NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Larchwood, 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 Larchwood, Iowa since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 131 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 3 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 131
- EF3 or stronger
- 3
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Larchwood
The strongest of the 131 tornadoes within 25 miles was an EF4 on June 25, 2010; its path came within 25 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on April 26, 1986, killed 1 person. Of the 131, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 59 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 43. The most recent tornado was on July 28, 2025. Larchwood has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 56% of the 241 Iowa cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 85 times since 1973, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 241 Iowa cities, 55% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Larchwood.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Larchwood
By decade
- 2020s12
- 2010s12(1 EF3+)
- 2000s35
- 1990s27
- 1980s12
- 1970s11(1 EF3+)
- 1960s13
- 1950s9(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 25, 2010 | EF4 | 25 mi | 13.65 mi | 0 / 13 |
| Jul 5, 1978 | F3 | 19 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 19, 1954 | F3 | 12 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 26, 1986 | F2 | 21 mi | 18.5 mi | 1 / 4 |
| Sep 10, 2019 | EF2 | 16 mi | 0.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 10, 2019 | EF2 | 15 mi | 0.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 10, 2019 | EF2 | 17 mi | 0.63 mi | 0 / 8 |
| May 1, 2008 | EF2 | 11 mi | 12.95 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 25, 2000 | F2 | 23 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1993 | F2 | 2 mi | 11.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1993 | F2 | 17 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1993 | F2 | 17 mi | 15 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 131, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Larchwood
The Storm Prediction Center has 85 hail reports within 10 miles of Larchwood since 1973, made on 49 separate days. Of these, 52 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on August 28, 2021. The most recent report is from May 29, 2022. August has the most reports, 23.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Larchwood
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Canton, SD, 12 miles southwest of Larchwood at 1,316 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 25°F and 6°F. June is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.6 inches; the year adds up to 28.1 inches over 53 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 15 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 160 nights a year. Snowfall averages 36.1 inches a year, most of it in February. That 28.1 inches is more than at 0 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (0%). Brandon, SD, 12 miles northwest, has its own station (Sioux Falls, SD): 27.8 inches a year, 0.3 less than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25 | 6 | 0.6 | 2 | 7.0 |
| Feb | 31 | 11 | 0.8 | 3 | 8.5 |
| Mar | 44 | 22 | 1.3 | 3 | 4.7 |
| Apr | 58 | 34 | 2.9 | 6 | 2.8 |
| May | 70 | 47 | 4.1 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 80 | 58 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 62 | 3.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 80 | 59 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 50 | 2.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 60 | 36 | 2.2 | 5 | 0.8 |
| Nov | 44 | 23 | 1.2 | 3 | 4.8 |
| Dec | 29 | 11 | 0.8 | 2 | 7.4 |
| Year | 56 | 35 | 28.1 | 53 | 36.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Canton, SD (1,316 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 Larchwood
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 141 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Larchwood: 88 floods, 44 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 flash floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $11.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on May 30, 2022. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 42 have had fewer than Larchwood.
June 1, 2019: flood 4 miles from the centre of Larchwood — $6.8 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 4 miles from the centre of Larchwood — $2.0 million damage.
NWS: “Rainfall amounts across Rock County from June 20-22 ranged from 2 to 7 inches. During peak flooding, numerous township, county, and state roads were under water and closed.”
September 12, 2019: flood 4 miles from the centre of Larchwood — $1.7 million damage.
NWS: “Damage to several county and township roads resulted from significant ponding of water, mainly for areas north of Interstate 90. Hardest hit were areas near County Roads 65 and 10 in far northern Rock 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
Lyon County, which includes Larchwood, has been named in 16 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 6 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes, on June 24, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lyon 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 $10.9 million a year, the 69th highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.7 million (34%), 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 Larchwood
- Brandon, SD12 mi
- Harrisburg, SD12 mi
- Canton, SD14 mi
- Rock Rapids, IA14 mi
- Sioux Falls, SD16 mi
- Luverne, MN18 mi
- Rock Valley, IA19 mi
- Tea, SD20 mi
- Garretson, SD20 mi
- Lennox, SD23 mi
- Hull, IA23 mi
- Baltic, SD24 mi
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