NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Kalona, 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 Kalona, Iowa since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 114 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 114
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
7 deaths in all
What the records show for Kalona
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Kalona; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 48 mph winds when its centre passed 13 miles away. Kalona 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 114 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on March 31, 2023, came within 5 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on June 7, 1984, killed 3 people. Of the 114, 14 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 52 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 35. The most recent tornado was on May 24, 2024. Of the 241 Iowa cities, 66% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Kalona. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 63 times since 1973, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 241 Iowa cities, 78% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Kalona.
Compare Kalona's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Kalona
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 13 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 Kalona: 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 Kalona
By decade
- 2020s14(2 EF3+)
- 2010s13
- 2000s25
- 1990s12(1 EF3+)
- 1980s23(1 EF3+)
- 1970s15
- 1960s7(1 EF3+)
- 1950s5(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 7, 1984 | F4 | 9 mi | 134 mi | 3 / 64 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF4 | 5 mi | 19.9 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 19 mi | 26.09 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 1998 | F3 | 9 mi | 47 mi | 0 / 47 |
| Apr 23, 1965 | F3 | in town | 47.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 9, 1959 | F3 | 25 mi | 17.8 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 9, 1959 | F3 | 18 mi | 6.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 22, 1962 | F2 | 14 mi | 4.1 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 24 mi | 8.97 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 8 mi | 14.69 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 9 mi | 16.93 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 3, 2012 | EF2 | 22 mi | 6.73 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 114, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Kalona
The Storm Prediction Center has 63 hail reports within 10 miles of Kalona since 1973, made on 46 separate days. Of these, 38 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on June 6, 2006. The most recent report is from October 24, 2024. April has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Kalona
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Iowa City Municipal Airport, IA, 12 miles northeast of Kalona at 650 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 66°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 15°F. June is the wettest at 5.3 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.0 inches; the year adds up to 35.7 inches over 63 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 19 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 135 nights a year. That 35.7 inches is more than at 41 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (33%). Riverside, 7 miles east, has its own station (Iowa City, IA): 38.6 inches a year, 2.9 more than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 15 | 1.0 | 2 |
| Feb | 36 | 19 | 1.2 | 3 |
| Mar | 50 | 30 | 2.2 | 5 |
| Apr | 63 | 40 | 3.8 | 7 |
| May | 73 | 52 | 4.5 | 8 |
| Jun | 83 | 62 | 5.3 | 8 |
| Jul | 86 | 66 | 3.9 | 5 |
| Aug | 84 | 63 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Sep | 78 | 54 | 3.2 | 5 |
| Oct | 64 | 42 | 3.0 | 6 |
| Nov | 49 | 30 | 2.2 | 4 |
| Dec | 36 | 20 | 1.5 | 3 |
| Year | 61 | 41 | 35.7 | 63 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Iowa City Municipal Airport, IA (650 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 Kalona
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 91 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Kalona: 60 thunderstorm wind reports, 19 floods, 10 flash floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 12, and the NWS estimated $47.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on May 16, 2019. June has had the most flash floods, 7 of 10. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 81 have had fewer than Kalona.
June 29, 1998: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Kalona — 12 injured, $44.7 million damage.
June 15, 2010: flood 9 miles from the centre of Kalona — $375,000 damage.
June 22, 2009: flood 9 miles from the centre of Kalona — $250,000 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
Washington County, which includes Kalona, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 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 Washington County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for hail; Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $13.9 million a year, the 48th highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.2 million (45%), 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.