NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Bellevue, 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 Bellevue, Iowa since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 88 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 4 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 88
- EF3 or stronger
- 4
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Bellevue
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Bellevue; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 12 miles away. Bellevue is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 241 Iowa cities on this site. The strongest of the 88 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 11, 1965; its path came within 6 miles, and it killed 1 person. The deadliest, an F3 on June 20, 1974, killed 1 person. Of the 88, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 38 have come since 2000. June and July have had the most tornadoes, 20 each. The most recent tornado was on July 11, 2025. Of the 241 Iowa cities, 93% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Bellevue. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 36 times since 1965, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 241 Iowa cities, 97% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Bellevue.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Bellevue
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Bellevue: 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 Bellevue
By decade
- 2020s18
- 2010s14
- 2000s6
- 1990s14(1 EF3+)
- 1980s6
- 1970s15(2 EF3+)
- 1960s12(1 EF3+)
- 1950s3
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 6 mi | 91.5 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Jun 20, 1974 | F3 | 21 mi | 10.6 mi | 1 / 20 |
| Jun 19, 1993 | F3 | 13 mi | 14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 9, 1970 | F3 | 20 mi | 4.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 11, 2025 | EF2 | 7 mi | 2.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 15, 2024 | EF2 | 22 mi | 15.41 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 18 mi | 18.02 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 6, 2017 | EF2 | 20 mi | 34.68 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 12, 2013 | EF2 | 17 mi | 6.6 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 1, 2007 | EF2 | 4 mi | 3.44 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 1998 | F2 | 21 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 11 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F2 | 10 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 88, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Bellevue
The Storm Prediction Center has 36 hail reports within 10 miles of Bellevue since 1965, made on 32 separate days. Of these, 19 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 9, 1995. The most recent report is from April 10, 2017. May has the most reports, 9.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Bellevue
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Bellevue L&D 12, IA, 3 miles east of Bellevue at 603 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 29°F and 12°F. June is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.3 inches; the year adds up to 37.9 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 17 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 146 nights a year. Snowfall averages 31.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 37.9 inches is more than at 84 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (68%). Maquoketa, 15 miles southwest, has its own station (Maquoketa, IA): 36.7 inches a year, 1.2 less than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29 | 12 | 1.3 | 4 | 9.3 |
| Feb | 34 | 15 | 1.6 | 4 | 8.3 |
| Mar | 46 | 26 | 2.2 | 5 | 3.9 |
| Apr | 59 | 37 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.4 |
| May | 71 | 48 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 81 | 59 | 5.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 63 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 61 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 52 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 41 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 47 | 29 | 2.3 | 5 | 1.3 |
| Dec | 34 | 19 | 1.9 | 5 | 8.4 |
| Year | 59 | 39 | 37.9 | 71 | 31.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Bellevue L&D 12, IA (603 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 Bellevue
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 83 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Bellevue: 61 thunderstorm wind reports, 14 floods, 7 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $7.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on August 24, 1998. July has had the most flash floods, 5 of 7. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 42 have had fewer than Bellevue.
July 17, 2016: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Bellevue — $5.0 million damage.
July 23, 2010: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Bellevue — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Heavy rains of 3 to 9 inches fell across Carroll County during the late evening hours of July 22 and through the morning hours of July 23 resulting in flash flooding of much of the county. Several roads across the county, especially the northern half, were closed due to the flash flooding.”
July 27, 2009: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Bellevue — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rains resulted in some flash flooding in and around Bellevue, IA during the evening hours of July 27 and early morning hours of July 28. The flood waters were flowing over Highway 52 near Pleasant Creek, where the water was 5 feet deep for a time.”
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
Jackson County, which includes Bellevue, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 19 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 8 floods, 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 Jackson 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 $14.1 million a year, the 45th highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.7 million (47%), 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 Bellevue
- Galena, IL11 mi
- Maquoketa, IA15 mi
- East Dubuque, IL17 mi
- Hazel Green, WI20 mi
- Savanna, IL20 mi
- Dubuque, IA21 mi
- Peosta, IA22 mi
- Stockton, IL24 mi
- Cuba City, WI25 mi
- Shullsburg, WI25 mi
- Thomson, IL27 mi
- Cascade, IA27 mi
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