NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Chariton, 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 Chariton, Iowa since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 91 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 91
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Chariton
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Chariton; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 43 mph winds when its centre passed 2 miles away. Chariton 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 91 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on June 7, 1984, came within 12 miles. Of the 91, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 47 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 27. The most recent tornado was on May 7, 2024. Of the 241 Iowa cities, 91% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Chariton. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 67 times since 1981, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 241 Iowa cities, 72% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Chariton.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Chariton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 2 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 Chariton: 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 Chariton
By decade
- 2020s17(1 EF3+)
- 2010s14(2 EF3+)
- 2000s16
- 1990s10(2 EF3+)
- 1980s20(1 EF3+)
- 1970s4
- 1960s7(1 EF3+)
- 1950s3(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 7, 1984 | F4 | 12 mi | 134 mi | 3 / 64 |
| May 20, 1959 | F4 | 22 mi | 17.2 mi | 0 / 5 |
| May 10, 1953 | F4 | 8 mi | 6.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 5, 2022 | EF3 | 3 mi | 11.28 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Aug 20, 2019 | EF3 | 16 mi | 5.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 22, 2015 | EF3 | 13 mi | 11.12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 1999 | F3 | 12 mi | 39 mi | 0 / 5 |
| May 27, 1995 | F3 | 21 mi | 30.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 14, 1966 | F3 | 7 mi | 29.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 26, 2024 | EF2 | 22 mi | 5.84 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 5, 2022 | EF2 | 18 mi | 9.87 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 5, 2022 | EF2 | 10 mi | 19.42 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 91, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Chariton
The Storm Prediction Center has 67 hail reports within 10 miles of Chariton since 1981, made on 37 separate days. Of these, 36 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), fell on October 22, 2001. The most recent report is from June 25, 2024. June has the most reports, 23.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Chariton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Chariton 1 E, IA, 1 mile southeast of Chariton at 965 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 11°F. May is the wettest at 5.4 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.0 inches; the year adds up to 37.4 inches over 68 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 154 nights a year. Snowfall averages 24.1 inches a year, most of it in January. That 37.4 inches is more than at 73 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (59%). Milo, 19 miles north, has its own station (Indianola 2W, IA): 37.8 inches a year, 0.4 more than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 11 | 1.0 | 3 | 7.9 |
| Feb | 36 | 14 | 1.4 | 4 | 6.5 |
| Mar | 49 | 25 | 1.9 | 5 | 3.5 |
| Apr | 61 | 35 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.8 |
| May | 71 | 47 | 5.4 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 57 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 62 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 59 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 50 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 38 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 49 | 26 | 2.0 | 4 | 2.0 |
| Dec | 37 | 16 | 1.3 | 3 | 3.1 |
| Year | 60 | 37 | 37.4 | 68 | 24.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Chariton 1 E, IA (965 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 Chariton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 169 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Chariton: 65 thunderstorm wind reports, 46 floods, 42 heavy rain events, 14 flash floods and 2 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $6.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on July 23, 1999. July has had the most flash floods, 8 of 14. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 124 have had fewer than Chariton.
July 20, 2010: flash flood in Chariton — $1.1 million damage.
NWS: “Vehicle was stalled on Court Ave in Chariton. Water flowing on the road and coming into the vehicle.”
July 28, 2015: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Chariton — $550,000 damage.
NWS: “Strong winds of at least 60 mph and several reports of large tree limb damage was reported across much of Lucas County.”
June 25, 2015: flood 5 miles from the centre of Chariton — $350,000 damage.
NWS: “79 feet at 09:30 AM CST on 25 June.”
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
Lucas County, which includes Chariton, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1973, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 5 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 23, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lucas County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, inland flooding and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $7.9 million a year, the 91st highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.2 million (28%), 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 Chariton
- Milo, IA19 mi
- Corydon, IA19 mi
- Knoxville, IA22 mi
- Pleasantville, IA24 mi
- Osceola, IA25 mi
- Albia, IA26 mi
- Indianola, IA27 mi
- Centerville, IA30 mi
- Leon, IA31 mi
- Saint Charles, IA32 mi
- Pella, IA33 mi
- Carlisle, IA33 mi
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