Dubuque Metro Area Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
The chance of earthquake damage in Dubuque Area is about the same as Iowa average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Dubuque Area is lower than Iowa average and is higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #791
| Dubuque Area | 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, #129
| Dubuque Area | 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, #286
| Dubuque Area | 201.62 |
| 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 14,570 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Dubuque Area 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: | 63 | Cold: | 154 | Dense Fog: | 94 | Drought: | 48 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 1,485 | Hail: | 4,173 | Heat: | 70 | Heavy Snow: | 174 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 88 | Landslide: | 1 | Strong Wind: | 181 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 6,342 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 8 | Winter Storm: | 352 | Winter Weather: | 254 |
| Other: | 1,083 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Dubuque Area.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Dubuque Area.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Dubuque Area.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 79 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Dubuque Area.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 4.5 | 1967-04-30 | 2 | 42°24'N / 90°54'W | 2.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Dubuque | |
| 6.6 | 1965-08-26 | 2 | 42°32'N / 90°58'W | 0.50 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Dubuque | |
| 7.6 | 1969-06-29 | 2 | 42°24'N / 91°00'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Dubuque | |||
| 7.6 | 1965-04-11 | 4 | 41°51'N / 90°56'W | 42°52'N / 90°55'W | 70.20 Miles | 200 Yards | 1 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Cedar |
| 8.8 | 1972-09-28 | 2 | 42°17'N / 91°22'W | 42°25'N / 90°33'W | 42.60 Miles | 2200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Jones |
| 11.2 | 1958-07-29 | 2 | 42°20'N / 91°05'W | 42°17'N / 90°48'W | 14.50 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Dubuque |
| 11.5 | 1970-09-09 | 2 | 42°30'N / 91°06'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Dubuque | |
| 11.9 | 1966-07-09 | 2 | 42°30'N / 90°40'W | 42°30'N / 90°38'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Dubuque | ||
| 13.5 | 1990-03-13 | 4 | 42°23'N / 91°08'W | 42°24'N / 91°07'W | 1.00 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Dubuque |
| 13.6 | 1970-09-09 | 3 | 42°30'N / 90°40'W | 42°33'N / 90°35'W | 4.70 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Dubuque |
| 15.3 | 1991-03-27 | 2 | 42°17'N / 90°42'W | 42°19'N / 90°39'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Dubuque |
| 15.4 | 1991-03-27 | 2 | 42°19'N / 90°39'W | 42°20'N / 90°38'W | 0.50 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Jackson |
| 16.5 | 1954-04-30 | 2 | 42°13'N / 91°12'W | 42°27'N / 91°06'W | 16.60 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Jones |
| 17.9 | 1990-03-13 | 4 | 42°20'N / 91°16'W | 42°23'N / 91°08'W | 9.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Delaware |
| 18.3 | 1964-05-04 | 2 | 42°20'N / 91°15'W | 42°23'N / 91°10'W | 4.70 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Delaware |
| 20.2 | 1969-06-04 | 2 | 42°46'N / 91°00'W | 42°44'N / 90°55'W | 4.10 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Grant |
| 21.4 | 1970-09-09 | 2 | 42°24'N / 90°30'W | 42°30'N / 90°25'W | 7.70 Miles | 70 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Jo Daviess |
| 22.0 | 1992-07-13 | 3 | 42°11'N / 91°08'W | 42°11'N / 91°02'W | 5.00 Miles | 73 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Jones |
| 22.6 | 1955-04-19 | 2 | 42°16'N / 90°41'W | 42°16'N / 90°22'W | 15.90 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Jackson |
| 23.6 | 1960-11-15 | 2 | 42°16'N / 90°30'W | 1.00 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Jackson | |
| 24.3 | 1990-03-13 | 4 | 42°16'N / 91°20'W | 42°20'N / 91°16'W | 5.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Jones |
| 25.2 | 1959-05-19 | 2 | 42°48'N / 90°48'W | 42°50'N / 90°42'W | 4.90 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Grant |
| 25.9 | 1969-06-26 | 2 | 42°22'N / 91°34'W | 42°39'N / 91°12'W | 26.90 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Delaware |
| 25.9 | 1970-09-09 | 2 | 42°41'N / 90°40'W | 42°47'N / 90°23'W | 15.70 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Grant |
| 26.0 | 1960-11-15 | 2 | 42°28'N / 91°28'W | 42°34'N / 91°18'W | 10.50 Miles | 70 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Delaware |
| 27.2 | 1970-09-09 | 2 | 42°30'N / 90°25'W | 42°32'N / 90°17'W | 6.60 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Lafayette |
| 27.7 | 1966-07-13 | 2 | 42°43'N / 90°30'W | 42°44'N / 90°26'W | 2.70 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Grant |
| 28.3 | 1988-11-15 | 2 | 42°29'N / 91°28'W | 42°36'N / 91°23'W | 11.00 Miles | 63 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Delaware |
| 28.7 | 1991-03-22 | 2 | 42°21'N / 91°32'W | 42°35'N / 91°21'W | 17.00 Miles | 80 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Delaware |
| 29.1 | 2007-06-01 | 2 | 42°12'N / 90°25'W | 42°15'N / 90°24'W | 3.00 Miles | 350 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3.3M | 0K | Jackson |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A tornado touched down about 3.5 miles south of Bellevue, IA. It moved north to county road Z15 and then northeast crossing the Mississippi River just south of Lock and Dam 12 into Jo Daviess County Illinois. Along the path, damage consisted of snapped and uprooted trees, farm out buildings, and roofs. The most significant damage occurred near the junction of county highway Z15 and 407th Avenue. A mobile home was rolled over and destroyed. The residents of the mobile home had taken shelter in the farm house about 100 feet away. The farm house only had damaged gutters. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A line of thunderstorms pivoted northeast into parts of southeast Iowa during the mid-morning hours of June 1st. Much of the area was just breaking out of a blanket of dense fog where visibilities dropped to less than a quarter mile. Dew point temperatures were in the middle 60s to around 70 degrees. The line of storms appeared to become more broken through the late morning hours, while the area from Iowa City to Waterloo appeared to stratify out into a large area of showers. Just before 12:00 pm CDT, rapid intensification of storm cells on the southeast end of the original line occurred as it moved into northern portions of Louisa County. A tornado touched down just south of Grandview, IA and moved northeast through Fruitland, IA and on to the southwest parts of Muscatine, IA. The tornado then lifted and as the storm cell continued to move northeast across Muscatine County. The super-cell re-intensified as it entered the southeast part of Cedar County just before 1 pm producing a brief tornado near Wilton, IA. The storm then moved across northwest parts of Scott County and Clinton County producing damaging wind gusts and large hail. The super-cell continued northeast into Jackson County producing a tornado near Bellevue around 2:30 pm, which moved across the Mississippi River into Jo Daviess County before lifting. The storm produced yet another tornado just south of Scales Mound, IL around 3:15 pm before moving into southwest Wisconsin and dissipating. During the early afternoon hours, additional storms strengthened on the south end of the original line of storms, which went on to produce wind damage and large hail as they moved through northwest Illinois through the late afternoon hours. | |||||||||||
| 29.3 | 1990-03-13 | 4 | 42°14'N / 91°25'W | 42°16'N / 91°20'W | 4.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Linn |
| 29.6 | 1975-11-09 | 2 | 42°03'N / 90°43'W | 42°04'N / 90°40'W | 1.30 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Jackson |
| 31.3 | 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 |
| 31.8 | 1974-08-12 | 4 | 42°21'N / 91°29'W | 5.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 12 | 2.5M | 0 | Delaware | |
| 31.9 | 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 |
| 32.8 | 1995-07-27 | 3 | 42°36'N / 91°41'W | 42°27'N / 91°21'W | 20.50 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 1.0M | 330K | Buchanan And Delaware |
| 32.9 | 1998-05-15 | 2 | 42°33'N / 90°24'W | 42°48'N / 90°12'W | 20.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 11 | 1.7M | 140K | Lafayette |
| Brief Description: A supercell thunderstorm, after dropping a couple tornadoes in northeast Iowa, eventually moved northeast into Lafayette county, creating another tornado. This tornado touched down just southwest of Benton and hopped/skipped northeast for 20 miles. It caused moderate to severe damage to 40 different farms and their outbuildings, and homes. Numerous power lines were downed. Eleven people were injured: 2 children near Cuba city, 3 children southwest of Truman, and 6 adults in a vehicle on Highway 81 south of Benton. Several farm fields sustained damage. After the F2 tornado tore through Lafayette county a series of severe thunderstorms pummeled southcentral and southeast Wisconsin with numerous reports of tree limb damage and trees downed, which in turn downed a few power lines. The highest reported wind gust was 65 mph near Reedsburg (Sauk Co.). Other notable damage included roofs and doors ripped off of buildings in Mayville (Dodge Co.) and a deck ripped off a house in Ripon (Fond du Lac Co.) where several cars where also damaged by felled trees. | |||||||||||
| 32.9 | 1953-05-20 | 3 | 42°01'N / 91°23'W | 42°05'N / 91°01'W | 19.20 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 3 | 0K | 0 | Jones |
| 33.2 | 1971-07-12 | 3 | 42°18'N / 91°31'W | 42°18'N / 91°28'W | 0 | 2 | 2.5M | 0 | Delaware | ||
| 33.8 | 1990-06-02 | 2 | 42°25'N / 91°35'W | 42°27'N / 91°30'W | 5.00 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Delaware |
| 34.0 | 1957-05-25 | 2 | 42°54'N / 90°55'W | 43°00'N / 90°38'W | 15.60 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Grant |
| 34.0 | 1966-06-05 | 2 | 42°17'N / 91°30'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Linn | |||
| 34.2 | 1992-07-13 | 2 | 41°58'N / 91°04'W | 41°59'N / 90°55'W | 5.70 Miles | 73 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Jones |
| 34.4 | 1969-06-04 | 2 | 42°50'N / 90°34'W | 42°42'N / 90°07'W | 24.40 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Grant |
| 34.5 | 1975-11-09 | 2 | 41°54'N / 90°53'W | 42°02'N / 90°43'W | 12.30 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Clinton |
| 35.9 | 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 |
| 36.2 | 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 |
| 36.8 | 1984-06-07 | 2 | 42°44'N / 90°20'W | 42°48'N / 90°14'W | 6.00 Miles | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Lafayette |
| 36.9 | 1988-05-08 | 2 | 42°59'N / 90°51'W | 43°00'N / 90°41'W | 10.00 Miles | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Grant |
| 37.4 | 1991-03-22 | 2 | 41°53'N / 90°51'W | 41°58'N / 90°45'W | 7.00 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Clinton |
| 37.8 | 1969-06-26 | 2 | 42°58'N / 90°35'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Grant | |
| 38.6 | 1988-05-08 | 2 | 42°56'N / 90°35'W | 42°59'N / 90°28'W | 7.50 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Grant |
| 38.6 | 1985-05-30 | 2 | 42°55'N / 90°27'W | 42°55'N / 90°25'W | 1.80 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Grant |
| 38.6 | 1990-06-02 | 2 | 42°24'N / 91°41'W | 42°25'N / 91°35'W | 5.50 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Buchanan |
| 38.7 | 1972-09-28 | 2 | 42°12'N / 91°47'W | 42°17'N / 91°22'W | 21.90 Miles | 2200 Yards | 0 | 3 | 2.5M | 0 | Linn |
| 38.7 | 1964-05-04 | 2 | 42°07'N / 91°28'W | 42°09'N / 91°31'W | 2.30 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Linn |
| 39.5 | 1969-06-29 | 2 | 42°36'N / 90°14'W | 42°39'N / 90°02'W | 10.40 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Lafayette |
| 40.1 | 1954-04-30 | 2 | 42°38'N / 91°38'W | 1.00 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Buchanan | |
| 41.6 | 1988-05-08 | 3 | 42°35'N / 90°14'W | 42°43'N / 89°58'W | 16.00 Miles | 123 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Lafayette |
| 41.9 | 1967-06-11 | 2 | 42°24'N / 90°06'W | 42°26'N / 90°01'W | 4.30 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Jo Daviess |
| 41.9 | 1995-07-27 | 2 | 41°56'N / 90°45'W | 41°49'N / 90°36'W | 10.50 Miles | 70 Yards | 0 | 0 | 200K | 150K | Clinton |
| 42.2 | 1965-04-11 | 4 | 42°52'N / 90°35'W | 43°10'N / 90°28'W | 21.30 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 3 | 2.5M | 0 | Clinton |
| 42.4 | 1958-05-31 | 2 | 42°43'N / 90°09'W | 42°44'N / 90°06'W | 1.30 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Lafayette |
| 43.0 | 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 |
| 43.2 | 1984-06-07 | 2 | 42°48'N / 90°14'W | 42°52'N / 90°09'W | 5.00 Miles | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Iowa |
| 44.2 | 1953-05-20 | 3 | 41°59'N / 91°34'W | 42°01'N / 91°23'W | 9.40 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 4 | 0K | 0 | Linn |
| 44.3 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 45.1 | 1967-01-24 | 2 | 41°57'N / 90°20'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Clinton | |||
| 45.1 | 1954-05-23 | 2 | 42°10'N / 91°40'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Linn | |||
| 45.9 | 1967-01-24 | 2 | 41°48'N / 90°50'W | 2.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Clinton | |
| 45.9 | 1985-05-30 | 2 | 42°55'N / 90°25'W | 43°00'N / 90°08'W | 14.20 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Iowa |
| 46.3 | 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 |
| 46.6 | 1966-10-14 | 2 | 42°03'N / 91°36'W | 5.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Linn | |
| 46.8 | 1995-05-09 | 2 | 41°49'N / 91°19'W | 41°54'N / 91°16'W | 7.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 500K | 0 | Cedar |
| 47.3 | 1967-01-24 | 2 | 41°47'N / 90°46'W | 2.00 Miles | 143 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Scott | |
| 48.0 | 1954-04-30 | 2 | 41°40'N / 92°00'W | 42°28'N / 91°18'W | 65.80 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Iowa |
| 48.8 | 1967-01-24 | 2 | 41°52'N / 90°22'W | 1.00 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Clinton | |
| 49.0 | 1988-05-08 | 3 | 41°45'N / 90°47'W | 41°46'N / 90°45'W | 2.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Scott |
| 49.2 | 1988-05-08 | 3 | 41°46'N / 90°45'W | 41°52'N / 90°12'W | 30.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Clinton |
* 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.