NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Algona, 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
No tropical storm or hurricane has passed within 75 miles of Algona, Iowa since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 98 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 98
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Algona
The strongest of the 98 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on August 29, 1964; its path came within 5 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on June 28, 1979, killed 2 people. Of the 98, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 32 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 41. The most recent tornado was on July 28, 2025. Of the 241 Iowa cities on this site, 87% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Algona. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 77 times since 1967, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 241 Iowa cities, 61% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Algona.
Compare Algona's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Algona
By decade
- 2020s11
- 2010s11
- 2000s10
- 1990s20
- 1980s18(1 EF3+)
- 1970s16(2 EF3+)
- 1960s7(1 EF3+)
- 1950s5(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 29, 1964 | F4 | 5 mi | 15.8 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 28, 1979 | F3 | in town | 15.9 mi | 2 / 34 |
| Jun 7, 1984 | F3 | 9 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Jun 10, 1977 | F3 | 14 mi | 14.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 1953 | F3 | 16 mi | 30.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 21, 1953 | F3 | 15 mi | 31.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 12, 2022 | EF2 | 16 mi | 4.85 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 2004 | F2 | 20 mi | 12.5 mi | 0 / 15 |
| May 15, 1998 | F2 | in town | 31.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 12, 1994 | F2 | 21 mi | 13 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 29, 1993 | F2 | 25 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 2, 1990 | F2 | 25 mi | 7 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 98, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Algona
The Storm Prediction Center has 77 hail reports within 10 miles of Algona since 1967, made on 54 separate days. Of these, 55 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 4 days, most recently July 13, 2012. The most recent report is from May 21, 2024. July has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Algona
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Algona, IA, in Algona at 1,214 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 25°F and 6°F. June is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.9 inches; the year adds up to 34.2 inches over 63 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 10 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 160 nights a year. That 34.2 inches is more than at 24 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (19%). Britt, 21 miles east, has its own station (Britt 3E, IA): 34.3 inches a year, 0.1 more than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25 | 6 | 0.9 | 3 |
| Feb | 29 | 10 | 1.0 | 3 |
| Mar | 43 | 23 | 2.0 | 4 |
| Apr | 58 | 34 | 3.4 | 7 |
| May | 71 | 47 | 4.7 | 9 |
| Jun | 80 | 58 | 5.5 | 8 |
| Jul | 83 | 61 | 4.1 | 7 |
| Aug | 81 | 59 | 4.3 | 6 |
| Sep | 75 | 50 | 3.3 | 5 |
| Oct | 62 | 38 | 2.4 | 5 |
| Nov | 45 | 24 | 1.5 | 3 |
| Dec | 31 | 13 | 1.1 | 4 |
| Year | 57 | 35 | 34.2 | 63 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Algona, IA (1,214 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 Algona
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 152 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Algona: 90 thunderstorm wind reports, 41 heavy rain events, 11 flash floods, 9 floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $2.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on May 15, 1998. June has had the most flash floods, 9 of 11. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 95 have had fewer than Algona.
May 15, 1998: thunderstorm wind in Algona — $375,000 damage.
June 24, 2018: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Algona — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Emergency manager reported water over roadways in town, Highway 18 closed at Highway 169, and Highway 169 closed south of town.”
June 12, 2008: flood 6 miles from the centre of Algona — $160,000 damage.
NWS: “County Blacktop R14 under water south of Wesley. More than 40 gravel roads in county impacted.”
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
Kossuth County, which includes Algona, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 floods, 7 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes, on June 24, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Kossuth County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $15.7 million a year, the 32nd highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.7 million (30%), 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 Algona
- Britt, IA21 mi
- Emmetsburg, IA24 mi
- Humboldt, IA24 mi
- Garner, IA31 mi
- Forest City, IA31 mi
- Eagle Grove, IA33 mi
- Pocahontas, IA33 mi
- Clarion, IA34 mi
- Belmond, IA35 mi
- Estherville, IA37 mi
- Blue Earth, MN39 mi
- Fort Dodge, IA40 mi
All Iowa cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Algona with another place →