NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Ely, 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 Ely, Iowa since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 149 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 149
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Ely
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Ely; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 48 mph winds when its centre passed 10 miles away. Ely 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 149 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on March 13, 1990, came within 25 miles. The deadliest, an EF1 on April 27, 2014, killed 2 people. Of the 149, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 73 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 44. The most recent tornado was on July 11, 2025. Ely has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 75% of the 241 Iowa cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 202 times since 1956, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Ely has more hail reports within 10 miles than 87% of the 241 Iowa cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Ely
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 10 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 Ely: 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 Ely
By decade
- 2020s22
- 2010s20
- 2000s31(1 EF3+)
- 1990s23(2 EF3+)
- 1980s23
- 1970s15(2 EF3+)
- 1960s8(1 EF3+)
- 1950s7(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 13, 1990 | F4 | 25 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 30, 1954 | F4 | 17 mi | 80.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 23, 1961 | F3 | 21 mi | 87.7 mi | 1 / 12 |
| May 21, 2004 | F3 | 16 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 1998 | F3 | 20 mi | 47 mi | 0 / 47 |
| May 18, 1971 | F3 | 16 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 1971 | F3 | 24 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 20, 1953 | F3 | 6 mi | 38.6 mi | 0 / 7 |
| May 22, 1962 | F2 | 14 mi | 4.1 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jul 11, 2025 | EF2 | 19 mi | 6.74 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 22 mi | 16.42 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 6 mi | 8.97 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 149, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Ely
The Storm Prediction Center has 202 hail reports within 10 miles of Ely since 1956, made on 83 separate days. Of these, 126 were 1 inch across or larger, and 9 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently April 7, 2020. The most recent report is from August 15, 2025. April has the most reports, 55.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Ely
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cedar Rapids Municipal Airport, IA, 8 miles west of Ely at 868 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 28°F and 11°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 36.1 inches over 67 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 12 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 144 nights a year. That 36.1 inches is more than at 43 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (35%). Mount Vernon, 7 miles east, has its own station (Cedar Rapids #1, IA): 38.8 inches a year, 2.7 more than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | 11 | 1.0 | 3 |
| Feb | 33 | 16 | 1.2 | 3 |
| Mar | 46 | 27 | 2.0 | 5 |
| Apr | 60 | 38 | 3.6 | 7 |
| May | 71 | 50 | 4.3 | 8 |
| Jun | 80 | 60 | 5.6 | 9 |
| Jul | 83 | 63 | 4.4 | 6 |
| Aug | 81 | 60 | 4.1 | 6 |
| Sep | 75 | 52 | 3.4 | 6 |
| Oct | 62 | 40 | 2.9 | 5 |
| Nov | 46 | 28 | 2.0 | 4 |
| Dec | 33 | 17 | 1.6 | 4 |
| Year | 58 | 38 | 36.1 | 67 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cedar Rapids Municipal Airport, IA (868 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 Ely
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 328 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Ely: 273 thunderstorm wind reports, 37 flash floods, 11 heavy rain events, 5 lightning strikes and 2 floods. They killed 2 people and injured 9, and the NWS estimated $10.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on June 30, 2014. June has had the most flash floods, 17 of 37. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 207 have had fewer than Ely.
June 30, 2014: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Ely — 1 killed, 1 injured.
May 29, 2011: thunderstorm wind 7 miles from the centre of Ely — 1 killed, $10,000 damage.
June 30, 2014: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Ely — 4 injured.
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 Ely, 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 Ely
- Solon, IA6 mi
- Swisher, IA7 mi
- Mount Vernon, IA7 mi
- Cedar Rapids, IA8 mi
- North Liberty, IA10 mi
- Marion, IA10 mi
- Lisbon, IA11 mi
- Fairfax, IA11 mi
- Hiawatha, IA12 mi
- Springville, IA13 mi
- Robins, IA13 mi
- Tiffin, IA14 mi
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