NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Colfax, 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 Colfax, 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, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 151
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
14 deaths in all
What the records show for Colfax
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Colfax; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 44 mph winds when its centre passed 34 miles away. Colfax 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 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on March 5, 2022, came within 3 miles. Of the 151, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 85 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 44. The most recent tornado was on July 15, 2024. Colfax has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 76% of the 241 Iowa cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 112 times since 1956, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Colfax has more hail reports within 10 miles than 65% of the 241 Iowa cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Colfax
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Colfax: 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 Colfax
By decade
- 2020s24(1 EF3+)
- 2010s24(1 EF3+)
- 2000s37
- 1990s18(2 EF3+)
- 1980s21(1 EF3+)
- 1970s10(2 EF3+)
- 1960s12(1 EF3+)
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 5, 2022 | EF4 | 3 mi | 70.57 mi | 6 / 5 |
| Jun 18, 1974 | F4 | 18 mi | 15.3 mi | 2 / 50 |
| Sep 28, 1986 | F4 | 6 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 16, 1978 | F3 | 17 mi | 31.8 mi | 6 / 45 |
| Jul 19, 2018 | EF3 | 22 mi | 9.17 mi | 0 / 13 |
| Apr 8, 1999 | F3 | 1 mi | 39 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Mar 13, 1990 | F3 | 24 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Oct 14, 1966 | F3 | 13 mi | 29.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 15, 1950 | F3 | 24 mi | 5.6 mi | 0 / 5 |
| May 21, 2024 | EF2 | 21 mi | 40.84 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 26, 2024 | EF2 | 13 mi | 7.61 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 5, 2022 | EF2 | 14 mi | 17.31 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 Colfax
The Storm Prediction Center has 112 hail reports within 10 miles of Colfax since 1956, made on 64 separate days. Of these, 78 were 1 inch across or larger, and 13 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on July 7, 2003. The most recent report is from April 17, 2025. May has the most reports, 31.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Colfax
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Des Moines 17 E, IA, 9 miles south of Colfax at 921 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 13°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 36.6 inches over 66 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 15 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 137 nights a year. That 36.6 inches is more than at 60 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (48%). Newton, 10 miles east, has its own station (Newton, IA): 35.1 inches a year, 1.5 less than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 13 | 1.0 | 3 |
| Feb | 35 | 17 | 1.4 | 4 |
| Mar | 49 | 28 | 2.3 | 5 |
| Apr | 62 | 39 | 3.8 | 7 |
| May | 71 | 51 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Jun | 80 | 61 | 5.6 | 8 |
| Jul | 84 | 64 | 3.9 | 5 |
| Aug | 82 | 61 | 4.2 | 7 |
| Sep | 76 | 53 | 3.2 | 6 |
| Oct | 63 | 41 | 2.9 | 5 |
| Nov | 48 | 29 | 1.9 | 4 |
| Dec | 35 | 19 | 1.6 | 4 |
| Year | 59 | 40 | 36.6 | 66 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Des Moines 17 E, IA (921 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 Colfax
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 149 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Colfax: 83 thunderstorm wind reports, 49 heavy rain events, 12 floods and 5 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $4.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on March 9, 2002. June has had the most flash floods, 3 of 5. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 27 have had fewer than Colfax.
March 9, 2002: thunderstorm wind 6 miles from the centre of Colfax — $1.5 million damage.
August 9, 2010: flood 7 miles from the centre of Colfax — $900,000 damage.
June 1, 2008: flood 7 miles from the centre of Colfax — $300,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in Colfax's ZIP code 50054 have filed 24 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1984, and were paid $576,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The year with the most claims was 2010, with 15. 8% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 91 Iowa cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 30 have fewer than Colfax.
Jasper County, which includes Colfax, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 6 floods, 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 Jasper County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $16.1 million a year, the 30th highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.7 million (35%), 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 Colfax
- Mitchellville, IA6 mi
- Prairie City, IA7 mi
- Newton, IA10 mi
- Bondurant, IA12 mi
- Altoona, IA12 mi
- Runnells, IA13 mi
- Monroe, IA13 mi
- Maxwell, IA15 mi
- Pleasant Hill, IA15 mi
- Carlisle, IA18 mi
- Ankeny, IA20 mi
- Des Moines, IA21 mi
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