NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Independence, 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 Independence, Iowa since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 147 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 15 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 147
- EF3 or stronger
- 15
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
18 deaths in all
What the records show for Independence
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Independence; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 48 mph winds when its centre passed 53 miles away. Independence is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 241 Iowa cities on this site. The highest rating among the 147 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5 or EF5, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 25, 2008, came within 14 miles. Of the 147, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 80 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 36. The most recent tornado was on July 11, 2025. Independence has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 73% of the 241 Iowa cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 90 times since 1962, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 241 Iowa cities, 50% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Independence.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Independence
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Independence: 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 Independence
By decade
- 2020s24
- 2010s15
- 2000s41(3 EF3+)
- 1990s17(2 EF3+)
- 1980s13
- 1970s11(4 EF3+)
- 1960s21(5 EF3+)
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 25, 2008 | EF5 | 14 mi | 40.97 mi | 9 / 70 |
| May 15, 1968 | F5 | 14 mi | 13.1 mi | 5 / 156 |
| Aug 26, 1965 | F4 | 19 mi | 4.7 mi | 1 / 17 |
| Aug 12, 1974 | F4 | 23 mi | 5 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Apr 30, 1954 | F4 | 16 mi | 80.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 2000 | F3 | 11 mi | 18.6 mi | 1 / 25 |
| Apr 23, 1961 | F3 | 21 mi | 87.7 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Apr 16, 1960 | F3 | 6 mi | 29.8 mi | 1 / 5 |
| May 25, 2008 | EF3 | 9 mi | 31.99 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jul 27, 1995 | F3 | 14 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 19, 1993 | F3 | 19 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 9, 1975 | F3 | 15 mi | 39.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 147, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Independence
The Storm Prediction Center has 90 hail reports within 10 miles of Independence since 1962, made on 48 separate days. Of these, 54 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on July 17, 2006. The most recent report is from May 27, 2024. July has the most reports, 22.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Independence
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Independence #1, IA, 4 miles north of Independence at 1,010 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 27°F and 8°F. June is the wettest at 5.7 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.0 inches; the year adds up to 37.5 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 12 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 151 nights a year. Snowfall averages 33.9 inches a year, most of it in January. That 37.5 inches is more than at 77 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (62%). Oelwein, 15 miles north, has its own station (Oelwein 1E, IA): 35.4 inches a year, 2.1 less than here, and the same July average high, 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27 | 8 | 1.0 | 4 | 10.0 |
| Feb | 31 | 12 | 1.4 | 4 | 7.3 |
| Mar | 44 | 24 | 2.0 | 4 | 3.8 |
| Apr | 59 | 36 | 3.6 | 7 | 1.8 |
| May | 71 | 48 | 4.6 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 59 | 5.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 62 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 59 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 51 | 3.5 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 38 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.4 |
| Nov | 46 | 26 | 2.1 | 5 | 3.0 |
| Dec | 32 | 15 | 1.7 | 4 | 7.6 |
| Year | 58 | 36 | 37.5 | 68 | 33.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Independence #1, IA (1,010 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 Independence
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 187 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Independence: 155 thunderstorm wind reports, 24 flash floods, 6 floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $10.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 94 mph, on June 22, 2015. July has had the most flash floods, 8 of 24. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 182 have had fewer than Independence.
June 1, 2008: flood 9 miles from the centre of Independence — $3.1 million damage.
July 23, 2016: flash flood in Independence — $2.5 million damage.
NWS: “A trained spotter reported flash flooding in Independence. The gravel road at the high school complex was washed out and the parking lot was under several inches of water.”
June 18, 1998: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Independence — $1.8 million damage.
NWS: “Severe thunderstorms blasted Buchanan county with 75 to 80 mph straight-line winds. Widespread damage was reported across the county.”
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
Flood insurance policyholders in Independence's ZIP code 50644 have filed 332 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $2.7 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Storm in 2008: 23 claims (7% of all) and $168,000, then Midwest Flooding in 1993 with 13. The year with the most claims was 1999, with 126. 11% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 91 Iowa cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 81 have fewer than Independence.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Storm2008 | 23 | $168,000 |
| Midwest Flooding1993 | 13 | $39,000 |
Buchanan County, which includes Independence, has been named in 25 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 23 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 floods, 11 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 23, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Buchanan County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail; Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $13.1 million a year, the 50th highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.4 million (56%), 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 Independence
- Jesup, IA10 mi
- Oelwein, IA15 mi
- Fairbank, IA15 mi
- La Porte City, IA18 mi
- Evansdale, IA20 mi
- Center Point, IA20 mi
- Vinton, IA22 mi
- Manchester, IA22 mi
- Waterloo, IA23 mi
- Strawberry Point, IA25 mi
- Denver, IA27 mi
- Central City, IA27 mi
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