NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Carlisle, 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 Carlisle, Iowa since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 174 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 174
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
8 deaths in all
What the records show for Carlisle
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Carlisle; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 43 mph winds when its centre passed 30 miles away. Carlisle 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 174 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on March 5, 2022, came within 3 miles. Of the 174, 11 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 93 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 51. The most recent tornado was on July 15, 2024. Carlisle has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 86% of the 241 Iowa cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 196 times since 1961, with stones up to 3.5 inches. Carlisle has more hail reports within 10 miles than 86% of the 241 Iowa cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Carlisle
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Carlisle: 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 Carlisle
By decade
- 2020s28(1 EF3+)
- 2010s32(1 EF3+)
- 2000s33(1 EF3+)
- 1990s19(1 EF3+)
- 1980s30(1 EF3+)
- 1970s15(2 EF3+)
- 1960s12(1 EF3+)
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 5, 2022 | EF4 | 3 mi | 70.57 mi | 6 / 5 |
| Jun 18, 1974 | F4 | 3 mi | 15.3 mi | 2 / 50 |
| Sep 28, 1986 | F4 | 18 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 20, 2019 | EF3 | 16 mi | 5.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 11, 2001 | F3 | 23 mi | 76.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 1999 | F3 | 7 mi | 39 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Mar 29, 1979 | F3 | 11 mi | 57 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Oct 14, 1966 | F3 | 19 mi | 29.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 21, 2024 | EF2 | 19 mi | 40.84 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 26, 2024 | EF2 | 6 mi | 7.61 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jul 19, 2018 | EF2 | 15 mi | 2.95 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 19, 2018 | EF2 | 16 mi | 3.68 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 174, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Carlisle
The Storm Prediction Center has 196 hail reports within 10 miles of Carlisle since 1961, made on 105 separate days. Of these, 130 were 1 inch across or larger, and 9 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.5 inches, fell on June 30, 2014. The most recent report is from April 17, 2025. June has the most reports, 69.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Carlisle
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Des Moines International Airport, IA, 9 miles west of Carlisle at 957 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 14°F. June is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.1 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 22 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 128 nights a year. Snowfall averages 36.5 inches a year, most of it in February. That 36.6 inches is more than at 61 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (49%). Runnells, 6 miles northeast, has its own station (Des Moines 17 E, IA): 36.6 inches a year, the same as here, and a July average high of 84°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 14 | 1.1 | 3 | 9.4 |
| Feb | 36 | 18 | 1.3 | 4 | 10.2 |
| Mar | 49 | 30 | 2.2 | 5 | 4.4 |
| Apr | 62 | 41 | 4.0 | 8 | 1.2 |
| May | 72 | 52 | 5.2 | 9 | 0.2 |
| Jun | 82 | 62 | 5.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 66 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 64 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 55 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 43 | 2.8 | 5 | 0.5 |
| Nov | 48 | 30 | 1.9 | 4 | 2.7 |
| Dec | 36 | 20 | 1.6 | 4 | 7.9 |
| Year | 60 | 41 | 36.6 | 66 | 36.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Des Moines International Airport, IA (957 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 Carlisle
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 386 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Carlisle: 156 thunderstorm wind reports, 103 heavy rain events, 83 floods, 36 flash floods and 8 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $39.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 109 mph, on June 23, 2000. June has had the most flash floods, 18 of 36. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 206 have had fewer than Carlisle.
March 8, 2002: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Carlisle — 1 injured, $100,000 damage.
June 12, 2010: flood 10 miles from the centre of Carlisle — $20.0 million damage.
June 29, 1998: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Carlisle — $4.2 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
Warren County, which includes Carlisle, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 15 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 6 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 Warren County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Low for hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $18.7 million a year, the 23rd highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.9 million (37%), 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 Carlisle
- Runnells, IA6 mi
- Pleasant Hill, IA7 mi
- Des Moines, IA10 mi
- Norwalk, IA11 mi
- Altoona, IA11 mi
- Indianola, IA11 mi
- Pleasantville, IA13 mi
- Mitchellville, IA13 mi
- Prairie City, IA14 mi
- Windsor Heights, IA14 mi
- Milo, IA15 mi
- Bondurant, IA15 mi
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