NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Epworth, 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 Epworth, Iowa since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 112 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 112
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
1 deaths in all
What the records show for Epworth
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Epworth; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 52 mph winds when its centre passed 34 miles away. Epworth is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 241 Iowa cities on this site. The strongest of the 112 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on March 13, 1990; its path came within 10 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on April 23, 1961, killed 1 person. Of the 112, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 51 have come since 2000. July has had the most tornadoes, 25. The most recent tornado was on July 11, 2025. Of the 241 Iowa cities, 70% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Epworth. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 51 times since 1955, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 241 Iowa cities, 90% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Epworth.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Epworth
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 34 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 Epworth: 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 Epworth
By decade
- 2020s22
- 2010s14
- 2000s15(1 EF3+)
- 1990s20(4 EF3+)
- 1980s9
- 1970s10(1 EF3+)
- 1960s16(1 EF3+)
- 1950s6
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 13, 1990 | F4 | 10 mi | 19 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 23, 1961 | F3 | 20 mi | 87.7 mi | 1 / 12 |
| May 25, 2008 | EF3 | 25 mi | 31.99 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jul 27, 1995 | F3 | 22 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 19, 1993 | F3 | 14 mi | 14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 13, 1992 | F3 | 19 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 9, 1970 | F3 | 14 mi | 4.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 11, 2025 | EF2 | 19 mi | 2.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 28, 2017 | EF2 | 15 mi | 2.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 28, 2017 | EF2 | 24 mi | 11.69 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 27, 1991 | F2 | 17 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 22, 1991 | F2 | 23 mi | 17 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 112, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Epworth
The Storm Prediction Center has 51 hail reports within 10 miles of Epworth since 1955, made on 34 separate days. Of these, 35 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on April 18, 1955. The most recent report is from March 19, 2025. May has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Epworth
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Cascade, IA, 11 miles south of Epworth at 814 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 27°F and 11°F. June is the wettest at 6.0 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.3 inches; the year adds up to 39.6 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 11 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 153 nights a year. Snowfall averages 31.1 inches a year, most of it in February. That 39.6 inches is more than at 117 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (94%). Peosta, 6 miles east, has its own station (Dubuque Regional Airport, IA): 38.3 inches a year, 1.3 less than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27 | 11 | 1.3 | 4 | 8.3 |
| Feb | 32 | 15 | 1.5 | 4 | 8.8 |
| Mar | 45 | 26 | 2.2 | 5 | 4.2 |
| Apr | 59 | 37 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.9 |
| May | 70 | 49 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 60 | 6.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 63 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 60 | 4.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 51 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 39 | 3.3 | 5 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 46 | 28 | 2.3 | 4 | 1.8 |
| Dec | 33 | 18 | 1.8 | 4 | 6.9 |
| Year | 58 | 38 | 39.6 | 68 | 31.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Cascade, IA (814 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 Epworth
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 106 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Epworth: 86 thunderstorm wind reports, 9 flash floods, 9 heavy rain events and 2 floods. They killed 0 people and injured 7, and the NWS estimated $1.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on June 30, 2019. July has had the most flash floods, 4 of 9. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 66 have had fewer than Epworth.
June 30, 2019: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Epworth — 2 injured.
NWS: “An anchored mobile home was destroyed 4 S of Epworth with 2 injuries. Further southeast along the Epworth to Fillmore track, a home lost its roof.”
April 5, 2010: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Epworth — 1 injured, $25,000 damage.
October 29, 1996: thunderstorm wind in Epworth — 1 injured, $20,000 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
Dubuque County, which includes Epworth, has been named in 21 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 19 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 floods, 8 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes, on June 24, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Dubuque 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 $41.7 million a year, the 8th highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $19.4 million (47%), 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 Epworth
- Farley, IA4 mi
- Peosta, IA6 mi
- Dyersville, IA11 mi
- Cascade, IA12 mi
- Dubuque, IA12 mi
- East Dubuque, IL17 mi
- Potosi, WI21 mi
- Monticello, IA21 mi
- Hazel Green, WI23 mi
- Guttenberg, IA24 mi
- Cuba City, WI27 mi
- Manchester, IA27 mi
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