NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Grundy Center, 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 Grundy Center, Iowa since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 136 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 136
- EF3 or stronger
- 12
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
12 deaths in all
What the records show for Grundy Center
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Grundy Center; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 46 mph winds when its centre passed 62 miles away. Grundy Center is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 241 Iowa cities on this site. The strongest of the 136 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF5 on May 25, 2008; its path came within 14 miles, and it killed 9 people. Of the 136, 11 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 77 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 43. The most recent tornado was on August 18, 2025. Grundy Center has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 61% of the 241 Iowa cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 56 times since 1971, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 241 Iowa cities, 86% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Grundy Center.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Grundy Center
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 62 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 Grundy Center: 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 Grundy Center
By decade
- 2020s14
- 2010s23(1 EF3+)
- 2000s40(2 EF3+)
- 1990s17(2 EF3+)
- 1980s8(2 EF3+)
- 1970s20(2 EF3+)
- 1960s10(2 EF3+)
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 25, 2008 | EF5 | 14 mi | 40.97 mi | 9 / 70 |
| May 30, 1989 | F4 | 12 mi | 11 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 24, 1989 | F4 | 11 mi | 66 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 2000 | F3 | 20 mi | 18.6 mi | 1 / 25 |
| Apr 23, 1961 | F3 | 21 mi | 87.7 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Apr 16, 1960 | F3 | 10 mi | 29.8 mi | 1 / 5 |
| Jul 19, 2018 | EF3 | 22 mi | 8.41 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Mar 22, 1991 | F3 | 19 mi | 43 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 28, 1990 | F3 | 17 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 4, 1977 | F3 | 18 mi | 17.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 9, 1975 | F3 | 19 mi | 39.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 1, 1951 | F3 | 21 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 7 |
The strongest 12 of 136, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Grundy Center
The Storm Prediction Center has 56 hail reports within 10 miles of Grundy Center since 1971, made on 37 separate days. Of these, 30 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 31, 1971. The most recent report is from September 22, 2025. May has the most reports, 17.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Grundy Center
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Grundy Ctr, IA, 1 mile east of Grundy Center at 985 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 26°F and 9°F. June is the wettest at 5.7 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.8 inches; the year adds up to 36.9 inches over 67 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 155 nights a year. Snowfall averages 32.3 inches a year, most of it in December. That 36.9 inches is more than at 66 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (53%). Parkersburg, 15 miles north, has its own station (Allison, IA): 35.4 inches a year, 1.5 less than here, and the same July average high, 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | 9 | 0.8 | 3 | 9.2 |
| Feb | 31 | 13 | 1.0 | 3 | 5.9 |
| Mar | 44 | 24 | 1.9 | 4 | 3.9 |
| Apr | 59 | 36 | 3.9 | 8 | 1.4 |
| May | 70 | 48 | 4.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 60 | 5.7 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 62 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 60 | 4.8 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 51 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 38 | 2.9 | 5 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 45 | 26 | 1.9 | 4 | 2.1 |
| Dec | 32 | 15 | 1.4 | 4 | 9.5 |
| Year | 57 | 37 | 36.9 | 67 | 32.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Grundy Ctr, IA (985 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 Grundy Center
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 107 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Grundy Center: 63 thunderstorm wind reports, 27 heavy rain events, 9 flash floods and 8 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $23.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on June 20, 1997. May 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 Grundy Center.
June 12, 2010: flood 5 miles from the centre of Grundy Center — $20.0 million damage.
June 20, 1997: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Grundy Center — $550,000 damage.
May 29, 2013: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Grundy Center — $450,000 damage.
NWS: “Many county roads closed due to flooding.”
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
Grundy County, which includes Grundy Center, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, on August 17, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Grundy County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.5 million a year, the 83rd highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.0 million (31%), 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 Grundy Center
- Reinbeck, IA9 mi
- Parkersburg, IA15 mi
- Hudson, IA16 mi
- Eldora, IA16 mi
- Traer, IA19 mi
- Ackley, IA20 mi
- Cedar Falls, IA20 mi
- Marshalltown, IA23 mi
- Waterloo, IA24 mi
- Janesville, IA25 mi
- Toledo, IA26 mi
- Shell Rock, IA26 mi
All Iowa cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Grundy Center with another place →