NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Leon, 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 Leon, Iowa since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 81 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 81
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for Leon
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Leon; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 40 mph winds when its centre passed 7 miles away. Leon 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 81 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on May 24, 1989, came within 10 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on June 7, 1984, killed 3 people. Of the 81, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 30 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on May 6, 2024. Of the 241 Iowa cities, 96% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Leon. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 59 times since 1963, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 241 Iowa cities, 81% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Leon.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Leon
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Leon: 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 Leon
By decade
- 2020s12(1 EF3+)
- 2010s6
- 2000s12(1 EF3+)
- 1990s8(1 EF3+)
- 1980s20(3 EF3+)
- 1970s6
- 1960s11(1 EF3+)
- 1950s6(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 7, 1984 | F4 | 9 mi | 134 mi | 3 / 64 |
| May 24, 1989 | F4 | 10 mi | 49 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1980 | F4 | 9 mi | 31.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 10, 1953 | F4 | 24 mi | 6.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 5, 2022 | EF3 | 23 mi | 11.28 mi | 1 / 1 |
| Apr 11, 2001 | F3 | 23 mi | 76.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 1995 | F3 | 5 mi | 30.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 16, 1960 | F3 | 24 mi | 27 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jun 7, 1984 | F2 | 15 mi | 14 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Apr 26, 2024 | EF2 | 19 mi | 5.84 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 26, 2024 | EF2 | 23 mi | 10.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 5, 2022 | EF2 | 19 mi | 9.87 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 81, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Leon
The Storm Prediction Center has 59 hail reports within 10 miles of Leon since 1963, made on 44 separate days. Of these, 35 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on September 10, 1984. The most recent report is from May 24, 2024. May has the most reports, 20.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Leon
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Leon 6 ESE, IA, 5 miles east of Leon at 1,000 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 13°F. June is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.9 inches; the year adds up to 39.4 inches over 67 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 17 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 150 nights a year. Snowfall averages 28.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 39.4 inches is more than at 116 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (94%). Lamoni, 13 miles southwest, has its own station (Lamoni, IA): 41.2 inches a year, 1.8 more than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 13 | 0.9 | 3 | 8.0 |
| Feb | 38 | 16 | 1.5 | 4 | 6.0 |
| Mar | 50 | 27 | 2.3 | 5 | 4.9 |
| Apr | 63 | 37 | 3.8 | 8 | 0.1 |
| May | 72 | 48 | 5.5 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 59 | 5.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 63 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 61 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 50 | 4.2 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 39 | 3.2 | 5 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 50 | 28 | 2.1 | 4 | 1.5 |
| Dec | 38 | 18 | 1.4 | 3 | 7.8 |
| Year | 61 | 38 | 39.4 | 67 | 28.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Leon 6 ESE, IA (1,000 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 Leon
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 60 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Leon: 41 thunderstorm wind reports, 9 flash floods, 7 heavy rain events, 2 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 5, and the NWS estimated $1.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 82 mph, on April 8, 2001. June has had the most flash floods, 4 of 9. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 66 have had fewer than Leon.
April 8, 2001: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Leon — 2 injured, $25,000 damage.
April 8, 2001: thunderstorm wind in Leon — 2 injured, $5,000 damage.
August 31, 2010: lightning strike in Leon — 1 injured.
NWS: “A 15 year old girl was struck by lightning.”
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
Decatur County, which includes Leon, has been named in 14 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 4 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 Decatur County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, inland flooding and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $7.8 million a year, the 92nd highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $1.8 million (24%), 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 Leon
- Lamoni, IA13 mi
- Osceola, IA20 mi
- Corydon, IA22 mi
- Princeton, MO25 mi
- Mount Ayr, IA25 mi
- Chariton, IA31 mi
- Bethany, MO36 mi
- Saint Charles, IA39 mi
- Creston, IA41 mi
- Milo, IA41 mi
- Lenox, IA43 mi
- Indianola, IA44 mi
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