NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Eldora, 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 Eldora, Iowa since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 138 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 138
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
11 deaths in all
What the records show for Eldora
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Eldora; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 46 mph winds when its centre passed 69 miles away. Eldora is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 241 Iowa cities on this site. The strongest of the 138 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF5 on May 25, 2008; its path came within 17 miles, and it killed 9 people. Of the 138, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 76 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 39. The most recent tornado was on August 18, 2025. Eldora has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 65% of the 241 Iowa cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 54 times since 1960, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 241 Iowa cities, 88% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Eldora.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Eldora
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Eldora: 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 Eldora
By decade
- 2020s16
- 2010s26(1 EF3+)
- 2000s34(1 EF3+)
- 1990s21(3 EF3+)
- 1980s6(2 EF3+)
- 1970s17
- 1960s14(1 EF3+)
- 1950s4(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 25, 2008 | EF5 | 17 mi | 40.97 mi | 9 / 70 |
| May 30, 1989 | F4 | 6 mi | 11 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 24, 1989 | F4 | 10 mi | 66 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 23, 1961 | F3 | 24 mi | 87.7 mi | 1 / 12 |
| May 20, 1953 | F3 | 15 mi | 116.1 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jul 19, 2018 | EF3 | 19 mi | 8.41 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Mar 22, 1991 | F3 | 4 mi | 43 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 28, 1990 | F3 | 13 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 13, 1990 | F3 | 19 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 1, 1951 | F3 | 22 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 7 |
| May 21, 2024 | EF2 | 18 mi | 40.84 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Dec 15, 2021 | EF2 | 25 mi | 7.49 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 138, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Eldora
The Storm Prediction Center has 54 hail reports within 10 miles of Eldora since 1960, made on 32 separate days. Of these, 35 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on August 9, 2009. The most recent report is from May 7, 2023. June has the most reports, 15.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Eldora
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Eldora, IA, in Eldora at 1,073 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 26°F and 8°F. June is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.1 inches; the year adds up to 38.0 inches over 67 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 16 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 153 nights a year. Snowfall averages 33.2 inches a year, most of it in February. That 38.0 inches is more than at 86 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (69%). Iowa Falls, 14 miles northwest, has its own station (Iowa Falls, IA): 38.2 inches a year, 0.2 more than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | 8 | 1.1 | 3 | 8.1 |
| Feb | 31 | 13 | 1.2 | 3 | 8.8 |
| Mar | 44 | 24 | 2.1 | 5 | 4.0 |
| Apr | 59 | 35 | 4.0 | 7 | 1.4 |
| May | 70 | 48 | 5.2 | 9 | 0.4 |
| Jun | 80 | 59 | 5.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 62 | 4.1 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 59 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 51 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 38 | 2.8 | 5 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 45 | 26 | 1.9 | 4 | 1.8 |
| Dec | 32 | 15 | 1.6 | 4 | 8.4 |
| Year | 57 | 36 | 38.0 | 67 | 33.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Eldora, IA (1,073 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 Eldora
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 97 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Eldora: 70 thunderstorm wind reports, 19 heavy rain events, 7 flash floods and 1 flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $3.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 104 mph, on August 9, 2009. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 42 have had fewer than Eldora.
August 9, 2009: thunderstorm wind in Eldora — $1.5 million damage.
NWS: “Many Residences in town have broken windows. The Red Cross set up a shelter and treated several injuries.”
June 22, 2007: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Eldora — $350,000 damage.
June 24, 2013: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Eldora — $200,000 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
Hardin County, which includes Eldora, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 6 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, on August 17, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Hardin County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hail; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $20.4 million a year, the 20th highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.3 million (36%), 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 Eldora
- Iowa Falls, IA14 mi
- Ackley, IA14 mi
- Grundy Center, IA16 mi
- Parkersburg, IA22 mi
- Marshalltown, IA24 mi
- State Center, IA24 mi
- Reinbeck, IA25 mi
- Hampton, IA27 mi
- Story City, IA28 mi
- Nevada, IA29 mi
- Hudson, IA32 mi
- Traer, IA33 mi
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