–2021 | EF4 |
| Shelby County | 31 | 0 | 1 | 1955–2024 | EF3 |
| Butler County | 30 | 3 | 23 | 1952–2021 | F5 |
| Cherokee County | 30 | 2 | 0 | 1952–2021 | EF4 |
| Chickasaw County | 30 | 2 | 14 | 1953–2021 | F5 |
| Monona County | 30 | 1 | 4 | 1953–2024 | F4 |
| Bremer County | 29 | 1 | 0 | 1961–2021 | F4 |
| Buena Vista County | 29 | 0 | 0 | 1957–2024 | EF3 |
| Dickinson County | 29 | 0 | 0 | 1960–2024 | F3 |
| Franklin County | 29 | 1 | 13 | 1959–2023 | F5 |
| Hancock County | 29 | 1 | 0 | 1951–2025 | F4 |
| Jackson County | 29 | 1 | 1 | 1955–2025 | F4 |
| Ringgold County | 29 | 1 | 1 | 1955–2024 | F4 |
| Adams County | 28 | 3 | 5 | 1957–2024 | EF4 |
| Mahaska County | 28 | 1 | 2 | 1953–2018 | F4 |
| Sac County | 28 | 1 | 0 | 1953–2023 | F4 |
| Van Buren County | 28 | 0 | 2 | 1958–2025 | F3 |
| Wapello County | 28 | 0 | 4 | 1958–2023 | EF3 |
| Floyd County | 27 | 2 | 13 | 1959–2024 | F5 |
| Humboldt County | 27 | 0 | 0 | 1953–2025 | F3 |
| Winnebago County | 26 | 0 | 0 | 1961–2025 | F2 |
| Appanoose County | 25 | 0 | 0 | 1961–2018 | F2 |
| Mills County | 25 | 0 | 2 | 1950–2024 | F3 |
| Washington County | 25 | 1 | 0 | 1965–2024 | EF4 |
| Worth County | 25 | 3 | 0 | 1952–2024 | F4 |
| Des Moines County | 24 | 0 | 0 | 1954–2024 | F3 |
| Winneshiek County | 24 | 1 | 0 | 1957–2024 | F4 |
| Palo Alto County | 23 | 0 | 0 | 1957–2021 | F3 |
| Davis County | 22 | 1 | 0 | 1961–2024 | F4 |
| Emmet County | 22 | 0 | 0 | 1953–2022 | F3 |
| Clarke County | 21 | 0 | 0 | 1964–2024 | F3 |
| Henry County | 20 | 0 | 0 | 1957–2024 | F3 |
| Mitchell County | 20 | 0 | 0 | 1954–2022 | F3 |
| Decatur County | 19 | 3 | 2 | 1957–2022 | F4 |
| Louisa County | 18 | 0 | 0 | 1954–2024 | EF3 |
| Clayton County | 17 | 1 | 2 | 1953–2023 | F4 |
| Audubon County | 16 | 0 | 0 | 1959–2024 | EF2 |
| Ida County | 16 | 0 | 0 | 1953–2021 | F3 |
| Monroe County | 15 | 1 | 2 | 1964–2016 | F4 |
| Allamakee County | 13 | 1 | 0 | 1954–2025 | F4 |
| Jefferson County | 13 | 0 | 0 | 1959–2017 | F3 |
| Lucas County | 13 | 1 | 3 | 1967–2022 | F4 |
- Reporting changed over time. Tornado counts rose from the 1990s on as Doppler radar, spotter networks and cameras caught more weak tornadoes. Counts from different decades are not directly comparable, especially for the weakest ratings.
- F and EF ratings. The Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale replaced the Fujita (F) Scale on 02/01/07. Both estimate wind speed from damage, but they use different damage indicators, so each rating is shown with its own scale.
- Ratings before the mid 1970s. The F Scale came into use in the early 1970s. Tornadoes from 1950 until then were rated afterward from newspaper accounts, photos and records, which tends to make those ratings less certain.
Titan Archive · a Tornado Titans project
Data: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database · updated 10/03/26