NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit De Witt, 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 De Witt, Iowa since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 164 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 164
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for De Witt
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed De Witt; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 14 miles away. De Witt is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 241 Iowa cities on this site. The strongest of the 164 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 11, 1965; its path came within 15 miles, and it killed 1 person. The deadliest, an F3 on June 20, 1974, killed 1 person. Of the 164, 12 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 73 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 42. The most recent tornado was on July 11, 2025. De Witt has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 83% of the 241 Iowa cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 72 times since 1956, with stones up to 7 inches. Of the 241 Iowa cities, 66% have more hail reports within 10 miles than De Witt.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near De Witt
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 14 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 De Witt: 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 De Witt
By decade
- 2020s26
- 2010s36
- 2000s11
- 1990s40(2 EF3+)
- 1980s18(1 EF3+)
- 1970s16(2 EF3+)
- 1960s12(3 EF3+)
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 15 mi | 91.5 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Jun 20, 1974 | F3 | 16 mi | 10.6 mi | 1 / 20 |
| May 9, 1995 | F3 | 19 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 13, 1990 | F3 | 17 mi | 15.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 8, 1988 | F3 | 2 mi | 32 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 13, 1974 | F3 | 11 mi | 3.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 1966 | F3 | 23 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1962 | F3 | 15 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 11, 2025 | EF2 | 19 mi | 7.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 4 mi | 18.02 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 16 mi | 19.56 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 24 mi | 16.42 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 164, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in De Witt
The Storm Prediction Center has 72 hail reports within 10 miles of De Witt since 1956, made on 54 separate days. Of these, 41 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest, 7 inches, fell on September 27, 1959. The most recent report is from May 27, 2024. May has the most reports, 22.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in De Witt
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Clinton #1, IA, 14 miles east of De Witt at 585 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 29°F and 14°F. June is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.5 inches; the year adds up to 36.5 inches over 70 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 14 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 129 nights a year. Snowfall averages 31.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 36.5 inches is more than at 56 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (45%). Eldridge, 12 miles south, has its own station (Davenport, IA): 36.1 inches a year, 0.4 less than here, and the same July average high, 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29 | 14 | 1.5 | 4 | 9.2 |
| Feb | 34 | 18 | 1.7 | 4 | 7.5 |
| Mar | 48 | 29 | 2.3 | 5 | 3.9 |
| Apr | 62 | 40 | 3.4 | 7 | 0.8 |
| May | 73 | 51 | 4.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 61 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 65 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 63 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 55 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 43 | 2.6 | 5 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 48 | 31 | 2.2 | 5 | 2.3 |
| Dec | 35 | 21 | 1.9 | 5 | 7.9 |
| Year | 60 | 41 | 36.5 | 70 | 31.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Clinton #1, IA (585 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 De Witt
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 168 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of De Witt: 130 thunderstorm wind reports, 19 floods, 16 flash floods and 3 heavy rain events. They killed 0 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $7.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 98 mph, on May 10, 1996. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 145 have had fewer than De Witt.
June 21, 1997: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of De Witt — 3 injured, $90,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds plowed a broad path of destruction over northern Scott County and along the Wapsipinicon River. Winds tore a garage off its foundation, caused roof damage to three homes and destroyed one home completely.”
June 14, 2001: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of De Witt — 1 injured.
NWS: “Three semi-tractor trailers were blown over on Interstate 80 at mile marker 209. The semis were blocking all lanes and the highway was closed for a time.”
September 11, 2000: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of De Witt — $5.0 million damage.
NWS: “Corn fields toppled by winds estimated at 60 mph. 20 to 25 percent of all county farms sustained 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
Clinton County, which includes De Witt, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 floods, 6 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 Clinton County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and hail; 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 $25.4 million a year, the 13th highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $12.1 million (48%), 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 De Witt
- Eldridge, IA12 mi
- Camanche, IA13 mi
- Clinton, IA16 mi
- Le Claire, IA17 mi
- Walcott, IA19 mi
- Port Byron, IL19 mi
- Bettendorf, IA19 mi
- Davenport, IA19 mi
- Maquoketa, IA20 mi
- Fulton, IL20 mi
- East Moline, IL22 mi
- Silvis, IL23 mi
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