NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Hartley, 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
No tropical storm or hurricane has passed within 75 miles of Hartley, Iowa since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 142 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 142
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Hartley
The highest rating among the 142 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on June 25, 2010, came within 18 miles. Of the 142, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 69 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 54. The most recent tornado was on July 20, 2024. Hartley has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 67% of the 241 Iowa cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 102 times since 1964, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Hartley has more hail reports within 10 miles than 60% of the 241 Iowa cities.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Hartley
By decade
- 2020s9
- 2010s31(1 EF3+)
- 2000s29
- 1990s17(1 EF3+)
- 1980s16(1 EF3+)
- 1970s11(4 EF3+)
- 1960s20(1 EF3+)
- 1950s9(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 25, 2010 | EF4 | 18 mi | 13.65 mi | 0 / 13 |
| Jun 23, 1952 | F4 | 20 mi | 24.1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Aug 7, 1994 | F3 | 22 mi | 4.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Sep 20, 1980 | F3 | 16 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 1, 1971 | F3 | 7 mi | 11.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 1971 | F3 | 15 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 1971 | F3 | 11 mi | 8.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 1971 | F3 | 17 mi | 46.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 1964 | F3 | 1 mi | 67 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Aug 18, 2017 | EF2 | 10 mi | 5.14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 11, 2008 | EF2 | 15 mi | 13.08 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 11, 2008 | EF2 | 9 mi | 5.73 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 142, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Hartley
The Storm Prediction Center has 102 hail reports within 10 miles of Hartley since 1964, made on 62 separate days. Of these, 69 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on September 8, 2005. The most recent report is from September 22, 2025. June has the most reports, 36.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Hartley
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Sanborn, IA, 10 miles west of Hartley at 1,551 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 24°F and 6°F. June is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.9 inches; the year adds up to 32.2 inches over 61 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 9 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 166 nights a year. Snowfall averages 41.4 inches a year, most of it in December. That 32.2 inches is more than at 16 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (13%). Spencer, 16 miles east, has its own station (Spencer 1 N, IA): 31.1 inches a year, 1.1 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 24 | 6 | 0.9 | 3 | 8.2 |
| Feb | 28 | 10 | 1.1 | 3 | 9.1 |
| Mar | 42 | 22 | 1.9 | 4 | 6.3 |
| Apr | 57 | 34 | 3.4 | 7 | 3.2 |
| May | 69 | 47 | 4.5 | 9 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 79 | 58 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 62 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 60 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 50 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 60 | 37 | 2.5 | 4 | 0.5 |
| Nov | 43 | 23 | 1.6 | 3 | 4.5 |
| Dec | 29 | 12 | 1.2 | 3 | 9.5 |
| Year | 55 | 35 | 32.2 | 61 | 41.4 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Sanborn, IA (1,551 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 Hartley
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 115 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Hartley: 63 floods, 43 thunderstorm wind reports and 9 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $6.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on July 5, 2022. June 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 Hartley.
June 1, 2019: flood 7 miles from the centre of Hartley — $2.6 million damage.
NWS: “During crop planting season, prolonged flooding led to the loss of or inability to plant crops across the area. Crop loss estimates provided by the United States Department of Agriculture.”
June 21, 2024: flood 7 miles from the centre of Hartley — $1.9 million damage.
NWS: “Rainfall amounts across Dickinson County from June 20-22 ranged from 5 to 10 inches. Widespread overland flooding ensued with additional major to record flooding along the West Fork Little Sioux and Little Sioux Rivers.”
September 8, 2005: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Hartley — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds caused widespread tree, power pole, and power line damage along a path around 20 miles long and roughly 5 miles wide. Numerous trees were blown down, some blocking roads, forcing law enforcement to close all roads leading to Everly.”
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
O'Brien County, which includes Hartley, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 severe storms, 4 floods, 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 O'Brien County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail; Relatively Low for tornadoes and strong wind; Very Low for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $11.1 million a year, the 66th highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.9 million (35%), 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 Hartley
- Spencer, IA16 mi
- Milford, IA18 mi
- Sheldon, IA20 mi
- Sibley, IA21 mi
- Spirit Lake, IA25 mi
- Cherokee, IA30 mi
- Worthington, MN31 mi
- Orange City, IA32 mi
- Hull, IA34 mi
- Lakefield, MN35 mi
- Alta, IA35 mi
- Estherville, IA36 mi
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