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Emmet County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes

 
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The chance of earthquake damage in Emmet County is about the same as Iowa average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Emmet County is lower than Iowa average and is higher than the national average.

Topics:Earthquake IndexVolcano IndexTornado IndexOther Weather Extremes EventsVolcanos NearbyHistorical Earthquake EventsHistorical Tornado Events

Earthquake Index, #37

Emmet County
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

Emmet County
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, #83

Emmet County
184.34
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 11,711 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Emmet County were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:

TypeCountTypeCountTypeCountTypeCountTypeCount
Avalanche:0Blizzard:83Cold:60Dense Fog:9Drought:24
Dust Storm:0Flood:1,014Hail:5,019Heat:18Heavy Snow:110
High Surf:0Hurricane:0Ice Storm:43Landslide:0Strong Wind:131
Thunderstorm Winds:4,314Tropical Storm:0Wildfire:1Winter Storm:190Winter Weather:116
Other:579 

Volcanos Nearby

No volcano is found in or near Emmet County.

Historical Earthquake Events

No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Emmet County.

No historical earthquake events found in or near Emmet County.

Historical Tornado Events

A total of 73 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Emmet County.

Distance (miles)DateMagnitudeStart Lat/LogEnd Lat/LogLengthWidthFatalitiesInjuriesProperty DamageCrop DamageAffected County
1.41976-06-14243°15'N / 94°47'W43°29'N / 94°36'W18.30 Miles33 Yards003K0Emmet
2.81967-04-30243°25'N / 94°41'W1.00 Mile200 Yards00250K0Emmet
5.01967-04-30243°23'N / 94°41'W43°29'N / 94°47'W8.20 Miles300 Yards002.5M0Emmet
12.01977-05-04243°33'N / 94°38'W0025K0Martin
12.21967-04-30243°07'N / 94°40'W43°18'N / 94°32'W14.00 Miles300 Yards00250K0Palo Alto
14.41951-06-25243°34'N / 94°46'W43°36'N / 94°29'W14.20 Miles33 Yards00250K0Martin
15.01976-06-14243°09'N / 94°54'W43°15'N / 94°47'W8.60 Miles33 Yards003K0Palo Alto
17.01959-05-28243°10'N / 94°54'W43°12'N / 94°51'W2.30 Miles100 Yards0025K0Palo Alto
18.91953-03-21343°16'N / 94°38'W43°18'N / 94°00'W31.80 Miles400 Yards00250K0Emmet
19.11960-06-23243°39'N / 94°44'W2.00 Miles33 Yards003K0Martin
19.61968-06-13243°23'N / 95°06'W43°26'N / 95°01'W4.90 Miles200 Yards0172.5M0Dickinson
21.31959-05-28243°12'N / 95°01'W1.00 Mile150 Yards003K0Clay
21.71960-07-11243°24'N / 95°06'W1.00 Mile300 Yards00250K0Dickinson
22.31953-06-07243°00'N / 94°28'W43°13'N / 94°23'W15.20 Miles500 Yards000K0Palo Alto
26.81990-08-18243°28'N / 95°16'W43°22'N / 95°08'W8.50 Miles63 Yards002.5M0Dickinson
27.01998-05-15243°01'N / 94°14'W43°28'N / 94°06'W31.30 Miles175 Yards001.0M75KKossuth
 Brief Description: Intermittent track As the system mentioned above continued to evolve, a widespread outbreak of severe weather took place over Iowa. Strong upper level dynamics moved over the state over the top of an unstable air mass. Surface dew point temperatures were in the low 70s with actual temperatures in the upper 70s to low 80s. CAPE values rose to between 2500 and 3500 J/kg. The situation became complex during the afternoon as several bands of severe thunderstorms developed. Some areas of the state were affected three times during the day as the storms raced northeast around 60 MPH. The main severe feature with the storms was high wind. There were numerous reports of wind gusts of 60 to 75 MPH. Some were even higher. One of the highest reports came from Atlantic in Cass County. Ninety one MPH winds there threw several cars and a few semi-tractortrailer trucks off of Interstate 80. High winds in Kossuth County at Algona resulted in roof damage at a nursing home there. Part of the roof was removed by the winds with the damage estimates to the building places at around $200,000. Another cluster of storms moved into north central Iowa and caused widespread damage in Cerro Gordo and Worth Counties. Both were hit with winds around 70 MPH. There were numerous other reports of damage to farm buildings around the state ranging from corn cribs damaged to barns being destroyed. Damage to trees and power lines was extensive. North of Algona, along U.S. Highway 169, seventy eight power poles were downed by the high winds resulting in a four day closure of the highway. Utility damage around the county was estimated at between $600,000 and $800,000, while insurance adjusters estimated damage around the county at $1.2 million. There were some reports of hail, especially during the first few hours of the event. The largest hail was around golf ball in size. In addition to the wind and hail, there were several tornado touch downs in the state. A tornado touched down in Kossuth County and did over $1 million in damage. The tornado destroyed 2 houses with another 10 sustaining major damage. Fifteen farmsteads were destroyed as well. Kossuth County was later declared a disaster area. There was also considerable damage to barns and other farm buildings across the county. The outflow from the tornadic storm in Kossuth County pushed an 85 MPH wind gust south into Humboldt County. The high winds blew over 41 railroad cars of the Union Pacific Railroad south of Ottosen. A band of 80 to 90 MPH winds swept across Franklin and Butler Counties. Damage was widespread. There was one report of the wind carrying the family dog over one half mile from home. The dog was later found safe and healthy. Another of the stronger tornadoes included one in Wright County that was on the ground for over 10 miles. It damaged several farm buildings along its path. Several 2 x 4's were driven into the ground north of Clarion by the tornado. Another fairly strong tornado touched down in Crawford County. The rope tornado touched down southeast of Denison. It hit a train about 3 miles east of Denison and derailed nine cars of the Union Pacific freight train. The engineer saw it coming and thought it was so small that nothing would happen. There was also minor damage to 1 house and several out buildings. There were a few other brief touch downs around the state, however no damage was reported with them. The rapid movement of the storms prevented a lot of the flooding that would have otherwise occurred. Repeat thunderstorms passing over Kossuth County did cause some urban flooding. Damage was relatively minor, however several homes reported minor flooding. As the storms moved across Hancock County, lightning struck a house in the town of Britt. The kitchen sink was blown away from the wall and all of the appliances and the electrical equipment in the house was damaged. Lightning struck very close to another house in Wright County in Belmond. A 75-year old woman received minor injuries as she was struck by lightning as she unplugged her TV near a large window.
27.41984-06-07343°12'N / 94°13'W43°19'N / 94°05'W9.00 Miles150 Yards0525.0M0Kossuth
27.71979-06-28343°15'N / 94°15'W43°01'N / 94°13'W15.90 Miles300 Yards23425.0M0Kossuth
27.91984-06-07242°55'N / 94°45'W43°02'N / 94°32'W15.00 Miles100 Yards012.5M0Palo Alto
27.91980-07-19243°01'N / 94°25'W43°02'N / 94°23'W002.5M0Kossuth
28.81980-09-20343°09'N / 95°09'W1.50 Miles300 Yards0025K0Clay
28.81984-06-07243°09'N / 95°09'W2.00 Miles77 Yards00250K0Clay
29.41991-04-26243°16'N / 95°14'W18.00 Miles60 Yards00250K0Dickinson
29.81981-06-14243°27'N / 95°23'W43°29'N / 95°07'W13.30 Miles33 Yards002.5M0Dickinson
30.11971-05-31343°22'N / 95°19'W43°28'N / 95°13'W8.00 Miles200 Yards00250K0Dickinson
30.21981-06-14243°29'N / 95°23'W43°30'N / 95°07'W13.10 Miles33 Yards002.5M0Dickinson
31.41980-07-19242°50'N / 94°50'W43°01'N / 94°25'W24.40 Miles80 Yards002.5M0Palo Alto
32.11953-06-07242°50'N / 94°42'W43°00'N / 94°28'W16.20 Miles833 Yards000K0Pocahontas
33.32008-06-11243°00'N / 95°16'W43°09'N / 95°06'W13.00 Miles100 Yards00300K0KClay
 Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A tornado destroyed or heavily damaged numerous outbuildings on at least 8 affected farmsteads, with damaged buildings including several large sheds. The tornado damaged numerous grain bins, most of which were carried off their foundations, with some being carried as much as a half mile. The ornado also overturned a camper, blew the top off a silo, destroyed a garage, broke windows on a house, and caused considerable damage to trees, power poles, and power lines. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Thunderstorms produced several tornadoes, along with large hail, damaging winds, and flash flooding in northwest Iowa during the late afternoon and early evening of June 11th.
33.41971-05-31343°30'N / 95°20'W43°38'N / 95°14'W10.00 Miles100 Yards00250K0Jackson
33.71984-06-07243°13'N / 94°04'W43°19'N / 93°58'W8.00 Miles150 Yards012.5M0Kossuth
33.91975-06-04243°02'N / 95°09'W003K0Clay
34.21984-06-07242°50'N / 94°42'W42°56'N / 94°35'W8.00 Miles100 Yards002.5M0Pocahontas
34.62004-06-11342°55'N / 95°03'W42°59'N / 95°00'W6.00 Miles400 Yards0050K0Clay
 Brief Description: A large cone shaped tornado tore a steel bridge from a road. The tornado raised a large debris cloud as it moved over open country, causing damage to crops and power lines. The tornado moved into Clay County after forming just south of the County Line.
34.81984-06-07242°51'N / 94°51'W42°55'N / 94°45'W10.00 Miles100 Yards012.5M0Pocahontas
35.52006-08-01343°54'N / 94°43'W43°53'N / 94°40'W1.50 Miles440 Yards002.0M0Watonwan
 Brief Description: Initial damage occurred at farmstead just east of the Watonwan/Cottonwood line. Damage included the partial removal of roofs off two large sheds, along with scattered downed trees. The tornado then moved across corn and bean fields. Another farmstead was hit just southwest of the intersection of County Roads 10 and 2. This was the location of the F3 damage. A house was leveled, a 60 foot concrete base silo was toppled and rolled. Virtually all barns, sheds and outbuildings were completely destroyed.
36.11964-08-29442°55'N / 94°14'W43°07'N / 94°04'W15.80 Miles100 Yards02250K0Kossuth
36.31968-03-18243°52'N / 94°24'W2.50 Miles83 Yards0025K0Watonwan
36.61964-05-08243°26'N / 95°26'W43°29'N / 95°21'W5.10 Miles200 Yards0025K0Osceola
36.82004-06-11243°08'N / 95°23'W43°12'N / 95°18'W5.50 Miles200 Yards00500K0Clay
 Brief Description: A tornado destroyed a hog barn, killing ten hogs, destroyed a greenhouse, destroyed a barn, outbuildings, a machine shed and a garage, and damaged several other farm structures including a horse barn. Several horses were injured. At least two houses were damaged, with windows blown out. Several vehicles were also damaged. Numerous power lines and trees were blown down. The tornado also damaged crops.
37.71966-07-09243°26'N / 95°25'W1.00 Mile200 Yards0025K0Osceola
38.01976-06-14243°46'N / 95°11'W43°51'N / 95°06'W6.40 Miles300 Yards03250K0Jackson
38.21954-04-26243°03'N / 95°18'W42°58'N / 95°10'W8.40 Miles33 Yards000K0Clay
38.61974-06-09243°05'N / 94°01'W00250K0Kossuth
40.12004-05-21242°49'N / 94°31'W42°49'N / 94°25'W5.00 Miles500 Yards0025K5KPocahontas
 Brief Description: Tornado touched down in open areas east of Rolfe. It did some damage but didn't do significant damage before crossing into Humboldt County. A very unstable airmass was over Iowa and helped kick off the seasons first severe weather outbreak. At the surface a warm frontal boundary extended nearly east to west across the state and provided the focus for thunderstorm development. By the late afternoon, lifted indices were approaching -10 C. with CAPE values around 5000 J/kg over western Iowa. Surface temperatures warmed into the upper 80s with dew points in the low to mid 70s. A southwest surface wind of 15 to 25 kts pushed over the front. Northeast of the frontal boundary winds were easterly around 10 to 15 kts. Actually, the surface boundary was further enhanced by outflow from convective complexes during the day, further sharpening the contrast. Thunderstorms continued to fire along and north of the boundary through the afternoon and into the evening. This resulted in widespread flash flooding as very heavy rains fell on areas that had had significant rainfall the previous night. There were reports in north central into northeast Iowa of 2 to 4 inches of rainfall in a little more than an hours time. Major flooding took place in the Mason City area where evacuations were taking place. The thunderstorms became most intense during the afternoon into the early evening. There were several tornadoes across northeast into north central Iowa. Most were relatively brief touchdowns and were in open areas. Reports of multi-vortex tornadoes were received from Grundy County. The days most significant tornado touched down in Pocahontas County east of Rolfe and tracked into Humboldt County through the Bradgate area. The tornado damaged or destroyed over 75% of the town of Bradgate (pop 120). Tornado damage in Bradgate was very extensive impacting most of the town. Hardly a building was not impacted. Outbuildings, light structures and garages were heavily damaged or destroyed. Two homes were destroyed. Several homes were damaged ranging from minor to extensive. The Survey Team found that the majority of the damage was F1, with a few cases of F2 damage. The F2 damage was to the snapping of very large trees just west of town and the structural damage to two buildings. Nearly all of the 53 homes there reported damage with several totally destroyed. Significant widespread property damage was reported in the tornadoes path. There were several injuries in the town, the most significant being a broken leg. A police officer was reportedly hit by debris from the tornado and suffered a broken leg. According to law officials, the damage path of the tornado was 2 miles wide and about 8 miles long. Storm chasers on the scene reported the tornado itself to be one half mile wide at one point. Reports of hail were numerous through the afternoon and evening. Most of the hail was in the three quarter inch to one inch diameter range. There were a few reports of golf ball size hail from the stronger storms. Winds were not a major problem with the activity. There were spotty reports of winds to around 60 MPH, but most reports were in the 40 to 50 MPH range. One of the stronger wind reports was a 64 MPH wind gust in Tripoli in Bremer County. This gust was measured by a mesonet station there. During the mid evening hours, thunderstorms rumbled across Grundy County. Lightning struck the Sheriff's office there and destroyed a significant amount of office equipment. Damage was reported around $100,000.
40.21981-06-14243°25'N / 95°33'W43°27'N / 95°23'W8.30 Miles1533 Yards002.5M0Osceola
40.21976-06-14243°51'N / 95°06'W43°56'N / 95°00'W7.10 Miles300 Yards03250K0Cottonwood
40.41981-06-14243°26'N / 95°33'W43°29'N / 95°23'W8.80 Miles1533 Yards002.5M0Osceola
40.71984-06-07243°19'N / 93°58'W43°27'N / 93°45'W13.00 Miles150 Yards002.5M0Winnebago
41.31971-05-31343°20'N / 95°32'W43°27'N / 95°27'W8.60 Miles250 Yards00250K0Osceola
41.71968-06-13243°23'N / 95°30'W00250K0Osceola
41.71971-10-01343°02'N / 95°29'W43°09'N / 95°19'W11.20 Miles33 Yards00250K0O'brien
42.62004-05-21242°48'N / 94°26'W42°48'N / 94°19'W7.50 Miles880 Yards0152.5M10KHumboldt
 Brief Description: Tornado intensified as it approached Bradgate. Seventy five percent of the town was damaged or destroyed by the tornado which was one half mile wide as it moved through. A very unstable airmass was over Iowa and helped kick off the seasons first severe weather outbreak. At the surface a warm frontal boundary extended nearly east to west across the state and provided the focus for thunderstorm development. By the late afternoon, lifted indices were approaching -10 C. with CAPE values around 5000 J/kg over western Iowa. Surface temperatures warmed into the upper 80s with dew points in the low to mid 70s. A southwest surface wind of 15 to 25 kts pushed over the front. Northeast of the frontal boundary winds were easterly around 10 to 15 kts. Actually, the surface boundary was further enhanced by outflow from convective complexes during the day, further sharpening the contrast. Thunderstorms continued to fire along and north of the boundary through the afternoon and into the evening. This resulted in widespread flash flooding as very heavy rains fell on areas that had had significant rainfall the previous night. There were reports in north central into northeast Iowa of 2 to 4 inches of rainfall in a little more than an hours time. Major flooding took place in the Mason City area where evacuations were taking place. The thunderstorms became most intense during the afternoon into the early evening. There were several tornadoes across northeast into north central Iowa. Most were relatively brief touchdowns and were in open areas. Reports of multi-vortex tornadoes were received from Grundy County. The days most significant tornado touched down in Pocahontas County east of Rolfe and tracked into Humboldt County through the Bradgate area. The tornado damaged or destroyed over 75% of the town of Bradgate (pop 120). Tornado damage in Bradgate was very extensive impacting most of the town. Hardly a building was not impacted. Outbuildings, light structures and garages were heavily damaged or destroyed. Two homes were destroyed. Several homes were damaged ranging from minor to extensive. The Survey Team found that the majority of the damage was F1, with a few cases of F2 damage. The F2 damage was to the snapping of very large trees just west of town and the structural damage to two buildings. Nearly all of the 53 homes there reported damage with several totally destroyed. Significant widespread property damage was reported in the tornadoes path. There were several injuries in the town, the most significant being a broken leg. A police officer was reportedly hit by debris from the tornado and suffered a broken leg. According to law officials, the damage path of the tornado was 2 miles wide and about 8 miles long. Storm chasers on the scene reported the tornado itself to be one half mile wide at one point. Reports of hail were numerous through the afternoon and evening. Most of the hail was in the three quarter inch to one inch diameter range. There were a few reports of golf ball size hail from the stronger storms. Winds were not a major problem with the activity. There were spotty reports of winds to around 60 MPH, but most reports were in the 40 to 50 MPH range. One of the stronger wind reports was a 64 MPH wind gust in Tripoli in Bremer County. This gust was measured by a mesonet station there. During the mid evening hours, thunderstorms rumbled across Grundy County. Lightning struck the Sheriff's office there and destroyed a significant amount of office equipment. Damage was reported around $100,000.
43.51962-05-18244°04'N / 94°48'W43°53'N / 93°59'W42.40 Miles50 Yards0025K0Watonwan
43.91980-09-20242°55'N / 94°07'W42°56'N / 94°00'W5.20 Miles80 Yards002.5M0Kossuth
44.01981-06-12242°50'N / 94°13'W0125K0Humboldt
44.31984-06-07243°12'N / 93°49'W43°17'N / 93°48'W5.00 Miles127 Yards002.5M0Hancock
44.41982-05-17243°13'N / 93°49'W43°15'N / 93°48'W2.00 Miles80 Yards00250K0Hancock
44.51984-06-07243°17'N / 93°48'W43°28'N / 93°46'W13.00 Miles127 Yards002.5M0Winnebago
44.91982-05-17243°15'N / 93°48'W43°27'N / 93°45'W11.00 Miles80 Yards00250K0Winnebago
45.01963-05-09243°13'N / 93°55'W43°17'N / 93°40'W13.10 Miles400 Yards00250K0Hancock
45.11951-06-25243°13'N / 93°48'W0.80 Mile500 Yards080K0Hancock
45.31977-08-09244°04'N / 94°46'W44°00'N / 94°41'W5.60 Miles70 Yards00250K0Watonwan
46.41984-06-07242°52'N / 94°04'W42°53'N / 94°03'W1.00 Mile150 Yards002.5M0Kossuth
46.41963-07-16244°03'N / 94°46'W44°03'N / 94°39'W5.20 Miles1760 Yards00250K0Watonwan
46.71984-06-07242°50'N / 94°07'W42°52'N / 94°04'W7.00 Miles150 Yards002.5M0Humboldt
46.81984-06-07242°53'N / 94°03'W43°00'N / 93°52'W14.00 Miles150 Yards002.5M0Hancock
47.81953-06-07342°33'N / 94°42'W42°51'N / 94°15'W30.70 Miles200 Yards000K0Calhoun
47.91957-06-16242°30'N / 95°24'W43°00'N / 94°45'W47.60 Miles33 Yards00250K0Ida
48.31965-05-15242°47'N / 94°10'W0.50 Mile100 Yards000K0Humboldt
48.51990-06-19242°48'N / 94°32'W42°34'N / 94°32'W14.00 Miles77 Yards002.5M0Pocahontas
49.21994-08-07243°57'N / 94°05'W5.00 Miles40 Yards0050K0Blue Earth
 Brief Description: This tornado touched down near County Road 10 in Lyra Township, 3 miles east of Vernon Center. As it tracked to the southeast, it damaged 4 barns, 2 mobile homes and 2 homes. It then entered Sterling Township, caused significant crop damage by flattening a path through a corn field. It damaged 3 more barns and 9 more homes before lifting off the ground about 1 mile east of Sterling Center. Despite the amount of damage, there were no injuries or fatalities. Overall, 12-14 buildings received structural damage and 7 barns were damaged.
49.72008-06-11242°58'N / 95°32'W43°03'N / 95°30'W6.00 Miles300 Yards00200K0KO'brien
 Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A tornado destroyed several outbuildings, moved a 1.5 ton wagon, heavily damaged a machine shed containing farm equipment and also damaged a nearby house on the same farm. Also destroyed another machine shed at a different location, destroyed a pole barn, damaged a grain bin, broke or blew down several power poles and power lines, and caused tree damage. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Thunderstorms produced several tornadoes, along with large hail, damaging winds, and flash flooding in northwest Iowa during the late afternoon and early evening of June 11th.


* 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.


 
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