NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Iowa Falls, 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 Iowa Falls, Iowa since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 130 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 130
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
23 deaths in all
What the records show for Iowa Falls
The highest rating among the 130 tornadoes within 25 miles is F5 or EF5, reached 2 times; the most recent, on May 25, 2008, came within 20 miles. The deadliest, an F5 on May 15, 1968, killed 13 people. Of the 130, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 77 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 36. The most recent tornado was on August 18, 2025. Iowa Falls has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 54% of the 241 Iowa cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 56 times since 1968, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 241 Iowa cities, 86% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Iowa Falls.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Iowa Falls
By decade
- 2020s18
- 2010s30
- 2000s29(1 EF3+)
- 1990s20(2 EF3+)
- 1980s6(2 EF3+)
- 1970s7
- 1960s15(2 EF3+)
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 1968 | F5 | 19 mi | 62.1 mi | 13 / 462 |
| May 25, 2008 | EF5 | 20 mi | 40.97 mi | 9 / 70 |
| May 30, 1989 | F4 | 17 mi | 11 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 24, 1989 | F4 | 21 mi | 66 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 1, 1961 | F4 | 23 mi | 26.6 mi | 0 / 7 |
| May 20, 1953 | F3 | 2 mi | 116.1 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Mar 22, 1991 | F3 | 10 mi | 43 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 28, 1990 | F3 | 9 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 15, 2021 | EF2 | 16 mi | 7.49 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 15, 2021 | EF2 | 22 mi | 16.69 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 15, 2021 | EF2 | 23 mi | 5.91 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 12, 2013 | EF2 | 20 mi | 5.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 130, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Iowa Falls
The Storm Prediction Center has 56 hail reports within 10 miles of Iowa Falls since 1968, made on 38 separate days. Of these, 33 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 28, 1998. The most recent report is from July 19, 2025. June has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Iowa Falls
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Iowa Falls, IA, in Iowa Falls at 1,055 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 8°F. June is the wettest at 6.1 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.9 inches; the year adds up to 38.2 inches over 68 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 157 nights a year. Snowfall averages 27.7 inches a year, most of it in January and February. That 38.2 inches is more than at 93 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (75%). Eldora, 14 miles southeast, has its own station (Eldora, IA): 38.0 inches a year, 0.2 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 | 26 | 8 | 0.9 | 3 | 7.1 |
| Feb | 31 | 12 | 1.2 | 3 | 7.1 |
| Mar | 44 | 24 | 2.1 | 5 | 4.5 |
| Apr | 58 | 35 | 3.8 | 8 | 1.3 |
| May | 70 | 48 | 5.6 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 58 | 6.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 62 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 60 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 51 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 38 | 2.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 45 | 26 | 2.0 | 4 | 1.6 |
| Dec | 32 | 15 | 1.5 | 4 | 6.1 |
| Year | 57 | 36 | 38.2 | 68 | 27.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Iowa Falls, IA (1,055 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 Iowa Falls
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 110 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Iowa Falls: 58 thunderstorm wind reports, 27 heavy rain events, 19 flash floods, 5 floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 102 mph, on August 9, 2009. May has had the most flash floods, 8 of 19. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 164 have had fewer than Iowa Falls.
June 24, 2013: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Iowa Falls — $250,000 damage.
March 17, 2019: flash flood in Iowa Falls — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Emergency manager reported an ice jam in Iowa Falls has caused rapid rises along the Iowa river. At one point there was an 8 foot rise in 15 minutes.”
May 21, 2004: flash flood in Iowa Falls — $150,000 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
Hardin County, which includes Iowa Falls, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 6 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, on August 17, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Hardin County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for hail; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Low for inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $20.4 million a year, the 20th highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $7.3 million (36%), 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 Iowa Falls
- Ackley, IA11 mi
- Eldora, IA14 mi
- Hampton, IA16 mi
- Parkersburg, IA25 mi
- Grundy Center, IA27 mi
- Story City, IA28 mi
- Webster City, IA29 mi
- Clarion, IA29 mi
- Belmond, IA29 mi
- Eagle Grove, IA34 mi
- Greene, IA35 mi
- Nevada, IA35 mi
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