Richland, IA Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Richland is about the same as Iowa average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Richland is lower than Iowa average and is much higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #492
| Richland, 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
| Richland, 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, #696
| Richland, IA | 214.25 |
| 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 3,446 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Richland, 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: | 32 | Cold: | 49 | Dense Fog: | 12 | Drought: | 16 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 562 | Hail: | 868 | Heat: | 17 | Heavy Snow: | 64 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 39 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 82 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 1,309 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 0 | Winter Storm: | 100 | Winter Weather: | 61 |
| Other: | 235 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Richland, IA.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Richland, IA.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Richland, IA.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 90 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Richland, IA.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 4.8 | 1959-05-09 | 3 | 41°12'N / 91°59'W | 41°17'N / 91°54'W | 6.60 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Keokuk |
| 10.0 | 1988-05-08 | 2 | 40°55'N / 92°09'W | 41°10'N / 91°49'W | 27.00 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Jefferson |
| 13.0 | 1982-09-13 | 2 | 40°59'N / 92°11'W | 41°01'N / 91°53'W | 13.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Jefferson |
| 13.2 | 1967-04-21 | 3 | 41°00'N / 91°56'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Jefferson | |||
| 14.7 | 1965-09-20 | 3 | 41°20'N / 92°12'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 4 | 250K | 0 | Keokuk | |
| 14.7 | 1989-04-27 | 2 | 40°44'N / 92°10'W | 41°56'N / 91°25'W | 12.00 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Van Buren |
| 16.4 | 1975-11-09 | 2 | 40°54'N / 92°06'W | 41°00'N / 91°59'W | 8.80 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 3 | 250K | 0 | Jefferson |
| 16.5 | 1988-11-15 | 2 | 41°04'N / 92°20'W | 41°08'N / 92°15'W | 6.00 Miles | 63 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Wapello |
| 17.3 | 2006-04-02 | 2 | 41°18'N / 91°42'W | 41°18'N / 91°42'W | 1.00 Mile | 75 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Washington |
| Brief Description: Rated F2 A supercell spawned a tornado on the west side of Washington at West Main Street and moved northeast for 1 mile. A garage was competely unroofed and a shed was destroyed. Numerous trees were snapped along the path and metal sheeting was torn off a business near the end of the path. Near environmental, model, and radar data suggests that if the subcloud layer could have been slighly more unstable, a much stronger tornado would probably have occurred causing significant damage. | |||||||||||
| 18.3 | 1959-05-09 | 3 | 40°54'N / 91°46'W | 41°09'N / 91°40'W | 17.80 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Jefferson |
| 18.4 | 1988-05-08 | 2 | 41°26'N / 92°10'W | 41°28'N / 91°55'W | 12.00 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Keokuk |
| 19.8 | 1988-05-08 | 2 | 41°10'N / 91°49'W | 41°20'N / 91°26'W | 19.00 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Washington |
| 20.0 | 1984-06-07 | 2 | 41°28'N / 92°00'W | 41°28'N / 91°48'W | 10.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 2.5M | 0 | Keokuk |
| 20.2 | 1975-11-09 | 2 | 41°15'N / 91°37'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Washington | |||
| 20.9 | 1988-05-08 | 2 | 40°54'N / 92°10'W | 40°55'N / 92°09'W | 3.00 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Wapello |
| 21.1 | 1975-11-09 | 2 | 40°53'N / 92°07'W | 40°54'N / 92°06'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Van Buren | ||
| 21.4 | 1958-06-08 | 2 | 40°55'N / 92°12'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Wapello | |||
| 21.5 | 2001-04-11 | 2 | 40°58'N / 92°23'W | 41°05'N / 92°19'W | 8.40 Miles | 100 Yards | 2 | 3 | 400K | 0 | Wapello |
| Brief Description: Quick moving tornado, touchdown with strongest part in Agency. Nine buildings with major damage, 43 with minor. Two buildings destroyed. Two dead, three injured. F73BU, F61BU A very powerful storm system moved through the southern Rockies during the night of the 10th and early morning of the 11th. Intense surface low pressure formed over western Kansas with a central pressure by sunrise on the 11th of 977 Mb. The weather situation was very dynamic with 500 Mb winds over 100 kts and a very sharp dry punch clearly visible on the satellite pictures. During the day the warm front that extended east from the low reached into southern Iowa, then extended eastward. There were two things that occurred during the day. The first was a very strong supercell that formed over northern Missouri during the morning. This storm lifted north-northeast at about 50 kts into Iowa, producing a long track tornado with a path extending nearly all the way to Des Moines. During the afternoon the warm front surged north with the northeast progression of the surface dry line. Dew points rose into the mid 60s to the south of the warm front across much of the southeast half to two thirds of Iowa. Surface temperatures in these areas reached the 60s north, with 70s south. With the atmosphere primed, the dry line began to move into Iowa. Dew point temperatures behind the dry line were in the 30s with southwest winds of 30 to 50 MPH. A broken squall line formed on the nose of the dry punch and became severe quickly. The storm cells themselves were not all that large, but nearly every cell along the line did carry a mesoscale circulation. There were several tornado touchdowns as the line lifted north as well. The primary severe weather during this even was the tornadic nature of it. There were reports of wind and hail, but everything considered these reports were pretty scattered. There were very few reports of wind and hail with the first supercell as it lifted north out of Missouri. One inch diameter hail was reported in Ringgold County east of Redding. Reports of winds and hail were more frequent with the second line of thunderstorms. There were numerous reports of hail up to marble size with this line, however there were not all that many reports of hail larger than that. A few reports of three quarter to one inch diameter hail were received from Marion and Polk Counties. The most significant hail occurred in northeast Iowa in Butler County. Golf ball size hail fell in the town of Parkersburg as the line passed over the city. There were more reports of wind with the second round. Nearly all locations reported winds of at least 50 MPH as the line passed overhead. Scattered reports of winds of 70 to 85 MPH were received. Wind damage occurred in Boone County as high winds downed power lines and downed outbuildings north of Ogden. The greatest wind damage occurred over northeast Iowa in Black Hawk and Franklin Counties. A building was blown off of its foundation and onto an adjacent road southwest of Hampton in Franklin County. A roof of a barn was damaged and a grain wagon was tipped over northwest of Hampton. Roof and house damage was reported over parts of Black Hawk County as well. Five injuries occurred in Warren County at Carlisle when winds of around 65 MPH toppled a school bus. Twenty one children were on board the bus when it overturned with 5 treated for minor injuries. Spotty damage was reported around the greater Des Moines metropolitan area. Several tornadoes occurred with this system. The most significant tornado entered southern Iowa around mid day. This tornado reached minimal F3 intensity just east of Mt. Ayr (Ringgold County). Property damage is estimated at over $500,000 in Ringgold county alone. Across the Des Moines area of responsibility, at least 15 homes were destroyed, and 60 residences were damaged as around a dozen tornadoes touched down. A supercell thunderstorm moved north from Missouri into southern Iowa late in the morning of April 11. The storm produced a tornado in northern Missouri and crossed into Iowa in Ringgold County. The storm, and tornado, moved north through Ringgold County with a continuous damage path half way through the county. The damage path continued north through northern Ringgold County, southeast Union County and into northwest Clarke County. In this area, the path was not continuous. Based on damage reports, the tornado continued to produce occasional damage in Madison County. Chaser reports indicate the tornado had a multi-vortex structure as it moved through Ringgold and Union Counties. The last reported sighting was in northern Polk County where a brief touchdown was reported with no damage. The storm likely produced one tornado from the Missouri border to Madison County with an intermittent damage track. Damage in Ringgold County was severe with initial estimates around $1 million. The county was later declared a federal disaster area by President Bush. A second tornado briefly touched down in northern Polk County. The touchdown in Polk County was indeed a separate tornado. Even though the tornado was from the same parent cell, the system had occluded and was in the process of forming a new tornado as it passed over the western part of the Des Moines area. Reports from this tornado indicate that at least 9 homes were damaged or destroyed, one business destroyed, and a school building damaged. In addition to losses to homes, one farmstead was hit with considerable damage and some livestock damage. A series of tornadoes formed on the heels of the supercell tornado as the dry line pushed into the state. Most of these were brief touchdowns, however the storms were moving around 60 MPH. Three tornadoes touched down in Boone County. The most significant tornado touched down north of Ogden. It produced a 3 mile long track up to 1/8 mile wide. Farm site hit along highway P70. Barn and grain bins destroyed, knocking out windows in house. Otherwise only minor damage to house. Debris scattered 1 mile to next farm site where there was minor damage to many buildings. Track continued north-northeast across highway E26 into the campground at Don Williams Lake. A storage building was destroyed, several trees downed, plus outhouses, picnic tables and signs were damaged. The damage track dissipated on the northeast side of the Don Williams Recreation Area. There were several brief touchdowns with relatively minor damage in Guthrie, Greene, and Hamilton Counties. A stronger tornado touched down in southeast Black Hawk County, causing significant damage to two homes in the La Porte City area. The most serious tornado in terms of loss of life occurred in Wapello County. A tornado developed in rural southern Wapello County, a mile southwest of Agency, Iowa, around 1600 CDT, on Wednesday, April 11. The tornado path was 50 to 100 yards wide with sporadic touchdowns toward the north-northeast for the next 6 miles. Survey responses indicated that the duration of impact at any one location was only 15 to 30 seconds as the tornado quickly moved through Agency and over farms at a 60 mph horizontal movement. The Odd Fellows Lodge in Agency was destroyed, and over 50 residences were damaged. Two women inside were killed, three people injured and three people had no injuries. As the storm moved through Agency, a garage was lifted and carried about 100 meters off of its foundation. The car inside was twisted and covered with debris. In another incident, one house was hit by the tornado causing damage to the house. The family dog was in the dog pen at the time. The tornado lifted the pen and twirled it through the air. The dog pen was deposited some distance downstream and what was truly amazing was the fact that the dog was uninjured. Following the tornado, U.S. Highway 34 was closed for 2 hours in order to removed debris from the highway. Governor Tom Vilsack visited the area during a storm survey. The governor spoke with Brenda Brock of the National Weather Service, Ellen Gordon, Administrator, Iowa Emergency Management Division, emergency management personnel (fire department, law enforcement, mayor) and the public. A proclamation for emergency disaster assistance was signed. | |||||||||||
| 21.9 | 1984-06-07 | 4 | 41°25'N / 92°26'W | 41°31'N / 91°57'W | 29.00 Miles | 250 Yards | 1 | 33 | 25.0M | 0 | Keokuk |
| 22.5 | 1967-01-24 | 3 | 40°52'N / 92°05'W | 25.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Van Buren | |
| 22.5 | 1982-09-13 | 2 | 40°57'N / 92°27'W | 40°59'N / 92°11'W | 13.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Wapello |
| 22.6 | 1988-05-08 | 2 | 41°28'N / 91°55'W | 41°31'N / 91°46'W | 11.00 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Washington |
| 23.5 | 1967-04-21 | 2 | 40°53'N / 91°56'W | 41°04'N / 91°21'W | 32.80 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Van Buren |
| 23.8 | 1959-05-09 | 3 | 40°52'N / 91°47'W | 40°54'N / 91°46'W | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Van Buren | ||
| 24.0 | 1998-05-15 | 3 | 41°17'N / 91°44'W | 41°28'N / 91°29'W | 18.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 28 | 9.0M | 0 | Washington |
| Brief Description: A tornado developed two miles Southwest of Washington Iowa and produced a 30 mile long continuous path of damage and debris as it moved to the Northeast at nearly 30 mph. The tornado weakened and lifted before reaching I-80 near West Branch Iowa shortly before 6pm. The tornado continued Northeast across Cedar County Iowa producing another 15 miles of isolated damage...not continuous. The storm producing this tornado continued Northeast producing a brief touchdown one mile west of Oxford Mills Iowa near the intersection of county roads E53 and X64. Another brief touchdown occurred south of Dubuque near Zwingle Iowa before the storm moved into Wisconsin. In Washington Iowa extensive damage was reported to businesses, a church, numerous homes, an apartment complex housing elderly residents and a livestock sale barn. Fourteen single family homes were destroyed, another fourteen received major damage and forty five reported minor damage. Three multi-family housing units were destroyed and two received major damage. Twenty six detached units (sheds and garages) were destroyed or sustained major damage. Across Washington county fourteen farmsteads were hit by the tornado with damage ranging from moderate to heavy. Utility damage was listed at $218,000. In the city of Washington twenty seven individuals sustained minor injuries requiring medical treatment. One person was hospitalized for treatment of injuries he received when his automobile was picked up and rolled over by the tornado. In Johnson County twenty miles of power lines and poles were damaged, fifteen roads were closed due to debris and one bridge was destroyed. Six residences were destroyed, eight more sustained minor the major damage, and three farms were affected. Seventeen people were treated and released for injuries in Johnson County. In Cedar County moderate to heavy damage was reported to five different properties as the tornado destroyed a home, barns, grain bins, machine and hog sheds, a hog nursery and a chicken coop. Two persons near Downey suffered injuries requiring stitches when bricks and debris fell upon them while they were taking shelter in their basement. | |||||||||||
| 24.2 | 1984-06-07 | 2 | 41°28'N / 91°48'W | 41°30'N / 91°42'W | 8.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Washington |
| 24.3 | 1999-04-08 | 2 | 40°53'N / 92°22'W | 40°56'N / 92°12'W | 5.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 100K | 0 | Wapello |
| Brief Description: As mentioned in the narrative above, an intense low pressure formed to the southwest of Iowa. The low tracked northeast and lifted into eastern Nebraska. Ahead of the low, a strong low level jet of around 60 knots continued through the day. A nearly stationary frontal boundary extended east from the low. It lifted into southeast Nebraska during the day, but made little progress into southern Iowa. Lines of thunderstorms formed along the boundary through the day and lifted north rapidly. These storms were elevated in nature and as a result produced most of their severe weather in the form of hail. As the day unfolded, a sharp dry line was clearly evident on the satellite as early as 1600 UTC across Kansas. This line raced east during the day. By afternoon, a speed max had rotated around the upper low to the southwest with wind speeds measured by the Lathrop wind profiler at 100 knots at 500 mb by mid afternoon. Jet stream winds were in excess of 120 knots at the same time. Combined with the dynamic situation mentioned above, considerable moisture convergence took place near the triple point between the warm front and the dry line. Surface dew points pooled into to the mid 60s to even a few 70 degree F. dew point readings over northwest Missouri, southeast Nebraska, and southwest Iowa. Meanwhile, dew points fell into the upper 20s over northeast Kansas and south central Nebraska behind the dry line, with teens over central and south central Kansas. Thunderstorms erupted along the dry line by mid day and advanced east through the afternoon. Low level helicity values topped out between 500 and 600 (m/s)**2 just before the first tornadoes formed. Most of the storms in the warm sector became tornadic quickly. The northern limit of the tornado tracks extended about 10 miles or so north of the warm front. Tracks became intermittent very quickly as soon as the storms crossed the surface warm front due to the layer of very cold air just north of the front. Surface temperatures on the cold side of the front were only in the upper 40s to mid 50s. The entire day was very active. Initially, warm air advection thunderstorms produced hail at many locations of central and northern Iowa. Most of is was just below severe levels however. The activity that developed during the afternoon was a combination of warm air advection and the approach of the dryline. At the beginning of the event, the main weather feature was in the form of hail. There were numerous reports of hail three quarters to one and three quarters inch in diameter. The largest hail fell in Guthrie and Dallas Counties with reports of golf ball size hail. One of the storms in the initial wave of afternoon activity became stronger as it moved into southern Story County. Initially, high winds of 60 MPH or more swept through Sheldahl area of Boone County. Greene County was also affected by high winds from the storms. A tornado dropped out of the storm as it moved into the Slater area and was on the ground for about 2 miles. Initial estimates showed 44 homes and businesses damaged in Story County, one was destroyed with major damage to another. Thirty six homes and four businesses were damaged in the town of Slater. Two people were injured during the passage of the tornado. One of the injuries involved a 70 year old man who was picked up by the tornadoes winds and thrown about 10 feet before he latched on to something. His shoulder was dislocated and he required 6 stitches due to his injuries in his hand. High winds northeast of Slater knocked several cars of a Burlington Northern freight train off the tracks after they were blown more than one quarter mile down the track. It was not possible to determine of the cars were knocked off by the tornado or high winds however. This band of storms continue to race and develop northeast through the afternoon. Damage became more sporadic, however high winds occurred as far northeast as Hardin County, with 70 MPH winds reported near New Providence. Hail reports came in from as far northeast as Grundy and Black Hawk Counties, though it was only three quarters of an inch in diameter. Attention then shifted to the tornadic storms that formed near the dry line. During the afternoon, six more tornadoes touched down in Iowa, several of which were long track tornadoes. The first touched down in Taylor County and tracked through Adams, Cass, and Adair Counties. This tornado had was an F4 intensity tornado in parts of Adair and Adams Counties. Damage was extensive with $1,000,000 damage reported in both Adams and Adair Counties. Entire farmsteads were swept clean by the tornado. At one time this tornado was a mile wide wedge with a damage path nearly two miles wide due to the circulation around the tornado. Eyewitness reports indicated that the tornado split into two distinct tornadoes at times, similar to what occurred with the intense F4 tornado in Adair County of 27 May 1995. One of the farmsteads hit near Nodaway was levelled. Reports indicated that a check was blown from the house nearly 100 miles and was found in the town of Jefferson in Greene County. Other checks and papers were found strewn along the path, stretching from Jefferson all the way back to northwest Taylor County. In Adair County, one account indicated pieces of sheet metal from one farm was lifted and deposited six miles away from the farm. Two people were injured by this tornado, one in Adams County with the other in Adair County. One of the injuries Adair County was serious as a man suffered a broken back when the tornado lifted his semi-tractortrailer truck from the Interstate and threw it into a nearby field. The other injuries from this tornado were minor enough that the people were taken to the hospital, treated, and released. There was one account of a horse being picked up by the tornado. It was lifted into the air and thrown through a stand of pine trees 40 feet high. The horse suffered serious injuries and required significant medical attention do to lacerations. The horse amazingly did survive against all odds, though was said would likely lose sight in one eye. The next tornado touched down in Union County and tracked across Madison and Dallas Counties. This tornado had an F4 strength in Union and decreased to a strong F2 in Madison Counties before intensifying again to near F3 strength as it headed into Dallas County. Damage in Union County was around $2,000,000, and around $350,000 in Madison County. There was one person injured by this tornado in Union County. In an amazing account, the Union County Sheriff reported watching as the tornado lifted the car in front of him 35 feet in the air and throwing it 250 feet. The driver was inside during this time and came out of the situation uninjured. Five coal cars were knocked off the tracks in Union County by the tornado as well. This tornado also had a double structure. From eye witness accounts, which also can be shown on Doppler radar imagery, suggest a small rope like tornado passed through the Twelve Mile Lake area shortly before the passage of the main tornado. The next tornado was a weak tornado which touched down about 4 miles west of downtown Des Moines. The tornado did little damage, but did affect one house and several trees. The tornado was seen by a local television sky camera. A short time later, an F2 tornado touched down in Warren County and tracked into southeast Polk County. The track was over rural areas and damage from it was relatively minor. A more significant F3 tornado tracked from northern Lucas County, and weakened to an F2 as it moved across Warren, part of marion, and into Jasper County. One house was destroyed in Lucas County with the four people inside sustaining minor injuries. Once again, this tornado tracked across mostly rural areas, though it did hit a business and two homes in Jasper County and did $1,000,000 in damage. One person was injured in Jasper County. The last tornado touched down in Davis County at Bloomfield and tracked northeast into Wapello County with a maximum strength of F3. Damage in Davis County was over $500,000 as 64 homes and businesses were damaged in the Bloomfield area. To the northeast, the area of the tornado track was mostly rural and damage was limited to outbuildings for the most part. One farmstead reported severe damage near Floris in Davis County. The house was nearly levelled and several outbuildings were completely destroyed. Parts of the house and outbuildings were found as far as 5 miles away from the farmstead. As the storms moved north, high winds were produced over Story County east of Story City. High winds toppled a tractor semi-trailer truck east of Story City on Interstate 35, injuring the driver. Two cars and a truck were also blown off Interstate 35 in Hamilton County. Four people were injured. Two were taken to the hospital, treated, and released. Two were listed in serious condition, one with a neck fracture, the other with a shoulder fracture. The later incident appeared to be from the rear flank downdraft behind the storm and not the initial gust front. From the preliminary data, 178 homes and business were damaged or destroyed by the tornadic storms as well as countless outbuildings. There were several reports of livestock loss as well. It is truly amazing that there was no loss of life during this event and even more amazing is the fact that the injuries that did occur were all minor. Twenty counties in Iowa experienced serious damage from the storms of the day. Iowa Governor Vilsack declared several counties in Iowa disaster areas. These included Taylor, Union, Adams, and Adair Counties. High winds accompanied the storms as the moved through Appanoose County. A local gas station recorded an 81 MPH wind gust as the storms cut a half mile wide swath of destruction west of Moravia. There were numerous reports of cattle killed by the storms. Some were killed by the tornadoes and flying debris, others by lightning. Reports in Adair County, northwest of Fontanelle indicated about 25 head of cattle were struck by lightning shortly before a tornado moved through that area. As the area of storms that produced the high winds north of Ames in central Iowa moved north, they lost their punch. A few of the storms did remain quite strong however. As the area of thunderstorms moved through Cerro Gordo County, high winds blew down a 60 foot corn crib and did some other damage on a farm near Rockwell. | |||||||||||
| 25.3 | 1970-05-09 | 2 | 41°18'N / 91°32'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Washington | |
| 25.6 | 1984-06-07 | 4 | 41°31'N / 91°57'W | 41°35'N / 91°51'W | 7.00 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Iowa |
| 26.7 | 1967-04-16 | 3 | 40°42'N / 92°06'W | 40°54'N / 91°50'W | 19.40 Miles | 500 Yards | 2 | 16 | 2.5M | 0 | Van Buren |
| 27.8 | 1977-05-04 | 2 | 40°58'N / 91°33'W | 41°00'N / 91°31'W | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Henry | ||
| 29.0 | 2006-04-02 | 2 | 40°45'N / 92°00'W | 40°47'N / 91°57'W | 3.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 30K | 0 | Van Buren |
| Brief Description: Rated F2. Tornado touched down about 0.5 miles west of Pittsburg near a cemetery and continued northeast for 3 miles just along the west edge of the Des Moines River. Along this path, 2 homes were unroofed and 4 outbuildings were destroyed. Many trees were snapped or uprooted and power poles were blown down. | |||||||||||
| 29.0 | 1984-06-07 | 2 | 41°30'N / 91°42'W | 41°32'N / 91°36'W | 6.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Johnson |
| 29.4 | 1988-05-08 | 2 | 41°31'N / 92°19'W | 41°42'N / 91°49'W | 28.00 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Iowa |
| 29.7 | 1984-06-07 | 4 | 41°10'N / 92°40'W | 41°25'N / 92°26'W | 14.00 Miles | 250 Yards | 1 | 30 | 25.0M | 0 | Mahaska |
| 29.7 | 1988-05-08 | 2 | 41°31'N / 91°46'W | 41°33'N / 91°33'W | 13.00 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Johnson |
| 29.7 | 1990-06-16 | 2 | 40°55'N / 92°31'W | 40°57'N / 92°24'W | 6.50 Miles | 53 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Wapello |
| 30.0 | 1988-05-08 | 2 | 41°32'N / 92°24'W | 41°31'N / 92°19'W | 4.00 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Poweshiek |
| 30.2 | 1988-05-08 | 2 | 40°45'N / 92°29'W | 40°54'N / 92°10'W | 15.00 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Davis |
| 30.9 | 1956-08-18 | 2 | 41°23'N / 92°36'W | 41°28'N / 92°24'W | 11.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Mahaska |
| 31.0 | 1973-04-21 | 2 | 41°35'N / 91°55'W | 41°40'N / 91°50'W | 6.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 6 | 0K | 0 | Iowa |
| 31.1 | 1989-04-27 | 2 | 40°48'N / 92°16'W | 40°44'N / 92°10'W | 6.00 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Davis |
| 31.4 | 2008-04-10 | 2 | 40°43'N / 92°03'W | 40°45'N / 92°04'W | 2.00 Miles | 220 Yards | 0 | 0 | 150K | 0K | Van Buren |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: An EF2 tornado moved northeast from just southeast of Lebanon to just northeast of Lebanon during the early evening of April 10th. A wine shed and mobile home were destroyed. The top was ripped off of a silo and the second story of a winery was damaged. A house sustained minor structural damage and several large trees were topped off. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Heavy rain-producing thunderstorms moved across Northeast Missouri, Eastern Iowa, and west central & northwest Illinois during the late afternoon and evening hours of April 10th. Some of the storms produced tornadoes ranging in intensity from EF0 to EF2. | |||||||||||
| 31.7 | 1999-04-08 | 3 | 40°45'N / 92°25'W | 40°52'N / 92°16'W | 11.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 550K | 0 | Davis |
| Brief Description: As mentioned in the narrative above, an intense low pressure formed to the southwest of Iowa. The low tracked northeast and lifted into eastern Nebraska. Ahead of the low, a strong low level jet of around 60 knots continued through the day. A nearly stationary frontal boundary extended east from the low. It lifted into southeast Nebraska during the day, but made little progress into southern Iowa. Lines of thunderstorms formed along the boundary through the day and lifted north rapidly. These storms were elevated in nature and as a result produced most of their severe weather in the form of hail. As the day unfolded, a sharp dry line was clearly evident on the satellite as early as 1600 UTC across Kansas. This line raced east during the day. By afternoon, a speed max had rotated around the upper low to the southwest with wind speeds measured by the Lathrop wind profiler at 100 knots at 500 mb by mid afternoon. Jet stream winds were in excess of 120 knots at the same time. Combined with the dynamic situation mentioned above, considerable moisture convergence took place near the triple point between the warm front and the dry line. Surface dew points pooled into to the mid 60s to even a few 70 degree F. dew point readings over northwest Missouri, southeast Nebraska, and southwest Iowa. Meanwhile, dew points fell into the upper 20s over northeast Kansas and south central Nebraska behind the dry line, with teens over central and south central Kansas. Thunderstorms erupted along the dry line by mid day and advanced east through the afternoon. Low level helicity values topped out between 500 and 600 (m/s)**2 just before the first tornadoes formed. Most of the storms in the warm sector became tornadic quickly. The northern limit of the tornado tracks extended about 10 miles or so north of the warm front. Tracks became intermittent very quickly as soon as the storms crossed the surface warm front due to the layer of very cold air just north of the front. Surface temperatures on the cold side of the front were only in the upper 40s to mid 50s. The entire day was very active. Initially, warm air advection thunderstorms produced hail at many locations of central and northern Iowa. Most of is was just below severe levels however. The activity that developed during the afternoon was a combination of warm air advection and the approach of the dryline. At the beginning of the event, the main weather feature was in the form of hail. There were numerous reports of hail three quarters to one and three quarters inch in diameter. The largest hail fell in Guthrie and Dallas Counties with reports of golf ball size hail. One of the storms in the initial wave of afternoon activity became stronger as it moved into southern Story County. Initially, high winds of 60 MPH or more swept through Sheldahl area of Boone County. Greene County was also affected by high winds from the storms. A tornado dropped out of the storm as it moved into the Slater area and was on the ground for about 2 miles. Initial estimates showed 44 homes and businesses damaged in Story County, one was destroyed with major damage to another. Thirty six homes and four businesses were damaged in the town of Slater. Two people were injured during the passage of the tornado. One of the injuries involved a 70 year old man who was picked up by the tornadoes winds and thrown about 10 feet before he latched on to something. His shoulder was dislocated and he required 6 stitches due to his injuries in his hand. High winds northeast of Slater knocked several cars of a Burlington Northern freight train off the tracks after they were blown more than one quarter mile down the track. It was not possible to determine of the cars were knocked off by the tornado or high winds however. This band of storms continue to race and develop northeast through the afternoon. Damage became more sporadic, however high winds occurred as far northeast as Hardin County, with 70 MPH winds reported near New Providence. Hail reports came in from as far northeast as Grundy and Black Hawk Counties, though it was only three quarters of an inch in diameter. Attention then shifted to the tornadic storms that formed near the dry line. During the afternoon, six more tornadoes touched down in Iowa, several of which were long track tornadoes. The first touched down in Taylor County and tracked through Adams, Cass, and Adair Counties. This tornado had was an F4 intensity tornado in parts of Adair and Adams Counties. Damage was extensive with $1,000,000 damage reported in both Adams and Adair Counties. Entire farmsteads were swept clean by the tornado. At one time this tornado was a mile wide wedge with a damage path nearly two miles wide due to the circulation around the tornado. Eyewitness reports indicated that the tornado split into two distinct tornadoes at times, similar to what occurred with the intense F4 tornado in Adair County of 27 May 1995. One of the farmsteads hit near Nodaway was levelled. Reports indicated that a check was blown from the house nearly 100 miles and was found in the town of Jefferson in Greene County. Other checks and papers were found strewn along the path, stretching from Jefferson all the way back to northwest Taylor County. In Adair County, one account indicated pieces of sheet metal from one farm was lifted and deposited six miles away from the farm. Two people were injured by this tornado, one in Adams County with the other in Adair County. One of the injuries Adair County was serious as a man suffered a broken back when the tornado lifted his semi-tractortrailer truck from the Interstate and threw it into a nearby field. The other injuries from this tornado were minor enough that the people were taken to the hospital, treated, and released. There was one account of a horse being picked up by the tornado. It was lifted into the air and thrown through a stand of pine trees 40 feet high. The horse suffered serious injuries and required significant medical attention do to lacerations. The horse amazingly did survive against all odds, though was said would likely lose sight in one eye. The next tornado touched down in Union County and tracked across Madison and Dallas Counties. This tornado had an F4 strength in Union and decreased to a strong F2 in Madison Counties before intensifying again to near F3 strength as it headed into Dallas County. Damage in Union County was around $2,000,000, and around $350,000 in Madison County. There was one person injured by this tornado in Union County. In an amazing account, the Union County Sheriff reported watching as the tornado lifted the car in front of him 35 feet in the air and throwing it 250 feet. The driver was inside during this time and came out of the situation uninjured. Five coal cars were knocked off the tracks in Union County by the tornado as well. This tornado also had a double structure. From eye witness accounts, which also can be shown on Doppler radar imagery, suggest a small rope like tornado passed through the Twelve Mile Lake area shortly before the passage of the main tornado. The next tornado was a weak tornado which touched down about 4 miles west of downtown Des Moines. The tornado did little damage, but did affect one house and several trees. The tornado was seen by a local television sky camera. A short time later, an F2 tornado touched down in Warren County and tracked into southeast Polk County. The track was over rural areas and damage from it was relatively minor. A more significant F3 tornado tracked from northern Lucas County, and weakened to an F2 as it moved across Warren, part of marion, and into Jasper County. One house was destroyed in Lucas County with the four people inside sustaining minor injuries. Once again, this tornado tracked across mostly rural areas, though it did hit a business and two homes in Jasper County and did $1,000,000 in damage. One person was injured in Jasper County. The last tornado touched down in Davis County at Bloomfield and tracked northeast into Wapello County with a maximum strength of F3. Damage in Davis County was over $500,000 as 64 homes and businesses were damaged in the Bloomfield area. To the northeast, the area of the tornado track was mostly rural and damage was limited to outbuildings for the most part. One farmstead reported severe damage near Floris in Davis County. The house was nearly levelled and several outbuildings were completely destroyed. Parts of the house and outbuildings were found as far as 5 miles away from the farmstead. As the storms moved north, high winds were produced over Story County east of Story City. High winds toppled a tractor semi-trailer truck east of Story City on Interstate 35, injuring the driver. Two cars and a truck were also blown off Interstate 35 in Hamilton County. Four people were injured. Two were taken to the hospital, treated, and released. Two were listed in serious condition, one with a neck fracture, the other with a shoulder fracture. The later incident appeared to be from the rear flank downdraft behind the storm and not the initial gust front. From the preliminary data, 178 homes and business were damaged or destroyed by the tornadic storms as well as countless outbuildings. There were several reports of livestock loss as well. It is truly amazing that there was no loss of life during this event and even more amazing is the fact that the injuries that did occur were all minor. Twenty counties in Iowa experienced serious damage from the storms of the day. Iowa Governor Vilsack declared several counties in Iowa disaster areas. These included Taylor, Union, Adams, and Adair Counties. High winds accompanied the storms as the moved through Appanoose County. A local gas station recorded an 81 MPH wind gust as the storms cut a half mile wide swath of destruction west of Moravia. There were numerous reports of cattle killed by the storms. Some were killed by the tornadoes and flying debris, others by lightning. Reports in Adair County, northwest of Fontanelle indicated about 25 head of cattle were struck by lightning shortly before a tornado moved through that area. As the area of storms that produced the high winds north of Ames in central Iowa moved north, they lost their punch. A few of the storms did remain quite strong however. As the area of thunderstorms moved through Cerro Gordo County, high winds blew down a 60 foot corn crib and did some other damage on a farm near Rockwell. | |||||||||||
| 32.2 | 1988-05-08 | 2 | 40°55'N / 92°34'W | 40°56'N / 92°27'W | 11.00 Miles | 43 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Wapello |
| 32.3 | 1988-05-08 | 2 | 41°20'N / 91°26'W | 41°23'N / 91°24'W | 7.00 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Louisa |
| 34.6 | 1977-05-04 | 2 | 40°47'N / 91°36'W | 2.00 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Lee | |
| 34.9 | 1967-01-24 | 2 | 41°18'N / 91°22'W | 41°21'N / 91°20'W | 3.00 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Louisa |
| 36.2 | 1964-08-20 | 2 | 40°41'N / 91°48'W | 0.30 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Van Buren | |
| 36.3 | 1965-05-25 | 2 | 41°20'N / 92°40'W | 2.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Mahaska | |
| 36.6 | 1991-09-12 | 2 | 41°40'N / 91°50'W | 41°42'N / 91°40'W | 7.00 Miles | 70 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Johnson |
| 36.7 | 1988-05-08 | 2 | 40°52'N / 92°36'W | 40°55'N / 92°34'W | 3.00 Miles | 43 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Davis |
| 37.0 | 1953-06-27 | 2 | 41°24'N / 92°36'W | 41°20'N / 92°44'W | 7.80 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 3K | 0 | Mahaska |
| 37.0 | 1967-01-24 | 2 | 41°12'N / 91°17'W | 2.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 1 | 25K | 0 | Louisa | |
| 37.1 | 1998-05-15 | 3 | 41°31'N / 91°30'W | 41°37'N / 91°29'W | 14.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 17 | 6.0M | 0 | Johnson |
| Brief Description: A tornado developed two miles Southwest of Washington Iowa and produced a 30 mile long continuous path of damage and debris as it moved to the Northeast at nearly 30 mph. The tornado weakened and lifted before reaching I-80 near West Branch Iowa shortly before 6pm. The tornado continued Northeast across Cedar County Iowa producing another 15 miles of isolated damage...not continuous. The storm producing this tornado continued Northeast producing a brief touchdown one mile west of Oxford Mills Iowa near the intersection of county roads E53 and X64. Another brief touchdown occurred south of Dubuque near Zwingle Iowa before the storm moved into Wisconsin. In Washington Iowa extensive damage was reported to businesses, a church, numerous homes, an apartment complex housing elderly residents and a livestock sale barn. Fourteen single family homes were destroyed, another fourteen received major damage and forty five reported minor damage. Three multi-family housing units were destroyed and two received major damage. Twenty six detached units (sheds and garages) were destroyed or sustained major damage. Across Washington county fourteen farmsteads were hit by the tornado with damage ranging from moderate to heavy. Utility damage was listed at $218,000. In the city of Washington twenty seven individuals sustained minor injuries requiring medical treatment. One person was hospitalized for treatment of injuries he received when his automobile was picked up and rolled over by the tornado. In Johnson County twenty miles of power lines and poles were damaged, fifteen roads were closed due to debris and one bridge was destroyed. Six residences were destroyed, eight more sustained minor the major damage, and three farms were affected. Seventeen people were treated and released for injuries in Johnson County. In Cedar County moderate to heavy damage was reported to five different properties as the tornado destroyed a home, barns, grain bins, machine and hog sheds, a hog nursery and a chicken coop. Two persons near Downey suffered injuries requiring stitches when bricks and debris fell upon them while they were taking shelter in their basement. | |||||||||||
| 37.1 | 1970-05-09 | 2 | 41°13'N / 91°17'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Louisa | |
| 37.6 | 1973-04-21 | 2 | 41°40'N / 91°50'W | 41°45'N / 91°45'W | 6.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Johnson |
| 39.1 | 1978-06-26 | 2 | 41°35'N / 92°32'W | 0.70 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 2.5M | 0 | Poweshiek | |
| 39.2 | 1991-04-27 | 2 | 41°42'N / 92°18'W | 41°44'N / 92°14'W | 4.50 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Iowa |
| 39.9 | 1965-09-20 | 2 | 40°43'N / 92°36'W | 40°50'N / 92°28'W | 10.30 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Davis |
| 40.1 | 1974-08-12 | 4 | 41°45'N / 92°11'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Iowa | |
| 40.4 | 1967-01-24 | 4 | 40°35'N / 92°16'W | 40°41'N / 92°14'W | 6.80 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Davis |
| 40.4 | 2006-04-13 | 2 | 41°40'N / 91°33'W | 41°40'N / 91°33'W | 4.50 Miles | 587 Yards | 0 | 30 | 12.0M | 0 | Johnson |
| Brief Description: Rated very high F2 with winds estimated at 155 mph. Tornado developed at the intersection of highways 1 & 218 on the southwest side of Iowa City at 1929 CST and tracked northeast through the city before lifting just northeast of the intersection of 1st Avenue & Hickory Trail at 1937 CST. This path took it through the southeast corner of the University of Iowa campus. This was the first tornado to hit near the campus in 35 years and the University was closed on Friday April 14th for safety reasons. The KIOW ASOS at the airport on the southwest side of the city recorded a peak wind gust of 49 knots (57 mph) at 1931 CST. This gust was likely the result of the rear flank downdraft as the tornado neared the intersection of U.S. 6 and highway 1 northeast of the airport. Hard times for the location of the tornado are 1930 CST at the Wal-Mart. At 1932-1933 CST power was lost at the Johnson County Sheriff Office with telephone lines, LAN, and automated systems going down as the tornado passed over the building. While the tornado was passing over the sheriff's office, someone flipped the outdoor warning sirens from automatic to manual override and activated the sirens one final time. Damage totals are still being evaluated and the $12 million amount will likely be closer to $15 million or possibly higher. Known damage amounts include; Iowa City and Johnson County $4 million with an additional $755,000 of uninsured loses (traffic lights, signs, street lights), University of Iowa $6 million with the motor pool headquarters a total loss and 31 vehicles damaged, and $1.3 million in damage to residences/businesses. Three automobile dealerships were damaged; one dealership had 200 vehicles damaged, a second had 60-70 vehicles damaged, and a third had nearly every vehicle sustaining some type of damage. A total of 1,016 residential and 35 commercial buildings were damaged with some destroyed. Some well known landmark buildings known to citizens, college students, and alumni were lost or heavily damaged. These included the Dairy Queen (lost) and St. Patrick's Church (heavily damaged). Several historic buildings were damaged downtown and it is unknown whether or not they can or will be saved. The tornado damaged the Alpha Chi Omega sorority house and damaged many student apartments located just off the campus on Iowa, Dodge, and Governor streets. Given the strength and width of the tornado it is amazing that only 30 injuries (many minor) occurred. Many U of I students were unaware of what was happening or dashed to a nearby parking garage for safety with the tornado approaching a few blocks behind them. Several foreign exchange students, many of whom had never seen, experienced, or heard of a tornado, were in awe and disbelief over the magnitude of the event. At St. Patrick's Church, the Maundy Thursday evening service had just ended. Upon being told of an approaching tornado by Decon Jerome Miller, the Reverend Rudolph Juarez ushered 50 to 75 parishioners (many elderly) to the safety of the rectory basement next door. This action saved the lives of everyone as the tornado tore off the roof off the church and collapsed the top portion of the brick facade and the steeple into the main congregation area. | |||||||||||
| 42.0 | 1954-04-30 | 2 | 40°40'N / 91°30'W | 40°48'N / 91°25'W | 9.90 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Lee |
| 42.4 | 1965-08-25 | 3 | 40°52'N / 91°18'W | 3.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Des Moines | |
| 42.4 | 1977-05-04 | 2 | 40°52'N / 91°18'W | 2.00 Miles | 10 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Des Moines | |
| 42.4 | 1964-04-26 | 2 | 40°36'N / 91°45'W | 2.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Van Buren | |
| 42.4 | 1962-05-22 | 2 | 41°39'N / 91°32'W | 41°42'N / 91°28'W | 4.10 Miles | 800 Yards | 1 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Johnson |
| 43.1 | 1954-04-30 | 2 | 40°48'N / 91°25'W | 41°50'N / 90°57'W | 75.30 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Des Moines |
| 43.3 | 1953-06-07 | 2 | 41°42'N / 92°45'W | 41°52'N / 91°45'W | 52.70 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Poweshiek |
| 43.7 | 1991-03-22 | 2 | 41°32'N / 91°22'W | 41°39'N / 91°20'W | 4.00 Miles | 80 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Johnson |
| 44.5 | 2007-06-01 | 3 | 41°16'N / 91°11'W | 41°19'N / 91°07'W | 6.00 Miles | 774 Yards | 0 | 1 | 1.0M | 0K | Louisa |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: The tornado touched down on the southern edge of Grandview. It moved through the center of town intensifying in rural areas as it approached the county line. In Grandview, several homes sustained severe damage. North of Grandview, about 1.5 miles, a farm house was completely destroyed. Other homes and trees along the path sustained damage. The tornado crossed the Louisa-Muscatine county line just south of Fruitland, IA. 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. | |||||||||||
| 44.5 | 1964-06-14 | 2 | 40°40'N / 92°40'W | 40°44'N / 92°27'W | 11.90 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Appanoose |
| 45.0 | 1956-08-12 | 3 | 41°32'N / 92°45'W | 41°35'N / 92°40'W | 5.10 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 8 | 25K | 0 | Poweshiek |
| 45.9 | 1974-05-13 | 2 | 41°00'N / 91°09'W | 1.00 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Des Moines | |
| 45.9 | 1988-05-08 | 2 | 41°42'N / 91°49'W | 41°52'N / 91°24'W | 27.00 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Johnson |
| 46.0 | 1966-05-23 | 2 | 40°58'N / 91°11'W | 41°01'N / 91°07'W | 4.10 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Des Moines |
| 46.1 | 1980-06-02 | 2 | 40°40'N / 92°38'W | 40°43'N / 92°33'W | 5.10 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Davis |
| 46.8 | 2007-09-30 | 2 | 41°34'N / 92°45'W | 41°42'N / 92°36'W | 12.00 Miles | 1250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 1.0M | Poweshiek |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: Tornado moved into Poweshiek County from Jasper County. It lifted west of Malcom. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A very dynamic weather system moved into Iowa during the afternoon of the 30th. The system was more reminiscent of what one would expect in April or May. A close upper level low pressure, negatively tilted, lifted northeast through the central U.S. The structure was very classic in appearance with a well defined comma cloudy, dry slot, and warm conveyor in place. By the early evening, the surface low became stacked with the upper low and was located over eastern Nebraska. A defined dry line extended south-southeast out of the low. Surface temperatures warmed into the mid 70s to mid 80s ahead of the low, with dew points in the mid to upper 60s. Dew points behind the dry line dropped into the upper 30s to mid 40s. The airmass became unstable by the late afternoon with CAPE values around 1000 J/kg and lifted indices in the -2 to -4 C. range. Strong dynamics were in place with a 90 kt mid level jet in place, a low level jet of 60 to 70 kts, and an effective shear of 45 to 55 kts. The freezing level was quite high ahead of the approaching low and was between 13,000 and 14,000 feet. The high freezing level, combined with the limited CAPE of 100 to 200 J/kg in the -10 to -30 C. layer of the atmosphere, limited hail production. The downdraft CAPE was in the 600 to 1000 J/kg range, with an LCL of about 1250 meters. Thunderstorms formed in two locations. The first was along the east edge of the dry slot across Kansas. These storms became severe and lifted northeast quite rapidly into southern and central Iowa. Spotty wind damage was reported and one of the storms dropped one inch diameter hail in Marion County. The storms became tornadic as the moved into central Iowa. During the evening of Sunday 30 September 2007 two tornadoes struck portions of Marion, Jasper, Mahaska, and Poweshiek Counties. The first tornado produced EF0 to EF2 damage along its track and was rated EF2 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale with maximum winds of 125 mph. The track was 22 miles in length from 4 miles northeast of Pella to 1 mile north of Interstate 80, 2 miles west of Malcom. Much of the track was three to five tenths of a mile wide, but as wide as seven tenths of a mile at times. The second, shorter and weaker tornado was 5 miles in length and rated EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. The track began just south of Highway 6, 2.75 miles northwest of Malcom with a maximum width of 150 yards narrowing to 25-50 yards. The storm hit a farmstead just east of 110th street producing EF1 damage with speeds just under 100 mph. The tornadoes caused extensive damage on a farmstead near Malcom with three barns totally destroyed. The barns were 20 by 30 feet, 20 by 40 feet, and 60 by 100 feet. In addition, numerous other damage reports came in from along the track. Fortunately, there were no deaths or injuries from the tornadoes. Thunderstorms also formed close to the upper low center on the nose of the dry punch. There were several reports funnel clouds, along with spotty reports of high winds and hail. A storm chaser confirmed a tornado touchdown 2 NNW of Lytton in Sac county and was on the ground until 4 W of Jolley in Calhoun county. The tornado was in open country and was a small EF0 tornado. One inch diameter hail fell in Sac County, with numerous reports of pea to marble size hail. | |||||||||||
| 47.2 | 1974-04-28 | 2 | 41°38'N / 91°21'W | 41°39'N / 91°17'W | 2.30 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 16 | 250K | 0 | Cedar |
| 47.3 | 2007-09-30 | 2 | 41°30'N / 92°49'W | 41°34'N / 92°45'W | 6.00 Miles | 1250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 1.0M | 500K | Jasper |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: Tornado moved into Jasper County from Mahaska County, then continued northeast into Poweshiek County. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A very dynamic weather system moved into Iowa during the afternoon of the 30th. The system was more reminiscent of what one would expect in April or May. A close upper level low pressure, negatively tilted, lifted northeast through the central U.S. The structure was very classic in appearance with a well defined comma cloudy, dry slot, and warm conveyor in place. By the early evening, the surface low became stacked with the upper low and was located over eastern Nebraska. A defined dry line extended south-southeast out of the low. Surface temperatures warmed into the mid 70s to mid 80s ahead of the low, with dew points in the mid to upper 60s. Dew points behind the dry line dropped into the upper 30s to mid 40s. The airmass became unstable by the late afternoon with CAPE values around 1000 J/kg and lifted indices in the -2 to -4 C. range. Strong dynamics were in place with a 90 kt mid level jet in place, a low level jet of 60 to 70 kts, and an effective shear of 45 to 55 kts. The freezing level was quite high ahead of the approaching low and was between 13,000 and 14,000 feet. The high freezing level, combined with the limited CAPE of 100 to 200 J/kg in the -10 to -30 C. layer of the atmosphere, limited hail production. The downdraft CAPE was in the 600 to 1000 J/kg range, with an LCL of about 1250 meters. Thunderstorms formed in two locations. The first was along the east edge of the dry slot across Kansas. These storms became severe and lifted northeast quite rapidly into southern and central Iowa. Spotty wind damage was reported and one of the storms dropped one inch diameter hail in Marion County. The storms became tornadic as the moved into central Iowa. During the evening of Sunday 30 September 2007 two tornadoes struck portions of Marion, Jasper, Mahaska, and Poweshiek Counties. The first tornado produced EF0 to EF2 damage along its track and was rated EF2 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale with maximum winds of 125 mph. The track was 22 miles in length from 4 miles northeast of Pella to 1 mile north of Interstate 80, 2 miles west of Malcom. Much of the track was three to five tenths of a mile wide, but as wide as seven tenths of a mile at times. The second, shorter and weaker tornado was 5 miles in length and rated EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. The track began just south of Highway 6, 2.75 miles northwest of Malcom with a maximum width of 150 yards narrowing to 25-50 yards. The storm hit a farmstead just east of 110th street producing EF1 damage with speeds just under 100 mph. The tornadoes caused extensive damage on a farmstead near Malcom with three barns totally destroyed. The barns were 20 by 30 feet, 20 by 40 feet, and 60 by 100 feet. In addition, numerous other damage reports came in from along the track. Fortunately, there were no deaths or injuries from the tornadoes. Thunderstorms also formed close to the upper low center on the nose of the dry punch. There were several reports funnel clouds, along with spotty reports of high winds and hail. A storm chaser confirmed a tornado touchdown 2 NNW of Lytton in Sac county and was on the ground until 4 W of Jolley in Calhoun county. The tornado was in open country and was a small EF0 tornado. One inch diameter hail fell in Sac County, with numerous reports of pea to marble size hail. | |||||||||||
| 47.5 | 1964-06-22 | 2 | 41°24'N / 92°54'W | 41°28'N / 92°48'W | 6.40 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Marion |
| 47.8 | 1984-06-07 | 4 | 40°51'N / 93°06'W | 41°10'N / 92°40'W | 26.00 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Monroe |
| 47.9 | 1973-04-20 | 3 | 40°26'N / 92°03'W | 40°33'N / 91°57'W | 9.50 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Scotland |
| 48.0 | 1960-03-29 | 2 | 40°40'N / 91°20'W | 40°46'N / 91°18'W | 6.60 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Lee |
| 48.4 | 2007-09-30 | 2 | 41°28'N / 92°52'W | 41°30'N / 92°49'W | 3.00 Miles | 1250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 500K | 250K | Mahaska |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: Tornado moved into Mahaska County from Marion County, then continued northeast into Jasper County. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A very dynamic weather system moved into Iowa during the afternoon of the 30th. The system was more reminiscent of what one would expect in April or May. A close upper level low pressure, negatively tilted, lifted northeast through the central U.S. The structure was very classic in appearance with a well defined comma cloudy, dry slot, and warm conveyor in place. By the early evening, the surface low became stacked with the upper low and was located over eastern Nebraska. A defined dry line extended south-southeast out of the low. Surface temperatures warmed into the mid 70s to mid 80s ahead of the low, with dew points in the mid to upper 60s. Dew points behind the dry line dropped into the upper 30s to mid 40s. The airmass became unstable by the late afternoon with CAPE values around 1000 J/kg and lifted indices in the -2 to -4 C. range. Strong dynamics were in place with a 90 kt mid level jet in place, a low level jet of 60 to 70 kts, and an effective shear of 45 to 55 kts. The freezing level was quite high ahead of the approaching low and was between 13,000 and 14,000 feet. The high freezing level, combined with the limited CAPE of 100 to 200 J/kg in the -10 to -30 C. layer of the atmosphere, limited hail production. The downdraft CAPE was in the 600 to 1000 J/kg range, with an LCL of about 1250 meters. Thunderstorms formed in two locations. The first was along the east edge of the dry slot across Kansas. These storms became severe and lifted northeast quite rapidly into southern and central Iowa. Spotty wind damage was reported and one of the storms dropped one inch diameter hail in Marion County. The storms became tornadic as the moved into central Iowa. During the evening of Sunday 30 September 2007 two tornadoes struck portions of Marion, Jasper, Mahaska, and Poweshiek Counties. The first tornado produced EF0 to EF2 damage along its track and was rated EF2 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale with maximum winds of 125 mph. The track was 22 miles in length from 4 miles northeast of Pella to 1 mile north of Interstate 80, 2 miles west of Malcom. Much of the track was three to five tenths of a mile wide, but as wide as seven tenths of a mile at times. The second, shorter and weaker tornado was 5 miles in length and rated EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. The track began just south of Highway 6, 2.75 miles northwest of Malcom with a maximum width of 150 yards narrowing to 25-50 yards. The storm hit a farmstead just east of 110th street producing EF1 damage with speeds just under 100 mph. The tornadoes caused extensive damage on a farmstead near Malcom with three barns totally destroyed. The barns were 20 by 30 feet, 20 by 40 feet, and 60 by 100 feet. In addition, numerous other damage reports came in from along the track. Fortunately, there were no deaths or injuries from the tornadoes. Thunderstorms also formed close to the upper low center on the nose of the dry punch. There were several reports funnel clouds, along with spotty reports of high winds and hail. A storm chaser confirmed a tornado touchdown 2 NNW of Lytton in Sac county and was on the ground until 4 W of Jolley in Calhoun county. The tornado was in open country and was a small EF0 tornado. One inch diameter hail fell in Sac County, with numerous reports of pea to marble size hail. | |||||||||||
| 48.7 | 1995-05-13 | 2 | 40°28'N / 92°01'W | 40°30'N / 91°49'W | 8.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 3 | 630K | 0 | Clark |
| Brief Description: A tornado touched down near Arbela damaging at least half a dozen moble homes at a camp ground. As it moved east, just north of Highway 136, several homes, businesses, barns, and outbuildings were destroyed. Two people were slightly injured when the windows in their car shattered as the vehicle was tossed around by the tornado. A woman was injured in the Granger area when the roof of her home was torn off and a 2x6 support beam fell in. The tornado crossed the county line around 1430 CST and leveled a home and nearby farm before dissipating over an open field northeast of Luray. | |||||||||||
| 48.8 | 2008-04-25 | 2 | 41°31'N / 91°15'W | 41°34'N / 91°07'W | 7.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 200K | 0K | Muscatine |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This tornado touched down 5.2 miles northeast of Nichols and tracked to the northeast before lifting 2 miles west of Moscow. The EF2 tornado was on the ground for 6.5 miles, had maximum winds to 115 mph and was 150 yards wide. There were 5 farmsteads that were hit by the tornado, but no injuries were reported. Siding and shingles of two homes were peeled off. Outbuildings were damaged, a machine shed and grain bin destroyed, and a wooden swingset toppled. Utility poles were snapped or blown down, while several trees were snapped or uprooted. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Strong low pressure tracked from western Kansas to western Wisconsin on April 24-25, 2008. A warm front moving across the region brought heavy rain and flash flooding to areas north of I-80. Then an impressive cold front swept across eastern Iowa and northwest Illinois. This front triggered severe thunderstorms which produced two tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds. | |||||||||||
| 49.0 | 2003-05-10 | 2 | 40°32'N / 91°35'W | 40°38'N / 91°25'W | 11.50 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 1.0M | 0 | Lee |
| Brief Description: Tornado developed 1.5 miles west of Argyle at 1728 CST and moved northeast for 11.5 miles before dissipating 1.3 miles North of Viele at 1747 CST. A maximum rating of F2 was noted just west of Argyle where a house was turned approximately 120 degrees and moved 25 to 40 feet off its foundation. Three teens ran inside the house and sought shelter, 2 in an interior bathroom and the other under the stairs. Three large trees on the back edge of the property stopped the house and likely prevented the teens from being injured or killed. The remainder of the damage path saw F0 and F1 damage. | |||||||||||
| 49.1 | 1961-09-01 | 2 | 40°42'N / 92°41'W | 1.00 Mile | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Appanoose | |
* 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.