Elkader, IA Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Elkader is about the same as Iowa average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Elkader is lower than Iowa average and is higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #444
| Elkader, 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
| Elkader, 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, #900
| Elkader, IA | 186.92 |
| 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 3,279 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Elkader, 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: | 75 | Dense Fog: | 16 | Drought: | 10 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 362 | Hail: | 1,064 | Heat: | 14 | Heavy Snow: | 44 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 15 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 46 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 1,247 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 0 | Winter Storm: | 122 | Winter Weather: | 80 |
| Other: | 159 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Elkader, IA.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Elkader, IA.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Elkader, IA.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 78 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Elkader, IA.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 3.5 | 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 |
| 4.0 | 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 |
| 10.9 | 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 |
| 13.1 | 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 |
| 15.2 | 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 |
| 19.4 | 1954-04-30 | 2 | 42°38'N / 91°38'W | 1.00 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Buchanan | |
| 20.7 | 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 |
| 21.8 | 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 |
| 23.3 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 23.6 | 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 |
| 23.7 | 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 |
| 23.7 | 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 |
| 24.1 | 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 |
| 25.4 | 1971-06-24 | 3 | 43°04'N / 91°49'W | 1 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Fayette | |||
| 25.7 | 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 |
| 26.6 | 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 |
| 27.1 | 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 |
| 27.3 | 1973-06-04 | 2 | 43°09'N / 91°46'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Winneshiek | |
| 27.7 | 1964-05-07 | 2 | 42°40'N / 91°53'W | 2.00 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Fayette | |
| 28.0 | 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. | |||||||||||
| 29.1 | 1970-09-09 | 2 | 42°30'N / 91°06'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Dubuque | |
| 29.2 | 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 |
| 29.9 | 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 |
| 30.1 | 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 |
| 30.3 | 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 |
| 30.6 | 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 |
| 31.2 | 1998-06-18 | 2 | 42°29'N / 92°03'W | 42°36'N / 91°38'W | 20.00 Miles | 25 Yards | 0 | 0 | 800K | 0 | Buchanan |
| Brief Description: A farm south of Jesup sustained massive damage from a tornado and severe thunderstorm winds which passed across Buchanan County. Most of the out buildings were damaged or destroyed and every tree on the farm was lost. A double car garage was blown into a cornfield, the tool shed was pushed off it's foundation, gas barrels were gone, and a Morton Building was destroyed. There was also serious damage to the the barn roof. In the home glass was driven into the woodwork. Closet doors and the access door to the attic were blown off, and attic insulation was driven down into the house. At another farm three grain wagons were lifted off the ground. One landed vertically across the road in a ditch and another landed in a ditch near the farmhouse. Shingles and shutters were blown off this house, and 60 feet of roof was torn off the cattle shed. At the Cedar Crest and St Athansius Cemetaries east of Jesup 46 trees were destroyed. | |||||||||||
| 31.3 | 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 |
| 31.5 | 1965-08-26 | 2 | 42°32'N / 90°58'W | 0.50 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Dubuque | |
| 32.4 | 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 |
| 33.1 | 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 |
| 33.2 | 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 |
| 33.4 | 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 |
| 34.1 | 1971-07-12 | 2 | 42°50'N / 92°06'W | 42°50'N / 92°03'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Bremer | ||
| 35.1 | 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 |
| 35.3 | 1974-08-12 | 4 | 42°21'N / 91°29'W | 5.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 12 | 2.5M | 0 | Delaware | |
| 35.4 | 1981-04-10 | 2 | 42°50'N / 92°06'W | 0.80 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Bremer | |
| 35.5 | 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 |
| 35.6 | 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 |
| 35.7 | 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 |
| 35.7 | 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 |
| 35.9 | 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 |
| 36.0 | 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 |
| 36.2 | 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 |
| 37.6 | 1969-06-29 | 2 | 42°24'N / 91°00'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Dubuque | |||
| 38.4 | 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 |
| 38.4 | 1950-07-01 | 2 | 42°27'N / 91°55'W | 14.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Buchanan | |
| 38.4 | 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 |
| 38.8 | 1971-07-12 | 3 | 42°18'N / 91°31'W | 42°18'N / 91°28'W | 0 | 2 | 2.5M | 0 | Delaware | ||
| 38.8 | 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 |
| 38.9 | 1961-09-02 | 2 | 42°39'N / 92°07'W | 1.00 Mile | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Howard | |
| 40.0 | 1966-06-05 | 2 | 42°17'N / 91°30'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Linn | |||
| 40.6 | 1967-04-30 | 2 | 42°24'N / 90°54'W | 2.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Dubuque | |
| 41.4 | 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 |
| 41.5 | 1960-04-16 | 3 | 42°28'N / 92°05'W | 42°30'N / 92°00'W | 3.80 Miles | 800 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Buchanan |
| 41.7 | 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 |
| 42.0 | 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 |
| 42.1 | 1969-06-26 | 2 | 42°58'N / 90°35'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Grant | |
| 42.2 | 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 |
| 43.4 | 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 |
| 44.1 | 2000-05-11 | 2 | 42°34'N / 92°10'W | 42°30'N / 92°08'W | 5.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 300K | 2K | Black Hawk |
| Brief Description: Two houses destroyed The seasons first tornado outbreak took place during the late afternoon and early evening hours of the 11th. During the day, very strong warm air advection took place. Temperatures warmed rapidly during the day with highs reaching the mid to upper 90s over about the southwest half of the state. Dew point temperatures were in the upper 60s to low 70s. This combination produced CAPE values in excess of 8000 J/kg. During the afternoon, a strong cap was in place with 700 mb temperatures around +16 C. This prevented convection from firing during the afternoon. Toward evening, thunderstorms broke through the cap over northeast Iowa. The storms went from initial echo to tornadic storms in less than 50 minutes. A supercell formed west of the Waterloo area. This cell became a splitting cell and produced a brief tornado in Grundy County as the right moving cell split off, and golf ball size hail in Bremer County from the left moving cell. The cell moved off quickly, however additional supercells back developed over the same area. the strongest tornado developed in the Cedar Falls area and tracked across the northern portions of Waterloo. This cell produced a strong tornado which was actually a multi-vortex tornado based on reports from storm chasers in the area. At one point, west of Dunkerton, three tornadoes each one quarter mile wide were on the ground with this storm. The tornado damaged several houses and a few farmsteads along the way. Reports indicated between 5 and 10 houses in Black Hawk County were totally destroyed, and another 15 to 20 sustained significant damage. A total of at least 41 structures sustained at least some damage. In addition to the tornado, damage also occurred south of the track as RFD winds estimated as high as 100 MPH were observed. Dunkerton was hard hit as the tornado moved through. Heavy damage was reported at a coop elevator in Dunkerton, with 10 of 16 grain elevators damaged. A roof was removed from a church as well, resulting in about $500,000 damage. The City Hall building was destroyed in Dunkerton. The City Hall was housed in a series of double wide trailers since ironically the former City Hall building was destroyed just last year in the floods of '99. As the tornado moved through the fairly densely populated area, numerous injuries were reported. Some of the injuries were severe with limbs being cut off by flying debris. One woman lost both one arm and one hand, and had her back broken. She passed away 17 days after her injuries occurred. Six of the injuries occurred at a nursing home that was hit by the tornado. They occurred as the 139 residents were being evacuated. Reports indicated the width of the tornado was up to three-quarters of a mile at its widest. The damage path from the storm was around one and one half miles wide. The tornado continued moving east and crossed into Buchanan County, about 4 miles northeast of Dunkerton. A short time later, another cell developed in the Dunkerton area and dropped a tornado. That tornado struck a farm northwest of town, destroying the farm house and seven outbuildings. In addition to the damage that occurred to the structures, the family dog and one of the five horses on the farm were killed. Reports indicate a letter from one of the farm houses destroyed was found 60 miles away from Dunkerton in the town of Monona in Clayton County. Polly Mill's rural Dunkerton farmhouse was shredded by the tornado. She lost some of her late husband's military medals, pages out of the family Bible, and part of her collection of letters and first-issue stamps. Sixty miles away, on a farm east of Monona, the letter was found in an envelope carrying a first-day issue, 5-cent stamp commemorating the Battle of New Orleans. There was yet a third round of tornadic storms in the Dunkerton area. The last tornado touched down near Dunkerton and developed southward. Two houses in the town of Dunkerton were destroyed by this tornado. In addition to the tornadoes, very heavy rain fell in a narrow area of Black Hawk County. Reports of 3 inches or more of rain was received from the area. Soil conditions were very dry at the time. The dry soil conditions helped preclude any significant flooding. By the afternoon of the 12th, Iowa Governor Vilsack had declared Black Hawk County a state disaster area. | |||||||||||
| 44.3 | 1976-06-12 | 2 | 42°32'N / 92°13'W | 42°38'N / 92°10'W | 6.90 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 2 | 25K | 0 | Black Hawk |
| 44.4 | 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 |
| 44.6 | 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 |
| 44.7 | 2000-05-11 | 2 | 42°34'N / 92°14'W | 42°36'N / 92°10'W | 3.60 Miles | 120 Yards | 0 | 0 | 350K | 5K | Black Hawk |
| Brief Description: Farm and several outbuildings destroyed The seasons first tornado outbreak took place during the late afternoon and early evening hours of the 11th. During the day, very strong warm air advection took place. Temperatures warmed rapidly during the day with highs reaching the mid to upper 90s over about the southwest half of the state. Dew point temperatures were in the upper 60s to low 70s. This combination produced CAPE values in excess of 8000 J/kg. During the afternoon, a strong cap was in place with 700 mb temperatures around +16 C. This prevented convection from firing during the afternoon. Toward evening, thunderstorms broke through the cap over northeast Iowa. The storms went from initial echo to tornadic storms in less than 50 minutes. A supercell formed west of the Waterloo area. This cell became a splitting cell and produced a brief tornado in Grundy County as the right moving cell split off, and golf ball size hail in Bremer County from the left moving cell. The cell moved off quickly, however additional supercells back developed over the same area. the strongest tornado developed in the Cedar Falls area and tracked across the northern portions of Waterloo. This cell produced a strong tornado which was actually a multi-vortex tornado based on reports from storm chasers in the area. At one point, west of Dunkerton, three tornadoes each one quarter mile wide were on the ground with this storm. The tornado damaged several houses and a few farmsteads along the way. Reports indicated between 5 and 10 houses in Black Hawk County were totally destroyed, and another 15 to 20 sustained significant damage. A total of at least 41 structures sustained at least some damage. In addition to the tornado, damage also occurred south of the track as RFD winds estimated as high as 100 MPH were observed. Dunkerton was hard hit as the tornado moved through. Heavy damage was reported at a coop elevator in Dunkerton, with 10 of 16 grain elevators damaged. A roof was removed from a church as well, resulting in about $500,000 damage. The City Hall building was destroyed in Dunkerton. The City Hall was housed in a series of double wide trailers since ironically the former City Hall building was destroyed just last year in the floods of '99. As the tornado moved through the fairly densely populated area, numerous injuries were reported. Some of the injuries were severe with limbs being cut off by flying debris. One woman lost both one arm and one hand, and had her back broken. She passed away 17 days after her injuries occurred. Six of the injuries occurred at a nursing home that was hit by the tornado. They occurred as the 139 residents were being evacuated. Reports indicated the width of the tornado was up to three-quarters of a mile at its widest. The damage path from the storm was around one and one half miles wide. The tornado continued moving east and crossed into Buchanan County, about 4 miles northeast of Dunkerton. A short time later, another cell developed in the Dunkerton area and dropped a tornado. That tornado struck a farm northwest of town, destroying the farm house and seven outbuildings. In addition to the damage that occurred to the structures, the family dog and one of the five horses on the farm were killed. Reports indicate a letter from one of the farm houses destroyed was found 60 miles away from Dunkerton in the town of Monona in Clayton County. Polly Mill's rural Dunkerton farmhouse was shredded by the tornado. She lost some of her late husband's military medals, pages out of the family Bible, and part of her collection of letters and first-issue stamps. Sixty miles away, on a farm east of Monona, the letter was found in an envelope carrying a first-day issue, 5-cent stamp commemorating the Battle of New Orleans. There was yet a third round of tornadic storms in the Dunkerton area. The last tornado touched down near Dunkerton and developed southward. Two houses in the town of Dunkerton were destroyed by this tornado. In addition to the tornadoes, very heavy rain fell in a narrow area of Black Hawk County. Reports of 3 inches or more of rain was received from the area. Soil conditions were very dry at the time. The dry soil conditions helped preclude any significant flooding. By the afternoon of the 12th, Iowa Governor Vilsack had declared Black Hawk County a state disaster area. | |||||||||||
| 44.9 | 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 |
| 45.3 | 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 |
| 45.5 | 1966-07-09 | 2 | 42°30'N / 90°40'W | 42°30'N / 90°38'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Dubuque | ||
| 45.6 | 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 |
| 45.7 | 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 |
| 46.6 | 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 |
| 47.1 | 1976-06-13 | 2 | 42°25'N / 92°16'W | 42°36'N / 92°08'W | 14.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Black Hawk |
| 48.6 | 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 |
| 49.2 | 2000-05-11 | 3 | 42°31'N / 92°27'W | 42°36'N / 92°07'W | 18.50 Miles | 400 Yards | 1 | 25 | 1.8M | 10K | Black Hawk |
| Brief Description: Multi-vortex, regerative tornado F72PH The seasons first tornado outbreak took place during the late afternoon and early evening hours of the 11th. During the day, very strong warm air advection took place. Temperatures warmed rapidly during the day with highs reaching the mid to upper 90s over about the southwest half of the state. Dew point temperatures were in the upper 60s to low 70s. This combination produced CAPE values in excess of 8000 J/kg. During the afternoon, a strong cap was in place with 700 mb temperatures around +16 C. This prevented convection from firing during the afternoon. Toward evening, thunderstorms broke through the cap over northeast Iowa. The storms went from initial echo to tornadic storms in less than 50 minutes. A supercell formed west of the Waterloo area. This cell became a splitting cell and produced a brief tornado in Grundy County as the right moving cell split off, and golf ball size hail in Bremer County from the left moving cell. The cell moved off quickly, however additional supercells back developed over the same area. the strongest tornado developed in the Cedar Falls area and tracked across the northern portions of Waterloo. This cell produced a strong tornado which was actually a multi-vortex tornado based on reports from storm chasers in the area. At one point, west of Dunkerton, three tornadoes each one quarter mile wide were on the ground with this storm. The tornado damaged several houses and a few farmsteads along the way. Reports indicated between 5 and 10 houses in Black Hawk County were totally destroyed, and another 15 to 20 sustained significant damage. A total of at least 41 structures sustained at least some damage. In addition to the tornado, damage also occurred south of the track as RFD winds estimated as high as 100 MPH were observed. Dunkerton was hard hit as the tornado moved through. Heavy damage was reported at a coop elevator in Dunkerton, with 10 of 16 grain elevators damaged. A roof was removed from a church as well, resulting in about $500,000 damage. The City Hall building was destroyed in Dunkerton. The City Hall was housed in a series of double wide trailers since ironically the former City Hall building was destroyed just last year in the floods of '99. As the tornado moved through the fairly densely populated area, numerous injuries were reported. Some of the injuries were severe with limbs being cut off by flying debris. One woman lost both one arm and one hand, and had her back broken. She passed away 17 days after her injuries occurred. Six of the injuries occurred at a nursing home that was hit by the tornado. They occurred as the 139 residents were being evacuated. Reports indicated the width of the tornado was up to three-quarters of a mile at its widest. The damage path from the storm was around one and one half miles wide. The tornado continued moving east and crossed into Buchanan County, about 4 miles northeast of Dunkerton. A short time later, another cell developed in the Dunkerton area and dropped a tornado. That tornado struck a farm northwest of town, destroying the farm house and seven outbuildings. In addition to the damage that occurred to the structures, the family dog and one of the five horses on the farm were killed. Reports indicate a letter from one of the farm houses destroyed was found 60 miles away from Dunkerton in the town of Monona in Clayton County. Polly Mill's rural Dunkerton farmhouse was shredded by the tornado. She lost some of her late husband's military medals, pages out of the family Bible, and part of her collection of letters and first-issue stamps. Sixty miles away, on a farm east of Monona, the letter was found in an envelope carrying a first-day issue, 5-cent stamp commemorating the Battle of New Orleans. There was yet a third round of tornadic storms in the Dunkerton area. The last tornado touched down near Dunkerton and developed southward. Two houses in the town of Dunkerton were destroyed by this tornado. In addition to the tornadoes, very heavy rain fell in a narrow area of Black Hawk County. Reports of 3 inches or more of rain was received from the area. Soil conditions were very dry at the time. The dry soil conditions helped preclude any significant flooding. By the afternoon of the 12th, Iowa Governor Vilsack had declared Black Hawk County a state disaster area. | |||||||||||
| 49.3 | 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 |
| 49.4 | 1965-09-09 | 2 | 43°23'N / 92°04'W | 1.00 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Howard | |
| 49.5 | 2008-05-25 | 2 | 42°34'N / 92°33'W | 42°37'N / 92°04'W | 24.00 Miles | 2100 Yards | 0 | 20 | 25.0M | 155K | Black Hawk |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: Tornado moved in from Butler County and became very broad as it headed toward Fairbank. Tornado lifted on the Buchanan County border. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A very intense upper low was located over the southwest U.S. and lifted northeast during the weekend of the 24th into the morning of the 26th. The seasons first strong push of deep moisture moved into Iowa on the 25th with surface temperatures warming into the mid 80s and dew points surging into the upper 60s to low 70s. Precipitable water values were near 1.5 inches. The dry slot pushed north across the area the previous night as the warm front lifted north. The primary surface low was located over northern Minnesota. A cold front extended south from the low into northwest Iowa. The airmass became very unstable by the mid afternoon hours. MUCAPE rose to between 4000 and 5000 J/kg. Lifted indices fell to -8 to -11 C. There was a considerable amount of both DCAPE at 1000-1500 J/kg and cape in the -10 to-30 C. layer of the atmoshpere, between 400 and 600 J/kg. The freezing level was around 13,200 feet. The environment was quite sheared with effective shear in the 40 to 50 kt range. LCL values were between 1000 and 1500 meters. The airmass was initially capped. During the late afternoon hours, a small cluster of thunderstorms formed over north central into northeast Iowa. The storms became severe very quickly. Initially, the storms dropped hail up to golf ball in size. One became a strong super cell and produced a major tornado. This cell, in addition to being tornadic, also produced hail of baseball to softball in size and winds in excess of 90 MPH. The tornado track was from approximately 2 miles south of Aplington to Parkersburg, then continued to New Hartford and across northern Black Hawk County. The average path width ranged from 0.6 to 0.7 miles near Parkersburg to just north of New Hartford. The path constricted to near one quarter mile wide east of New Hartford to north of Waterloo. The width then increased to near 1.2 miles wide north of Dunkerton before dissipating near the Black Hawk and Buchanan County line. The tornado was on the ground for approximately 43 miles. In addition to the main tornado, a satellite tornado was observed by storm chasers and one off duty NWS employee. It was located south of the main tornado and was on the ground for a little over a mile in Grundy County. Initial reports indicated 9 fatalities with 7 in Parkersburg (pop 1889) and 2 in New Hartford (pop 637). There were at least 50 injuries, with 4 of those in critical condition. Two of the fatalities occurred a few days after the tornado from injuries sustained in the tornado. The last fatality occurred on 7 Nov. A 61 year old female sustained injuries in the stairwell of her home when a 2 x 4 was thrown through her right side lung. She was hospitalized and died several months later of complications. Significant structural damage occurred across the southern end of Parkersburg and along a path to just north of New Hartford. Numerous structures completely destroyed from Parkersburg to near New Hartford. The tornado continued eastward to just north of the Waterloo and Cedar Falls area. Significant damage also occurred north of Dunkerton where the tornado increased to its greatest path width. This storm also produced substantial straight line wind damage along the southern periphery of the storm just south of the tornado track. News accounts indicated that a receipt from Parkersburg was found around 1915 CST 3 miles north of Prairie du Chien, WI, 109 miles to the northeast. Receipits were also found in Clayton County at Elkader, and full scrapbook pages and photos were found in far northeast Bremer County at Sumner. Preliminary estimates that straight line winds of 90 to 100 MPH occurred with this storm. At 1637 CST, the Waterloo Airport recorded a 93 MPH wind gust. Survey results suggest that straight line wind damage was the cause of the severe damage at the recreational vehicle dealership north of Cedar Falls. At least 627 homes were damaged, including 288 homes destroyed in Parkersburg, 88 in New Hartford, 15 in Hazelton and another 50 in Black Hawk County. In addition, 58 had major damage, 33 had moderate damage, 2 were inaccessible, and 93 damaged but able to be occupied. There were also 21 businesses destroyed. Governor Chet Culver declared both Butler and Black Hawk disaster areas with both given the State Declaration. A Federal Disaster Declaration occurred two days later for both Butler and Black Hawk Counties. The tornado was rated a low end EF5 by a Quick Response Team (QRT) in portions of Parkersburg and north of New Hartford with peak winds estimated at 205 MPH. For historical reference, the last F5 tornado to hit Iowa was on 13 June 1976 in Boone and Story Counties in the town of Jordan, with a 21 mile path length. The last F4 tornado to hit Iowa was in Union, Madison, and Dallas Counties with a 56 mile path length on 8 April 1999. There was one other smaller tornado during the evening. A tornado touched down in Clarke County and was on the ground for a short time southeast of Osceola. After the initial thunderstorm area developed over north central and northeast Iowa, a large complex developed over southeast Nebraska. The two areas of storms filled in to form a squall line by the mid evening hours. The complex over Nebraska then pushed east and northeast along the squall line. A considerable amount of severe weather was generated during the evening as this occurred. Along the squall line, high winds and hail were common with the dominant mode of severe weather being hail of up to golf ball in size. As the MCS out of Nebraska advanced east, a tail extending south from the centroid took on a bow echo configuration and raced east across Iowa at 65 MPH. Very high winds occurred with this feature with numerous locations reporting winds of 65 to 85 MPH. Some of the higher winds included an 85 MPH wind gust in the Winterset area and numerous reports of 75 to 85 MPH winds from Madison, Dallas, Warren and Polk Counties. Lightning struck a house in Ankeny. The house was set on fire by the strike. | |||||||||||
| 49.6 | 1954-05-23 | 2 | 42°10'N / 91°40'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Linn | |||
* 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.