NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Altoona, 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 Altoona, Iowa since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 188 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 188
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
8 deaths in all
What the records show for Altoona
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Altoona; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 44 mph winds when its centre passed 38 miles away. Altoona is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 241 Iowa cities on this site. The highest rating among the 188 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on March 5, 2022, came within 6 miles. Of the 188, 13 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 95 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 60. The most recent tornado was on July 15, 2024. Altoona has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 93% of the 241 Iowa cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 273 times since 1956, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Altoona has more hail reports within 10 miles than 92% of the 241 Iowa cities.
Compare Altoona's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Altoona
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 38 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Altoona: 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 Altoona
By decade
- 2020s30(1 EF3+)
- 2010s25
- 2000s40
- 1990s25(3 EF3+)
- 1980s30(1 EF3+)
- 1970s16(2 EF3+)
- 1960s16(1 EF3+)
- 1950s6(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 5, 2022 | EF4 | 6 mi | 70.57 mi | 6 / 5 |
| Jun 18, 1974 | F4 | 6 mi | 15.3 mi | 2 / 50 |
| Apr 8, 1999 | F4 | 23 mi | 56 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Sep 28, 1986 | F4 | 8 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 1999 | F3 | 10 mi | 39 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Mar 22, 1991 | F3 | 20 mi | 43 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 29, 1979 | F3 | 21 mi | 57 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Oct 14, 1966 | F3 | 21 mi | 29.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 15, 1950 | F3 | 23 mi | 5.6 mi | 0 / 5 |
| May 21, 2024 | EF2 | 13 mi | 40.84 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 26, 2024 | EF2 | 2 mi | 7.61 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 19, 2018 | EF2 | 4 mi | 2.95 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 188, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Altoona
The Storm Prediction Center has 273 hail reports within 10 miles of Altoona since 1956, made on 121 separate days. Of these, 162 were 1 inch across or larger, and 11 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 3 inches (tea cup size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 2, 1997. The most recent report is from May 19, 2025. June has the most reports, 65.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Altoona
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Des Moines 17 E, IA, 11 miles southeast of Altoona at 921 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 13°F. June is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.0 inches; the year adds up to 36.6 inches over 66 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 15 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 137 nights a year. That 36.6 inches is more than at 60 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (48%). Bondurant, 4 miles north, has its own station (Ankeny, IA): 37.2 inches a year, 0.6 more than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 13 | 1.0 | 3 |
| Feb | 35 | 17 | 1.4 | 4 |
| Mar | 49 | 28 | 2.3 | 5 |
| Apr | 62 | 39 | 3.8 | 7 |
| May | 71 | 51 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Jun | 80 | 61 | 5.6 | 8 |
| Jul | 84 | 64 | 3.9 | 5 |
| Aug | 82 | 61 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Sep | 76 | 53 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Oct | 63 | 41 | 2.9 | 5 |
| Nov | 48 | 29 | 1.9 | 4 |
| Dec | 35 | 19 | 1.6 | 4 |
| Year | 59 | 40 | 36.6 | 66 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Des Moines 17 E, IA (921 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 Altoona
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 507 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Altoona: 246 thunderstorm wind reports, 125 heavy rain events, 73 floods, 51 flash floods and 12 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 48, and the NWS estimated $76.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 120 mph, on June 29, 1998. June has had the most flash floods, 29 of 51. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 225 have had fewer than Altoona.
August 11, 2010: flash flood 1 mile from the centre of Altoona — 1 killed, 4 injured, $125,000 damage.
NWS: “Water rescue in progress regarding three vehicles with a total of 11 people near NE 8th Ave and NE 54th Ave. There was one fatality, 10 rescues and several injuries.”
June 30, 2018: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Altoona — 1 killed, $1.5 million damage.
June 29, 1998: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Altoona — 40 injured, $40.0 million 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
Polk County, which includes Altoona, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 19 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 floods, 8 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on September 1, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Polk County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for strong wind; Relatively High for tornadoes, hail and heat waves; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $137.6 million a year, the highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $60.6 million (44%), 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.