NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Adel, IA
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
1 tropical system has passed within 75 miles of Adel, Iowa since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 171 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 171
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
8 deaths in all
What the records show for Adel
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Adel; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 41 mph winds when its centre passed 52 miles away. Adel is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 241 Iowa cities on this site. The strongest of the 171 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on June 13, 1976; its path came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an EF4 on March 5, 2022, killed 6 people. Of the 171, 15 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 94 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 65. The most recent tornado was on July 15, 2024. Adel has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 85% of the 241 Iowa cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 158 times since 1970, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Adel has more hail reports within 10 miles than 81% of the 241 Iowa cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Adel
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 52 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Adel: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Adel
By decade
- 2020s26(1 EF3+)
- 2010s35
- 2000s33(1 EF3+)
- 1990s19(3 EF3+)
- 1980s31(1 EF3+)
- 1970s13(3 EF3+)
- 1960s8
- 1950s6(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 13, 1976 | F5 | 24 mi | 21.3 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Mar 5, 2022 | EF4 | 19 mi | 70.57 mi | 6 / 5 |
| Jun 18, 1974 | F4 | 23 mi | 15.3 mi | 2 / 50 |
| Apr 8, 1999 | F4 | 3 mi | 56 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 8, 1999 | F4 | 24 mi | 49 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 27, 1995 | F4 | 9 mi | 57 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Sep 28, 1986 | F4 | 24 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 10, 1959 | F4 | 17 mi | 41.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 11, 2001 | F3 | 18 mi | 76.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 13, 1976 | F3 | 8 mi | 17.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 2024 | EF2 | 15 mi | 40.84 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 21, 2024 | EF2 | 16 mi | 14.63 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 171, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Adel
The Storm Prediction Center has 158 hail reports within 10 miles of Adel since 1970, made on 78 separate days. Of these, 98 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently June 28, 2017. The most recent report is from March 14, 2025. May has the most reports, 47.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Adel
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Perry, IA, 16 miles north of Adel at 950 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 10°F. May is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.0 inches; the year adds up to 36.2 inches over 66 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 20 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 151 nights a year. That 36.2 inches is more than at 47 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (38%). Dallas Center, 7 miles northeast, has its own station (Des Moines Wsfo-Johnston, IA): 36.4 inches a year, 0.2 more than here, and the same July average high, 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 10 | 1.0 | 3 |
| Feb | 34 | 14 | 1.1 | 3 |
| Mar | 48 | 26 | 2.0 | 4 |
| Apr | 61 | 37 | 4.1 | 7 |
| May | 72 | 49 | 5.2 | 9 |
| Jun | 82 | 60 | 4.9 | 9 |
| Jul | 85 | 64 | 4.4 | 7 |
| Aug | 83 | 61 | 4.1 | 6 |
| Sep | 77 | 52 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Oct | 64 | 39 | 2.7 | 6 |
| Nov | 48 | 27 | 1.9 | 4 |
| Dec | 35 | 17 | 1.4 | 3 |
| Year | 60 | 38 | 36.2 | 66 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Perry, IA (950 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Adel
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 324 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Adel: 181 thunderstorm wind reports, 60 heavy rain events, 46 floods, 32 flash floods and 5 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $12.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on August 6, 2007. June has had the most flash floods, 18 of 32. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 198 have had fewer than Adel.
August 8, 2010: lightning strike 2 miles from the centre of Adel — $1.0 million damage.
June 8, 2008: flood 6 miles from the centre of Adel — $700,000 damage.
April 25, 2007: flood 9 miles from the centre of Adel — $500,000 damage.
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Flood insurance policyholders in Adel's ZIP code 50003 have filed 17 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1991, and were paid $149,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 71% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 91 Iowa cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 16 have fewer than Adel.
Dallas County, which includes Adel, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 6 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 24, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Dallas County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $39.7 million a year, the 9th highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $16.9 million (43%), is from inland flooding.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
Risk ratings: FEMA, National Risk Index county table, December 2025 (v1.20), retrieved October 26, 2026; ratings compare counties nationwide, are meant for planning and are no substitute for a local risk assessment. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's National Risk Index dataset API or downloadable datasets but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.
Cities near Adel
- Dallas Center, IA7 mi
- Waukee, IA9 mi
- Van Meter, IA10 mi
- Earlham, IA11 mi
- Clive, IA13 mi
- Grimes, IA13 mi
- West Des Moines, IA14 mi
- Urbandale, IA15 mi
- Granger, IA15 mi
- Cumming, IA15 mi
- Perry, IA17 mi
- Windsor Heights, IA17 mi
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