NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Manson, 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 Manson, Iowa since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 135 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 135
- EF3 or stronger
- 12
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Manson
The highest rating among the 135 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 8 times; the most recent, on April 9, 2011, came within 19 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on June 28, 1979, killed 3 people. Of the 135, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 77 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 42. The most recent tornado was on June 4, 2024. Manson has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 60% of the 241 Iowa cities on this site. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 92 times since 1967, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Manson has more hail reports within 10 miles than 51% of the 241 Iowa cities.
Compare Manson's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Manson
By decade
- 2020s37(1 EF3+)
- 2010s20(2 EF3+)
- 2000s20
- 1990s19(2 EF3+)
- 1980s16
- 1970s9(3 EF3+)
- 1960s8(2 EF3+)
- 1950s6(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 28, 1979 | F4 | 2 mi | 14.9 mi | 3 / 26 |
| Jun 9, 1954 | F4 | 10 mi | 9.9 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Apr 9, 2011 | EF4 | 19 mi | 3.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 1995 | F4 | 23 mi | 30 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 27, 1995 | F4 | 15 mi | 36 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 4, 1977 | F4 | 20 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 14 |
| Jun 8, 1967 | F4 | 18 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 1965 | F4 | 15 mi | 9.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 14, 2021 | EF3 | 17 mi | 10.81 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 9, 2011 | EF3 | 22 mi | 29.37 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 21, 1973 | F3 | 16 mi | 2.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 1953 | F3 | 7 mi | 30.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 135, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Manson
The Storm Prediction Center has 92 hail reports within 10 miles of Manson since 1967, made on 60 separate days. Of these, 45 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on June 30, 2014. The most recent report is from June 16, 2025. May has the most reports, 29.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Manson
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Rockwell City, IA, 10 miles southwest of Manson at 1,214 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 27°F and 8°F. May and June are the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.8 inches; the year adds up to 33.8 inches over 62 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 13 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 154 nights a year. Snowfall averages 32.1 inches a year, most of it in February. That 33.8 inches is more than at 22 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (18%). Pocahontas, 16 miles northwest, has its own station (Pocahontas, IA): 32.7 inches a year, 1.1 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 | 27 | 8 | 0.8 | 2 | 7.4 |
| Feb | 31 | 12 | 1.0 | 3 | 7.6 |
| Mar | 45 | 24 | 2.0 | 4 | 4.9 |
| Apr | 59 | 36 | 3.8 | 7 | 1.9 |
| May | 70 | 49 | 5.0 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 60 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 63 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 61 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 51 | 3.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 38 | 2.4 | 5 | 0.6 |
| Nov | 46 | 25 | 1.5 | 3 | 2.4 |
| Dec | 32 | 15 | 1.3 | 3 | 7.3 |
| Year | 58 | 37 | 33.8 | 62 | 32.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Rockwell City, IA (1,214 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 Manson
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 115 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Manson: 70 thunderstorm wind reports, 28 heavy rain events, 11 flash floods and 6 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $2.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 86 mph, on June 23, 1998. August has had the most flash floods, 7 of 11. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 95 have had fewer than Manson.
March 14, 2019: flood 10 miles from the centre of Manson — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Emergency reported water had started to rise along Riverside Trail between Fort Dodge and Otho, and will impact residential areas. Webster County has begun to evacuate some residents.”
July 22, 2010: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Manson — $250,000 damage.
June 23, 1998: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Manson — $240,000 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
Calhoun County, which includes Manson, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1979, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 24, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Calhoun County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Very Low for hurricanes, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $13.3 million a year, the 49th highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.8 million (21%), is from tornadoes.
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 Manson
- Rockwell City, IA10 mi
- Pocahontas, IA16 mi
- Fort Dodge, IA18 mi
- Humboldt, IA21 mi
- Sac City, IA24 mi
- Eagle Grove, IA33 mi
- Storm Lake, IA34 mi
- Carroll, IA36 mi
- Jefferson, IA36 mi
- Webster City, IA37 mi
- Algona, IA41 mi
- Alta, IA41 mi
All Iowa cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Manson with another place →