NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Center Point, 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 Center Point, Iowa since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 151 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 14 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 151
- EF3 or stronger
- 14
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for Center Point
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Center Point; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 48 mph winds when its centre passed 33 miles away. Center Point 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 151 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on March 13, 1990, came within 19 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on August 26, 1965, killed 1 person. Of the 151, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 86 have come since 2000. June and July have had the most tornadoes, 34 each. The most recent tornado was on July 11, 2025. Center Point has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 76% of the 241 Iowa cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 93 times since 1971, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Center Point has more hail reports within 10 miles than 52% of the 241 Iowa cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Center Point
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 33 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 Center Point: 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 Center Point
By decade
- 2020s27
- 2010s22
- 2000s37(1 EF3+)
- 1990s22(2 EF3+)
- 1980s13
- 1970s10(5 EF3+)
- 1960s13(4 EF3+)
- 1950s7(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 26, 1965 | F4 | 17 mi | 4.7 mi | 1 / 17 |
| Mar 13, 1990 | F4 | 19 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 12, 1974 | F4 | 19 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Apr 30, 1954 | F4 | 4 mi | 80.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 23, 1961 | F3 | 1 mi | 87.7 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Apr 16, 1960 | F3 | 24 mi | 29.8 mi | 1 / 5 |
| May 21, 2004 | F3 | 9 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 19, 1993 | F3 | 20 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 12, 1971 | F3 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 31, 1971 | F3 | 20 mi | 9.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 1971 | F3 | 10 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 1971 | F3 | 21 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 151, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Center Point
The Storm Prediction Center has 93 hail reports within 10 miles of Center Point since 1971, made on 52 separate days. Of these, 55 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on June 6, 1971. The most recent report is from July 11, 2025. June has the most reports, 42.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Center Point
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Vinton, IA, 12 miles west of Center Point at 850 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 26°F and 8°F. June is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.2 inches; the year adds up to 38.1 inches over 70 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 11 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 146 nights a year. Snowfall averages 33.6 inches a year, most of it in December. That 38.1 inches is more than at 89 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (72%). Robins, 10 miles southeast, has its own station (Cedar Rapids #1, IA): 38.8 inches a year, 0.7 more than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | 8 | 1.2 | 4 | 8.3 |
| Feb | 30 | 12 | 1.3 | 4 | 8.5 |
| Mar | 44 | 24 | 2.1 | 5 | 4.4 |
| Apr | 59 | 35 | 3.9 | 7 | 1.4 |
| May | 69 | 47 | 5.0 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 78 | 57 | 5.6 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 81 | 60 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 58 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 50 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 60 | 37 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.4 |
| Nov | 44 | 25 | 2.1 | 4 | 1.8 |
| Dec | 31 | 15 | 1.6 | 4 | 8.8 |
| Year | 56 | 36 | 38.1 | 70 | 33.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Vinton, IA (850 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 Center Point
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 126 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Center Point: 110 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 flash floods, 4 floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $752.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on July 11, 2025. June has had the most flash floods, 6 of 10. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 81 have had fewer than Center Point.
June 20, 2015: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of Center Point — 1 killed.
June 1, 2008: flood 3 miles from the centre of Center Point — $750.0 million damage.
NWS: “12 feet. Flood stage is 12 feet.”
July 11, 2011: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Center Point — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Wind gusts estimated to be 80 mph ripped the roof off of the Urbana Elementary School in Urbana, IA around 510 am CDT July 11. Several other businesses were also damaged in the Becca Industrial Park, including Buresh Arch Millwork, Borlaug Systems, and PalTech Enterprises.”
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
Linn County, which includes Center Point, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 21 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 floods, 8 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 Linn County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Very High for strong wind; Relatively High for tornadoes, hail and lightning; Relatively Moderate for inland flooding; Relatively Low for heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $79.1 million a year, the 3rd highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $36.2 million (46%), 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 Center Point
- Robins, IA10 mi
- Hiawatha, IA11 mi
- Vinton, IA12 mi
- Central City, IA14 mi
- Marion, IA15 mi
- Atkins, IA15 mi
- Cedar Rapids, IA15 mi
- Fairfax, IA19 mi
- Springville, IA20 mi
- Independence, IA20 mi
- La Porte City, IA23 mi
- Ely, IA24 mi
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