NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Fairfield, 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 Fairfield, Iowa since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 81 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 10 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 81
- EF3 or stronger
- 10
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Fairfield
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Fairfield; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 46 mph winds when its centre passed 40 miles away. Fairfield is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 241 Iowa cities on this site. The strongest of the 81 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF4 on March 31, 2023; its path came within 21 miles. The deadliest, an EF1 on April 27, 2014, killed 2 people. Of the 81, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 37 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 27. The most recent tornado was on August 11, 2025. Of the 241 Iowa cities, 96% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Fairfield. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 69 times since 1960, with stones up to 3.75 inches. Of the 241 Iowa cities, 70% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Fairfield.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Fairfield
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 40 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 Fairfield: 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 Fairfield
By decade
- 2020s4(2 EF3+)
- 2010s12(1 EF3+)
- 2000s21
- 1990s14(2 EF3+)
- 1980s13
- 1970s4
- 1960s9(3 EF3+)
- 1950s4(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF4 | 21 mi | 19.9 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Apr 16, 1967 | F3 | 10 mi | 19.4 mi | 2 / 16 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 17 mi | 26.09 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 2019 | EF3 | 24 mi | 7.27 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 1999 | F3 | 14 mi | 16 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 1998 | F3 | 21 mi | 47 mi | 0 / 47 |
| Apr 21, 1967 | F3 | 2 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jan 24, 1967 | F3 | 12 mi | 25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 9, 1959 | F3 | 11 mi | 17.8 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 9, 1959 | F3 | 13 mi | 6.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 11, 2001 | F2 | 20 mi | 8.4 mi | 2 / 3 |
| Apr 16, 2024 | EF2 | 24 mi | 41.66 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 81, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Fairfield
The Storm Prediction Center has 69 hail reports within 10 miles of Fairfield since 1960, made on 43 separate days. Of these, 33 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.75 inches, fell on June 28, 1976. The most recent report is from October 24, 2024. April and June have the most reports, 18 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Fairfield
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Fairfield, IA, in Fairfield at 740 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 14°F. May is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.5 inches; the year adds up to 38.4 inches over 70 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 24 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 127 nights a year. Snowfall averages 21.7 inches a year, most of it in February. That 38.4 inches is more than at 97 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (78%). Mt Pleasant, 20 miles east, has its own station (Mt Pleasant 1 SSW, IA): 38.6 inches a year, 0.2 more than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 14 | 1.5 | 4 | 6.2 |
| Feb | 36 | 18 | 1.8 | 5 | 7.2 |
| Mar | 49 | 28 | 2.4 | 5 | 2.7 |
| Apr | 62 | 39 | 3.7 | 7 | 1.0 |
| May | 71 | 50 | 5.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 60 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 64 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 61 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 53 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 41 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 48 | 30 | 2.3 | 5 | 0.9 |
| Dec | 35 | 20 | 1.7 | 4 | 3.5 |
| Year | 60 | 40 | 38.4 | 70 | 21.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Fairfield, IA (740 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 Fairfield
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 98 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Fairfield: 84 thunderstorm wind reports, 11 flash floods, 2 heavy rain events and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $902,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on June 8, 2005. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 95 have had fewer than Fairfield.
July 9, 2003: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Fairfield — $110,000 damage.
NWS: “On Hwy 81 at the Iowa/Missouri state line”
August 3, 2010: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Fairfield — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Wind gusts estimated to be 70 mph blew a tree down onto a house on W Washington Avenue in Fairfield, IA around 340 am CDT August 3.”
August 13, 2010: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Fairfield — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rains resulted in some flash flooding of parts of Fairfield, IA during the late evening of August 13 and early morning of August 14. The flood water was 1 foot deep across 22nd Street and on W Grimes Avenue.”
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
Jefferson County, which includes Fairfield, has been named in 12 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 10 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 2 severe storms, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 23, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Jefferson County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes; Very Low for hurricanes and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $7.5 million a year, the 93rd highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.1 million (28%), 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 Fairfield
- Mt Pleasant, IA20 mi
- Washington, IA24 mi
- Ottumwa, IA24 mi
- Sigourney, IA25 mi
- New London, IA29 mi
- Donnellson, IA31 mi
- Wellman, IA32 mi
- West Point, IA32 mi
- Bloomfield, IA33 mi
- Columbus Junction, IA35 mi
- Kalona, IA36 mi
- Riverside, IA38 mi
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