NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Montezuma, 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 Montezuma, Iowa since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 100 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 100
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
9 deaths in all
What the records show for Montezuma
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Montezuma; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 46 mph winds when its centre passed 9 miles away. Montezuma 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 100 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on June 7, 1984, came within 21 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on September 16, 1978, killed 6 people. Of the 100, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 44 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 27. The most recent tornado was on May 24, 2024. Of the 241 Iowa cities, 84% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Montezuma. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 38 times since 1961, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 241 Iowa cities, 96% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Montezuma.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Montezuma
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 9 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Montezuma: 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 Montezuma
By decade
- 2020s7
- 2010s22(1 EF3+)
- 2000s15
- 1990s6
- 1980s12(1 EF3+)
- 1970s15(2 EF3+)
- 1960s15(3 EF3+)
- 1950s8(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 7, 1984 | F4 | 21 mi | 134 mi | 3 / 64 |
| Aug 12, 1974 | F4 | 22 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Sep 16, 1978 | F3 | 10 mi | 31.8 mi | 6 / 45 |
| Jul 19, 2018 | EF3 | 20 mi | 9.17 mi | 0 / 13 |
| Apr 19, 1966 | F3 | 21 mi | 27.1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Sep 20, 1965 | F3 | 25 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 23, 1965 | F3 | 7 mi | 47.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Aug 12, 1956 | F3 | 7 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Mar 5, 2022 | EF2 | 23 mi | 8.54 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 5, 2022 | EF2 | 21 mi | 17.31 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Nov 11, 2015 | EF2 | 6 mi | 6.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 22, 2011 | EF2 | 23 mi | 3.88 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 100, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Montezuma
The Storm Prediction Center has 38 hail reports within 10 miles of Montezuma since 1961, made on 27 separate days. Of these, 25 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently May 7, 2023. The most recent report is from May 7, 2023. May has the most reports, 18.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Montezuma
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Grinnell 3 SW, IA, 14 miles northwest of Montezuma at 905 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 28°F and 10°F. June is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.1 inches; the year adds up to 38.3 inches over 69 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 157 nights a year. Snowfall averages 31.0 inches a year, most of it in February. That 38.3 inches is more than at 94 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (76%). New Sharon, 11 miles southwest, has its own station (Oskaloosa, IA): 38.9 inches a year, 0.6 more than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | 10 | 1.1 | 3 | 9.0 |
| Feb | 33 | 14 | 1.6 | 4 | 9.1 |
| Mar | 46 | 25 | 2.2 | 5 | 3.4 |
| Apr | 59 | 35 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.6 |
| May | 70 | 47 | 5.1 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 58 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 62 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 59 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 50 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 38 | 3.2 | 6 | 0.5 |
| Nov | 47 | 26 | 2.0 | 4 | 1.5 |
| Dec | 34 | 16 | 1.6 | 4 | 6.9 |
| Year | 58 | 37 | 38.3 | 69 | 31.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Grinnell 3 SW, IA (905 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 Montezuma
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 90 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Montezuma: 54 thunderstorm wind reports, 23 heavy rain events, 6 flash floods, 5 floods and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $1.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on June 18, 1998. September has had the most flash floods, 3 of 6. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 32 have had fewer than Montezuma.
August 10, 2020: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Montezuma — 1 killed.
May 26, 2013: flood 4 miles from the centre of Montezuma — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Numerous road closings due to flooding throughout Poweshiek County including 400th Ave west of Grinnell and several roads in the Searsboro and Montezuma area.”
June 18, 1998: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Montezuma — $210,000 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
Poweshiek County, which includes Montezuma, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 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 Poweshiek County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes 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 $11.8 million a year, the 59th highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.9 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 Montezuma
- New Sharon, IA11 mi
- Brooklyn, IA13 mi
- Grinnell, IA14 mi
- Oskaloosa, IA22 mi
- Pella, IA23 mi
- Sigourney, IA25 mi
- Belle Plaine, IA25 mi
- Tama, IA26 mi
- Newton, IA27 mi
- Williamsburg, IA28 mi
- Marengo, IA28 mi
- Monroe, IA29 mi
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