Decorah, IA Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Decorah is about the same as Iowa average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Decorah is much lower than Iowa average and is higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #492
| Decorah, IA | 0.00 |
| Iowa | 0.00 |
| U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #1
| Decorah, IA | 0.0000 |
| Iowa | 0.0000 |
| U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #1028
| Decorah, IA | 165.35 |
| Iowa | 236.74 |
| U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 3,259 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Decorah, IA were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
| Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
| Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 25 | Cold: | 80 | Dense Fog: | 6 | Drought: | 2 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 334 | Hail: | 1,132 | Heat: | 36 | Heavy Snow: | 67 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 19 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 66 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 1,172 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 4 | Winter Storm: | 162 | Winter Weather: | 19 |
| Other: | 135 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Decorah, IA.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Decorah, IA.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Decorah, IA.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 65 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Decorah, IA.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 6.1 | 1965-08-25 | 2 | 43°19'N / 91°59'W | 43°10'N / 91°46'W | 14.70 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Winneshiek |
| 6.9 | 1987-07-29 | 2 | 43°16'N / 91°43'W | 43°13'N / 91°38'W | 3.00 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Winneshiek |
| 10.5 | 1973-06-04 | 2 | 43°09'N / 91°46'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Winneshiek | |
| 12.6 | 1987-07-29 | 2 | 43°13'N / 91°38'W | 43°14'N / 91°29'W | 7.00 Miles | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Allamakee |
| 14.5 | 1988-03-24 | 2 | 43°07'N / 92°02'W | 43°11'N / 91°56'W | 7.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Winneshiek |
| 15.2 | 1965-09-09 | 2 | 43°23'N / 92°04'W | 1.00 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Howard | |
| 15.6 | 1967-03-30 | 2 | 43°11'N / 92°06'W | 43°14'N / 92°02'W | 4.10 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Howard |
| 16.3 | 1971-06-24 | 3 | 43°04'N / 91°49'W | 1 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Fayette | |||
| 16.5 | 1965-05-05 | 4 | 43°25'N / 92°05'W | 43°27'N / 92°02'W | 2.30 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Winneshiek |
| 17.9 | 1968-05-15 | 2 | 43°20'N / 92°11'W | 43°17'N / 92°06'W | 4.70 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Howard |
| 18.0 | 1965-05-05 | 4 | 43°23'N / 92°09'W | 43°25'N / 92°05'W | 3.30 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Howard |
| 19.1 | 1988-03-24 | 2 | 43°04'N / 92°02'W | 43°07'N / 92°02'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Fayette |
| 20.5 | 1965-05-05 | 3 | 43°30'N / 92°01'W | 43°41'N / 91°44'W | 18.80 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 6 | 2.5M | 0 | Fillmore |
| 21.5 | 1971-07-12 | 4 | 43°03'N / 92°03'W | 43°04'N / 92°03'W | 1.10 Miles | 1320 Yards | 0 | 4 | 2.5M | 0 | Fayette |
| 24.9 | 1971-07-12 | 4 | 43°13'N / 92°23'W | 43°05'N / 92°05'W | 17.50 Miles | 1320 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Chickasaw |
| 28.2 | 1994-07-19 | 2 | 43°15'N / 92°26'W | 43°16'N / 92°15'W | 8.50 Miles | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 50K | 5K | Howard |
| 28.6 | 1965-08-25 | 2 | 43°04'N / 91°23'W | 43°01'N / 91°18'W | 4.70 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Clayton |
| 28.8 | 1956-07-17 | 2 | 43°04'N / 92°16'W | 43°02'N / 92°13'W | 2.30 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 0K | 0 | Chickasaw |
| 28.8 | 1953-05-20 | 3 | 43°12'N / 92°24'W | 43°26'N / 92°19'W | 16.50 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Chickasaw |
| 28.9 | 1965-05-05 | 4 | 43°23'N / 92°33'W | 43°23'N / 92°09'W | 19.90 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 5 | 25K | 0 | Howard |
| 31.4 | 1968-05-15 | 5 | 43°13'N / 92°29'W | 43°28'N / 92°20'W | 18.60 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 12 | 3K | 0 | Howard |
| 31.8 | 1953-05-10 | 3 | 42°57'N / 91°20'W | 43°03'N / 91°17'W | 6.60 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Clayton |
| 32.2 | 1971-07-12 | 4 | 43°14'N / 92°27'W | 43°13'N / 92°23'W | 2.30 Miles | 1320 Yards | 0 | 4 | 2.5M | 0 | Howard |
| 32.7 | 1953-05-10 | 4 | 43°27'N / 92°24'W | 43°30'N / 92°23'W | 1.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 2 | 0K | 0 | Howard |
| 32.8 | 1964-05-04 | 2 | 43°13'N / 91°12'W | 43°19'N / 91°04'W | 9.20 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Allamakee |
| 33.0 | 1971-07-12 | 2 | 42°53'N / 92°03'W | 42°49'N / 91°57'W | 6.40 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Fayette |
| 33.4 | 1966-04-19 | 2 | 42°51'N / 92°07'W | 42°55'N / 92°07'W | 4.60 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Bremer |
| 33.5 | 1965-05-05 | 3 | 43°41'N / 91°44'W | 43°51'N / 91°27'W | 18.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Houston |
| 34.6 | 1993-08-09 | 2 | 43°04'N / 92°27'W | 43°04'N / 92°20'W | 5.00 Miles | 55 Yards | 0 | 2 | 500K | 50K | Chickasaw |
| 35.5 | 1971-07-12 | 2 | 42°50'N / 92°06'W | 42°50'N / 92°03'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Bremer | ||
| 35.6 | 1953-05-10 | 4 | 43°30'N / 92°23'W | 43°51'N / 92°10'W | 26.20 Miles | 33 Yards | 1 | 6 | 2.5M | 0 | Fillmore |
| 35.6 | 1994-07-07 | 2 | 42°58'N / 92°29'W | 43°04'N / 92°16'W | 9.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 500K | 5K | Chickasaw |
| 36.0 | 1981-04-10 | 2 | 42°50'N / 92°06'W | 0.80 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Bremer | |
| 37.3 | 1977-07-14 | 2 | 43°42'N / 92°16'W | 43°48'N / 92°08'W | 9.20 Miles | 1500 Yards | 0 | 10 | 2.5M | 0 | Fillmore |
| 37.6 | 1968-05-15 | 5 | 43°10'N / 92°33'W | 43°13'N / 92°29'W | 4.10 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Chickasaw |
| 37.7 | 1985-05-30 | 3 | 42°51'N / 91°32'W | 42°53'N / 91°08'W | 20.00 Miles | 500 Yards | 2 | 25 | 25.0M | 0 | Clayton |
| 37.9 | 1968-05-15 | 5 | 42°40'N / 91°56'W | 42°51'N / 91°51'W | 13.10 Miles | 500 Yards | 5 | 156 | 25.0M | 0 | Fayette |
| 37.9 | 1990-06-13 | 2 | 42°51'N / 91°24'W | 42°53'N / 91°15'W | 8.00 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Clayton |
| 38.3 | 1980-06-05 | 2 | 43°43'N / 91°03'W | 42°42'N / 91°01'W | 70.20 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Vernon |
| 39.1 | 1964-05-04 | 2 | 43°15'N / 91°04'W | 43°25'N / 90°57'W | 12.60 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Crawford |
| 40.1 | 2004-06-11 | 3 | 43°24'N / 92°33'W | 43°32'N / 92°33'W | 8.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 190K | 30K | Howard |
| Brief Description: A small but intense supercell thunderstorm produced three tornadoes in northeast Iowa. The first tornado touched down about 4 miles southeast of New Haven (Mitchell County), south of 320th Street and between Walnut and Windfall Avenue. It tracked north, primarily in open fields, and lifted between 350th and 360th Street east of New Haven, or just west of Windfall Avenue. The tornado was rated an F1. The second tornado touched down just east of the Mitchell-Howard County line, about 4 miles south of Riceville (Howard County), and also moved straight north. It downed a few trees, but primarily crossed open fields until it reached the southeast side of Riceville. It damaged a few sheds and buildings in Riceville, with mainly tin roofing material and siding blown off. The tornado lifted in Riceville and was rated an F0. The third and most significant tornado formed about 2 miles north of Riceville, again just east of the Mitchell-Howard County line. The tornado tracked north, just east of the county line or Addison Avenue. It grew in strength and at one point was approximately 150 yards wide, hitting several homes and farms (F2 damage). One home lost the roof and all buildings. The tornado was so close to the county line that debris was thrown across Addison Avenue into Mitchell County at times. The dirt and young crops were scoured by the tornado. The tornado crossed into Minnesota just southwest of Le Roy (Mower County), hitting a home directly on the state line. The home, which was built in1900, and several buildings on the lot, were completely demolished (F3 damage). | |||||||||||
| 41.8 | 2004-06-11 | 3 | 43°30'N / 92°33'W | 43°33'N / 92°34'W | 4.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3.0M | 20K | Mower |
| Brief Description: A tornado crossed the Minnesota-Iowa state line just southwest of Le Roy (Mower County) causing considerable damage. One home right on the state line was completely destroyed, but there were no injuries or deaths. The tornado was approximately 150 yards wide at times and apparently reached F3 damage intensity right on the state line around 6:05 p.m. The tornado then started to weaken, but did heavy damage to a grain company (Koch Industries)(F2 damage) about 2 miles west of Le Roy and continued north, crossing Highway 56 just before 6:10 p.m. The tornado lifted approximately 4 miles northwest of Le Roy in open fields. There were also brief tornado touch downs (all rated F0) near Dexter (Mower County) and Le Roy, as well as areas along the Mower-Fillmore County line west of Spring Valley (Fillmore County). | |||||||||||
| 42.5 | 1965-05-05 | 2 | 43°30'N / 92°36'W | 43°48'N / 92°22'W | 23.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Mower |
| 43.0 | 1965-05-05 | 4 | 43°23'N / 92°43'W | 43°23'N / 92°33'W | 7.90 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Floyd |
| 43.1 | 1986-09-28 | 2 | 43°09'N / 92°37'W | 0.20 Mile | 23 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Floyd | |
| 43.2 | 1980-06-05 | 2 | 43°58'N / 91°51'W | 43°53'N / 91°51'W | 5.70 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Winona |
| 43.5 | 1980-06-05 | 3 | 43°40'N / 91°13'W | 43°27'N / 90°46'W | 26.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 1 | 2.5M | 0 | Vernon |
| 44.1 | 1964-05-07 | 2 | 42°40'N / 91°53'W | 2.00 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Fayette | |
| 44.5 | 1965-05-05 | 3 | 43°51'N / 91°27'W | 43°55'N / 91°21'W | 6.20 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Winona |
| 44.6 | 1961-05-14 | 2 | 43°48'N / 91°13'W | 1.00 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | La Crosse | |
| 46.3 | 1953-05-10 | 4 | 43°51'N / 92°10'W | 44°00'N / 92°05'W | 10.80 Miles | 33 Yards | 1 | 6 | 2.5M | 0 | Olmsted |
| 46.8 | 1954-04-30 | 2 | 42°38'N / 91°38'W | 1.00 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Buchanan | |
| 46.9 | 1961-09-01 | 4 | 42°52'N / 92°33'W | 42°53'N / 92°28'W | 3.30 Miles | 27 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Bremer |
| 47.0 | 1980-06-05 | 2 | 43°45'N / 91°04'W | 43°43'N / 91°03'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | La Crosse | ||
| 47.3 | 1970-09-09 | 2 | 42°51'N / 92°32'W | 42°53'N / 92°29'W | 2.30 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Bremer |
| 47.3 | 1999-07-08 | 2 | 44°00'N / 91°54'W | 43°58'N / 91°51'W | 3.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 2 | 2.0M | 60K | Winona |
| Brief Description: A tornado touched down just northwest of Lewiston (Winona County), then moved into the middle of town and intensified. Numerous homes along Main Street had extensive damage with broken windows, damaged roofs and downed trees. One home had the entire roof taken off, while at least 4 cars were demolished from debris landing on them. A farm southeast of town had every building destroyed, except the house. Of the 1,300 population in Lewiston, only two people sustained minor injuries. Elsewhere across southeast Minnesota, spotters and law enforcement officials reported hail up to 2 inches in diameter along with trees and power lines knocked down. | |||||||||||
| 47.4 | 2001-09-06 | 2 | 42°37'N / 91°44'W | 42°37'N / 91°43'W | 1.00 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 300K | 0 | Buchanan |
| Brief Description: Tornado reported by emergency manager Event Summary for 09/06/01: A strong short wave trough in the upper level atmosphere, moved northeast through Iowa and Wisconsin during the afternoon and evening hours. This wave of energy helped thunderstorms, which were moving along a warm front in northeast Iowa, become strong. Despite the lack of convective available potential energy, ample moisture and wind shear along the front allowed thunderstorms within this area of rain to rotate and produce a few short lived tornadoes. One storm in Buchanan County Iowa, produced two tornadoes as it quickly moved northeast along the warm front. Here is a summary of the tornadoes which struck northeastern Buchanan County Iowa. At 605 pm CDT, an F0 tornado touched down 5 miles southwest of Aurora, Iowa, producing damage to the Ralph Kramer farm site. Several out buildings were damaged or destroyed. One empty grain bin was moved off of its foundation. The home only had minor damage, with some siding blown off. The tornado continued moving northeast, producing crop and tree damage as it crossed 142 street. At 625 pm, the tornado struck the Lonnie McAllister farm site, again damaging or destroying farm out buildings. This is also where the most significant crop damage was observed. The tornado then lifted, leaving a trail of some tin and other debris, as the storm moved northeast. This tornado was on the ground for 3.5 miles and was 40 yards wide at its widest point. At 630 pm CDT, an F2 tornado touched down 0.25 miles southwest of Aurora and quickly moved across Aurora, producing damage to the roof of the American Legion building in Aurora. The tornado then struck the Ken Mosher home just east of Aurora. The tornado totally ripped off the roof and two car garage of this newer frame dwelling. The tornado then lifted 0.75 miles northeast of Aurora, and no other tornadoes from this storm touched down again until it had moved about a mile north into Fayette County, Iowa. This tornado was on the ground for 1 mile, and was 50 yards wide. | |||||||||||
| 47.5 | 1964-05-07 | 3 | 42°36'N / 91°54'W | 42°38'N / 91°51'W | 2.30 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Buchanan |
| 48.0 | 1985-05-30 | 3 | 42°53'N / 91°08'W | 42°56'N / 90°52'W | 14.00 Miles | 1500 Yards | 0 | 2 | 2.5M | 0 | Grant |
| 48.0 | 1961-09-02 | 2 | 42°39'N / 92°07'W | 1.00 Mile | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Howard | |
| 48.1 | 1964-08-27 | 2 | 43°06'N / 92°42'W | 1.00 Mile | 77 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Floyd | |
| 48.5 | 1954-04-30 | 4 | 42°06'N / 91°45'W | 43°11'N / 91°10'W | 80.40 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Linn |
| 48.5 | 1977-07-16 | 2 | 42°48'N / 92°29'W | 42°48'N / 92°26'W | 1.90 Miles | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Bremer |
| 49.2 | 1962-09-16 | 2 | 43°51'N / 92°25'W | 43°53'N / 92°21'W | 3.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Olmsted |
| 49.6 | 2008-05-25 | 3 | 42°36'N / 92°01'W | 42°34'N / 91°36'W | 21.00 Miles | 1232 Yards | 0 | 3 | 1.0M | 0K | Buchanan |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A tornado developed just east of the county lines southwest of Fairbank and moved east. The tornado cross the southern part of Hazelton and continued east into Delaware County. Over ten homes, about 50 non-anchored mobile homes at a dealership, and numerous outbuildings were destroyed. Several other homes sustained structural damage. Numerous trees and utility poles were also blown down. An SUV was flipped over in Hazelton injuring the driver and some passengers. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Heavy rain-producing showers and thunderstorms moved across much of eastern Iowa and northwest and west central Illinois from the evening of May 25th to the early morning of May 26th. Some of the stronger storms also produced tornadoes, damaging winds, and large hail. Buchanan, Delaware, and Dubuque counties in Iowa were hardest hit with the heavy rains, where rainfall totals of 3 to 8 inches fell resulting in flash flooding. | |||||||||||
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.