NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit La Porte City, 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 La Porte City, Iowa since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 132 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 132
- EF3 or stronger
- 12
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
13 deaths in all
What the records show for La Porte City
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed La Porte City; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 47 mph winds when its centre passed 49 miles away. La Porte City is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 241 Iowa cities on this site. The strongest of the 132 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF5 on May 25, 2008; its path came within 20 miles, and it killed 9 people. Of the 132, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 76 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 34. The most recent tornado was on July 11, 2025. La Porte City has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 58% of the 241 Iowa cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 64 times since 1960, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 241 Iowa cities, 77% have more hail reports within 10 miles than La Porte City.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near La Porte City
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in La Porte City: 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 La Porte City
By decade
- 2020s21
- 2010s16
- 2000s39(3 EF3+)
- 1990s12
- 1980s14(1 EF3+)
- 1970s13(3 EF3+)
- 1960s13(5 EF3+)
- 1950s4
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 25, 2008 | EF5 | 20 mi | 40.97 mi | 9 / 70 |
| Aug 26, 1965 | F4 | 2 mi | 4.7 mi | 1 / 17 |
| May 24, 1989 | F4 | 23 mi | 66 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 11, 2000 | F3 | 16 mi | 18.6 mi | 1 / 25 |
| Apr 23, 1961 | F3 | 14 mi | 87.7 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Apr 16, 1960 | F3 | 8 mi | 29.8 mi | 1 / 5 |
| May 25, 2008 | EF3 | 21 mi | 31.99 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 4, 1977 | F3 | 12 mi | 17.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 9, 1975 | F3 | 7 mi | 39.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 31, 1971 | F3 | 9 mi | 9.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 1966 | F3 | 17 mi | 27.1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| May 7, 1964 | F3 | 24 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 132, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in La Porte City
The Storm Prediction Center has 64 hail reports within 10 miles of La Porte City since 1960, made on 48 separate days. Of these, 37 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on May 11, 1970. The most recent report is from September 16, 2025. April has the most reports, 14.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in La Porte City
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Vinton, IA, 14 miles southeast of La Porte City at 850 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 60°F; January is the coolest, at 26°F and 8°F. June is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.2 inches; the year adds up to 38.1 inches over 70 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 146 nights a year. Snowfall averages 33.6 inches a year, most of it in December. That 38.1 inches is more than at 89 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (72%). Jesup, 10 miles northeast, has its own station (Independence #1, IA): 37.5 inches a year, 0.6 less than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | 8 | 1.2 | 4 | 8.3 |
| Feb | 30 | 12 | 1.3 | 4 | 8.5 |
| Mar | 44 | 24 | 2.1 | 5 | 4.4 |
| Apr | 59 | 35 | 3.9 | 7 | 1.4 |
| May | 69 | 47 | 5.0 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 78 | 57 | 5.6 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 81 | 60 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 58 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 50 | 3.7 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 60 | 37 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.4 |
| Nov | 44 | 25 | 2.1 | 4 | 1.8 |
| Dec | 31 | 15 | 1.6 | 4 | 8.8 |
| Year | 56 | 36 | 38.1 | 70 | 33.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Vinton, IA (850 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 La Porte City
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 90 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of La Porte City: 61 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 heavy rain events, 9 floods and 8 flash floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $11.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on June 20, 1997. June has had the most flash floods, 3 of 8. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 58 have had fewer than La Porte City.
June 1, 2008: flood 6 miles from the centre of La Porte City — $10.0 million damage.
NWS: “60 feet. Flood stage is 15 feet.”
June 23, 2020: flood 1 mile from the centre of La Porte City — $400,000 damage.
NWS: “The public works director for La Porte City, IA reported over 75 homes impacted from the flooding with some homes reporting flooding impacts that extended to include both basements and part of the main level of the home.”
June 20, 1997: thunderstorm wind in La Porte City — $310,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in La Porte City's ZIP code 50651 have filed 150 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $1.7 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Storm in 2008: 32 claims (21% of all) and $746,000, then Midwest Flooding in 1993 with 20. 37% 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, 71 have fewer than La Porte City.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Storm2008 | 32 | $746,000 |
| Midwest Flooding1993 | 20 | $84,000 |
Black Hawk County, which includes La Porte City, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 floods, 8 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 Black Hawk County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes and strong wind; Relatively Moderate for hail and inland flooding; Relatively Low for lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $41.8 million a year, the 7th highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $19.7 million (47%), 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 La Porte City
- Jesup, IA10 mi
- Evansdale, IA11 mi
- Waterloo, IA13 mi
- Vinton, IA14 mi
- Hudson, IA14 mi
- Traer, IA17 mi
- Independence, IA18 mi
- Cedar Falls, IA19 mi
- Reinbeck, IA21 mi
- Fairbank, IA23 mi
- Center Point, IA23 mi
- Denver, IA25 mi
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