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Storms That Hit

NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Guthrie 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 Guthrie Center, Iowa since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 117 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
0

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
1

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
117

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
7

2 deaths in all

What the records show for Guthrie Center

None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Guthrie Center; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 70 miles away. Guthrie 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 117 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on June 27, 1953; its path came within 19 miles, and it killed 1 person. The deadliest, an EF2 on May 22, 2019, killed 1 person. Of the 117, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 61 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 49. The most recent tornado was on May 21, 2024. Of the 241 Iowa cities, 61% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Guthrie Center. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 118 times since 1963, with stones up to 3.5 inches. Guthrie Center has more hail reports within 10 miles than 68% of the 241 Iowa cities.

Compare Guthrie Center's storm record with another city →

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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Guthrie Center

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Guthrie Center, Iowa, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
1900Unnamed 1900 stormSep 1170 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 4

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Guthrie 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 Guthrie Center

By decade

  • 2020s15
  • 2010s18
  • 2000s28
  • 1990s18(4 EF3+)
  • 1980s19
  • 1970s7(1 EF3+)
  • 1960s7
  • 1950s5(2 EF3+)
Strongest tornadoes near Guthrie Center, Iowa
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Jun 27, 1953F519 mi0.1 mi1 / 2
Apr 8, 1999F415 mi49 mi0 / 3
May 27, 1995F49 mi30 mi0 / 1
May 27, 1995F417 mi57 mi0 / 2
May 10, 1959F45 mi41.1 mi0 / 1
Apr 14, 1994F322 mi14 mi0 / 0
Jun 13, 1976F322 mi17.9 mi0 / 0
May 22, 2019EF212 mi4.75 mi1 / 1
May 21, 2024EF222 mi14.63 mi0 / 0
Dec 15, 2021EF221 mi5.83 mi0 / 0
Dec 15, 2021EF218 mi5.49 mi0 / 0
Dec 15, 2021EF212 mi23.4 mi0 / 0

The strongest 12 of 117, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Guthrie Center

The Storm Prediction Center has 118 hail reports within 10 miles of Guthrie Center since 1963, made on 51 separate days. Of these, 82 were 1 inch across or larger, and 12 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 3.5 inches, was reported on 2 days, most recently June 24, 2015. The most recent report is from April 23, 2025. June has the most reports, 49.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in Guthrie Center

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Audubon, IA, 21 miles west of Guthrie Center at 1,280 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 28°F and 9°F. May is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.9 inches; the year adds up to 35.0 inches over 62 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 11 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 160 nights a year. That 35.0 inches is more than at 32 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (26%). Panora, 8 miles east, has its own station (Perry, IA): 36.2 inches a year, 1.2 more than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 83°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Audubon, IA
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"
Jan2890.92
Feb33131.13
Mar46241.74
Apr60353.77
May70485.29
Jun80585.18
Jul83623.87
Aug81594.56
Sep75503.55
Oct62372.85
Nov46251.53
Dec33141.23
Year583635.062

Averages for 1991–2020 at Audubon, IA (1,280 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.

Iowa weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Guthrie Center

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 103 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Guthrie Center: 57 thunderstorm wind reports, 27 heavy rain events, 15 flash floods, 2 floods and 2 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $4.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 81 mph, on May 6, 2007. April has had the most flash floods, 6 of 15. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 137 have had fewer than Guthrie Center.

  • July 10, 2002: thunderstorm wind in Guthrie Center — $2.1 million damage.

  • July 10, 2002: thunderstorm wind in Guthrie Center — $1.0 million damage.

  • June 22, 2007: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Guthrie Center — $350,000 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

Guthrie County, which includes Guthrie Center, has been named in 17 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes, on February 23, 2022. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Guthrie 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 $13.9 million a year, the 47th highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.2 million (30%), 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 Guthrie Center

All Iowa cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Guthrie Center with another place →

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