NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Atkins, 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 Atkins, Iowa since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 138 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 138
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Atkins
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Atkins; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 48 mph winds when its centre passed 22 miles away. Atkins 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 138 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on August 12, 1974, came within 23 miles. The deadliest, an EF1 on April 27, 2014, killed 2 people. Of the 138, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 75 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 28. The most recent tornado was on July 11, 2025. Atkins has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 65% of the 241 Iowa cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 130 times since 1962, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Atkins has more hail reports within 10 miles than 75% of the 241 Iowa cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Atkins
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Atkins: 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 Atkins
By decade
- 2020s25
- 2010s20
- 2000s30(1 EF3+)
- 1990s17
- 1980s14
- 1970s15(4 EF3+)
- 1960s9(3 EF3+)
- 1950s8(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 26, 1965 | F4 | 21 mi | 4.7 mi | 1 / 17 |
| Aug 12, 1974 | F4 | 23 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Apr 30, 1954 | F4 | 10 mi | 80.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 23, 1961 | F3 | 12 mi | 87.7 mi | 1 / 12 |
| May 21, 2004 | F3 | 5 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 1971 | F3 | 21 mi | 9.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 1971 | F3 | in town | 4.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 1971 | F3 | 8 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 1966 | F3 | 20 mi | 27.1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 20, 1953 | F3 | 15 mi | 38.6 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Jul 11, 2025 | EF2 | 17 mi | 6.74 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 22 mi | 8.97 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 138, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Atkins
The Storm Prediction Center has 130 hail reports within 10 miles of Atkins since 1962, made on 70 separate days. Of these, 85 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on July 11, 2020. The most recent report is from August 15, 2025. June has the most reports, 37.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Atkins
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cedar Rapids Municipal Airport, IA, 11 miles southeast of Atkins at 868 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 28°F and 11°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 36.1 inches over 67 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 12 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 144 nights a year. That 36.1 inches is more than at 43 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (35%). Cedar Rapids, 10 miles east, has its own station (Cedar Rapids #1, IA): 38.8 inches a year, 2.7 more than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | 11 | 1.0 | 3 |
| Feb | 33 | 16 | 1.2 | 3 |
| Mar | 46 | 27 | 2.0 | 5 |
| Apr | 60 | 38 | 3.6 | 7 |
| May | 71 | 50 | 4.3 | 8 |
| Jun | 80 | 60 | 5.6 | 9 |
| Jul | 83 | 63 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Aug | 81 | 60 | 4.1 | 6 |
| Sep | 75 | 52 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Oct | 62 | 40 | 2.9 | 5 |
| Nov | 46 | 28 | 2.0 | 4 |
| Dec | 33 | 17 | 1.6 | 4 |
| Year | 58 | 38 | 36.1 | 67 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cedar Rapids Municipal Airport, IA (868 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 Atkins
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 179 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Atkins: 150 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 flash floods, 8 floods, 3 heavy rain events and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 4 people and injured 202, and the NWS estimated $3.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 140 mph, on August 10, 2020. June has had the most flash floods, 9 of 16. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 145 have had fewer than Atkins.
August 10, 2020: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Atkins — 1 killed, 200 injured.
NWS: “Widespread straight-line winds that produced extensive damage were reported throughout Linn County, associated with a derecho. These winds lasted around an hour in total at any one location, even though the initial line of storms moved out quickly.”
June 30, 2014: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Atkins — 1 killed, 1 injured.
June 20, 2015: lightning strike 6 miles from the centre of Atkins — 1 killed.
NWS: “A 42 year old female was struck and killed by lightning while camping at the Pleasant Creek State Recreation Area near Palo.”
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
Benton County, which includes Atkins, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 floods, 7 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, on August 17, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Benton County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes and inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $15.7 million a year, the 31st highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $8.2 million (52%), 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 Atkins
- Fairfax, IA7 mi
- Cedar Rapids, IA10 mi
- Hiawatha, IA10 mi
- Robins, IA12 mi
- Amana, IA13 mi
- Swisher, IA14 mi
- Vinton, IA15 mi
- Center Point, IA15 mi
- Marion, IA15 mi
- Ely, IA17 mi
- Marengo, IA18 mi
- North Liberty, IA21 mi
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