NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Mount Ayr, 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 Mount Ayr, Iowa since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 100 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 13 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 100
- EF3 or stronger
- 13
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Mount Ayr
The highest rating among the 100 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on April 8, 1999, came within 23 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on June 7, 1984, killed 3 people. Of the 100, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 46 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 30. The most recent tornado was on April 17, 2025. Of the 241 Iowa cities on this site, 84% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Mount Ayr. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 71 times since 1960, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Of the 241 Iowa cities, 68% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Mount Ayr.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Mount Ayr
By decade
- 2020s10
- 2010s18
- 2000s18(1 EF3+)
- 1990s15(2 EF3+)
- 1980s11(3 EF3+)
- 1970s10(3 EF3+)
- 1960s10(1 EF3+)
- 1950s8(3 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 7, 1984 | F4 | 22 mi | 134 mi | 3 / 64 |
| Apr 8, 1999 | F4 | 23 mi | 56 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 24, 1989 | F4 | 5 mi | 49 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 2, 1980 | F4 | 17 mi | 31.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 8, 1958 | F3 | 17 mi | 23.1 mi | 2 / 7 |
| Apr 11, 2001 | F3 | in town | 76.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 1995 | F3 | 15 mi | 30.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 29, 1979 | F3 | 9 mi | 57 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Mar 29, 1979 | F3 | 23 mi | 29.6 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 5, 1971 | F3 | 21 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 12 |
| Apr 16, 1960 | F3 | 23 mi | 27 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Jul 14, 1958 | F3 | 20 mi | 14.8 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 100, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Mount Ayr
The Storm Prediction Center has 71 hail reports within 10 miles of Mount Ayr since 1960, made on 50 separate days. Of these, 48 were 1 inch across or larger, and 10 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on June 4, 2005. The most recent report is from June 25, 2024. June has the most reports, 25.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Mount Ayr
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mt Ayr, IA, in Mount Ayr at 1,140 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 32°F and 12°F. May and June are the wettest at 5.4 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.7 inches; the year adds up to 37.1 inches over 65 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 16 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 143 nights a year. Snowfall averages 20.5 inches a year, most of it in February. That 37.1 inches is more than at 67 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (54%). Lamoni, 15 miles east, has its own station (Lamoni, IA): 41.2 inches a year, 4.1 more than here, and a July average high of 87°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 32 | 12 | 0.7 | 2 | 5.8 |
| Feb | 37 | 16 | 1.3 | 3 | 5.9 |
| Mar | 49 | 28 | 2.2 | 5 | 2.6 |
| Apr | 61 | 38 | 3.4 | 7 | 0.7 |
| May | 71 | 50 | 5.4 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 60 | 5.4 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 64 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 62 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 53 | 3.7 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 40 | 2.9 | 5 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 49 | 28 | 2.1 | 4 | 1.2 |
| Dec | 37 | 18 | 1.6 | 3 | 4.0 |
| Year | 60 | 39 | 37.1 | 65 | 20.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mt Ayr, IA (1,140 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 Mount Ayr
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 79 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Mount Ayr: 35 thunderstorm wind reports, 30 heavy rain events, 13 flash floods and 1 flood. They killed 1 person and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $1.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on June 3, 2014. July has had the most flash floods, 5 of 13. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 114 have had fewer than Mount Ayr.
February 20, 2014: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Mount Ayr — 1 killed.
NWS: “An adult male died when a 30 foot conveyor belt was blown over by a wind gust. The incident occurred at 2401 Co.”
June 5, 2010: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Mount Ayr — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Highway 169 bridge closed just south of the 10 mile post due to scouring of water from the middle fork of the Grand River.”
July 24, 2008: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Mount Ayr — $150,000 damage.
NWS: “Local law enforcement reported a bridge washed out on 210th Ave west of P54 as well as widespread flooding and numerous gravel roads under water throughout the 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
Ringgold County, which includes Mount Ayr, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 floods, 6 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 2 ice storms). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Tornadoes, on May 14, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Ringgold 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 $8.1 million a year, the 89th highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $985,000 (12%), 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 Mount Ayr
- Lamoni, IA15 mi
- Lenox, IA21 mi
- Leon, IA25 mi
- Bedford, IA26 mi
- Creston, IA27 mi
- Bethany, MO32 mi
- Albany, MO32 mi
- Osceola, IA33 mi
- Corning, IA35 mi
- Stanberry, MO37 mi
- Princeton, MO40 mi
- Maryville, MO42 mi
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