NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Maxwell, 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 Maxwell, Iowa since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 182 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 14 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 182
- EF3 or stronger
- 14
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
15 deaths in all
What the records show for Maxwell
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Maxwell; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 44 mph winds when its centre passed 49 miles away. Maxwell is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 241 Iowa cities on this site. The strongest of the 182 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on June 13, 1976; its path came within 22 miles. The deadliest, an EF4 on March 5, 2022, killed 6 people. Of the 182, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 91 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 47. The most recent tornado was on July 19, 2025. Maxwell has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 89% of the 241 Iowa cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 60 times since 1956, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 241 Iowa cities, 80% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Maxwell.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Maxwell
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (44 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Maxwell: 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 Maxwell
By decade
- 2020s23(1 EF3+)
- 2010s27(1 EF3+)
- 2000s41
- 1990s25(4 EF3+)
- 1980s21(2 EF3+)
- 1970s20(4 EF3+)
- 1960s16
- 1950s9(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 13, 1976 | F5 | 22 mi | 21.3 mi | 0 / 9 |
| Mar 5, 2022 | EF4 | 18 mi | 70.57 mi | 6 / 5 |
| Jun 18, 1974 | F4 | 15 mi | 15.3 mi | 2 / 50 |
| Apr 8, 1999 | F4 | 25 mi | 56 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 24, 1989 | F4 | 24 mi | 66 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 28, 1986 | F4 | 8 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 16, 1978 | F3 | 13 mi | 31.8 mi | 6 / 45 |
| May 20, 1953 | F3 | 25 mi | 116.1 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jul 19, 2018 | EF3 | 24 mi | 8.41 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Apr 8, 1999 | F3 | 16 mi | 39 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Mar 22, 1991 | F3 | 11 mi | 43 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 13, 1990 | F3 | 11 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 182, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Maxwell
The Storm Prediction Center has 60 hail reports within 10 miles of Maxwell since 1956, made on 43 separate days. Of these, 41 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on August 12, 1956. The most recent report is from May 19, 2025. May has the most reports, 23.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Maxwell
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Ames 5 SE, IA, 10 miles northwest of Maxwell at 870 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 28°F and 10°F. June is the wettest at 5.4 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.0 inches; the year adds up to 38.1 inches over 67 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 15 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 151 nights a year. Snowfall averages 27.3 inches a year, most of it in February. That 38.1 inches is more than at 89 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (72%). Nevada, 11 miles north, has its own station (Colo, IA): 36.4 inches a year, 1.7 less than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | 10 | 1.0 | 3 | 6.6 |
| Feb | 33 | 14 | 1.2 | 4 | 7.8 |
| Mar | 46 | 25 | 2.2 | 5 | 3.8 |
| Apr | 60 | 36 | 3.8 | 7 | 0.7 |
| May | 71 | 49 | 5.3 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 59 | 5.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 63 | 4.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 60 | 4.7 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 51 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 39 | 2.7 | 6 | 0.4 |
| Nov | 47 | 27 | 2.0 | 4 | 1.5 |
| Dec | 34 | 16 | 1.5 | 4 | 6.5 |
| Year | 59 | 37 | 38.1 | 67 | 27.3 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Ames 5 SE, IA (870 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 Maxwell
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 120 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Maxwell: 57 thunderstorm wind reports, 29 heavy rain events, 19 flash floods, 11 floods and 4 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $25.2 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on June 13, 2000. June has had the most flash floods, 7 of 19. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 164 have had fewer than Maxwell.
June 30, 2018: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Maxwell — 1 killed, $1.5 million damage.
June 12, 2010: flood 4 miles from the centre of Maxwell — $20.0 million damage.
August 9, 2010: flood 10 miles from the centre of Maxwell — $900,000 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 Maxwell's ZIP code 50161 have filed 28 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1991, and were paid $326,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 29% 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, 37 have fewer than Maxwell.
Story County, which includes Maxwell, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 13 severe storms, 6 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on September 1, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Story County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes; Relatively Moderate for hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $36.1 million a year, the 10th highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $16.4 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.
Cities near Maxwell
- Huxley, IA10 mi
- Nevada, IA11 mi
- Bondurant, IA12 mi
- Mitchellville, IA14 mi
- Ankeny, IA15 mi
- Colfax, IA15 mi
- State Center, IA16 mi
- Altoona, IA16 mi
- Ames, IA17 mi
- Polk City, IA17 mi
- Pleasant Hill, IA20 mi
- Madrid, IA20 mi
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