NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Muscatine, 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 Muscatine, Iowa since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 146 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 146
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Muscatine
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Muscatine; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 49 mph winds when its centre passed 32 miles away. Muscatine 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 146 tornadoes within 25 miles is F3 or EF3, reached 6 times; the most recent, on June 1, 2007, came within 3 miles. The deadliest, an EF1 on June 24, 2013, killed 1 person. Of the 146, 13 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 76 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 43. The most recent tornado was on July 11, 2025. Muscatine has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 71% of the 241 Iowa cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 119 times since 1965, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Muscatine has more hail reports within 10 miles than 69% of the 241 Iowa cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Muscatine
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 32 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Muscatine: 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 Muscatine
By decade
- 2020s32
- 2010s24
- 2000s20(1 EF3+)
- 1990s24(2 EF3+)
- 1980s17
- 1970s15(2 EF3+)
- 1960s9(1 EF3+)
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 1, 2007 | EF3 | 3 mi | 15.75 mi | 0 / 7 |
| May 15, 1998 | F3 | 23 mi | 47 mi | 0 / 47 |
| May 9, 1995 | F3 | 14 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 15, 1978 | F3 | 15 mi | 6.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 14, 1974 | F3 | 18 mi | 48.6 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 7, 1962 | F3 | 23 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 11, 2025 | EF2 | 15 mi | 7.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 16, 2024 | EF2 | 18 mi | 41.66 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 16 mi | 19.56 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jun 15, 2019 | EF2 | 24 mi | 1.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 15, 2019 | EF2 | 24 mi | 1.82 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 6, 2017 | EF2 | 17 mi | 34.68 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 146, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Muscatine
The Storm Prediction Center has 119 hail reports within 10 miles of Muscatine since 1965, made on 70 separate days. Of these, 64 were 1 inch across or larger, and 6 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on June 8, 2018. The most recent report is from May 24, 2024. April has the most reports, 38.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Muscatine
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Illinois City Dam 16, IL, in Muscatine at 550 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 13°F. June is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.2 inches; the year adds up to 36.5 inches over 67 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 21 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 131 nights a year. That 36.5 inches is more than at 56 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (45%). Wilton, 13 miles north, has its own station (Muscatine 2N, IA): 38.3 inches a year, 1.8 more than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 13 | 1.2 | 3 |
| Feb | 35 | 17 | 1.6 | 4 |
| Mar | 48 | 30 | 2.3 | 5 |
| Apr | 61 | 39 | 3.5 | 7 |
| May | 72 | 51 | 4.8 | 8 |
| Jun | 81 | 62 | 5.0 | 8 |
| Jul | 85 | 65 | 4.0 | 6 |
| Aug | 83 | 63 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Sep | 77 | 55 | 3.6 | 6 |
| Oct | 64 | 43 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Nov | 49 | 31 | 2.1 | 5 |
| Dec | 36 | 20 | 1.7 | 4 |
| Year | 60 | 41 | 36.5 | 67 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Illinois City Dam 16, IL (550 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 Muscatine
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 184 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Muscatine: 119 thunderstorm wind reports, 40 floods, 22 flash floods, 2 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 1 person and injured 12, and the NWS estimated $8.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 107 mph, on March 12, 2006. June has had the most flash floods, 8 of 22. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 176 have had fewer than Muscatine.
May 4, 2015: lightning strike 3 miles from the centre of Muscatine — 1 killed, 2 injured.
NWS: “The Muscatine County Emergency Manager reported a male, age 36, was struck by lightning and killed while riding a horse. Another male, age 25, was injured.”
June 29, 1998: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Muscatine — 10 injured, $1.5 million damage.
May 13, 2010: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Muscatine — $5.0 million damage.
NWS: “Heavy rains resulted in widespread flash flooding of roads and highways across all of Mercer County, especially the eastern half during the morning of May 13.”
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 Muscatine's ZIP code 52761 have filed 250 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $3.2 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Midwest Flooding in 1993: 42 claims (17% of all) and $677,000, then Severe flooding in 2001 with 24. The year with the most claims was 2008, with 51. 35% 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, 78 have fewer than Muscatine.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Midwest Flooding1993 | 42 | $677,000 |
| Severe flooding2001 | 24 | $228,000 |
Rock Island County, which includes Muscatine, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane, 1 severe storm). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 26, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Rock Island County a Relatively Moderate rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for tornadoes, strong wind and lightning; Relatively Moderate for hail, inland flooding and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $45.4 million a year, the 23rd highest of 102 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $16.6 million (36%), 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 Muscatine
- Wilton, IA13 mi
- Blue Grass, IA13 mi
- Durant, IA14 mi
- Taylor Ridge, IL14 mi
- West Liberty, IA17 mi
- Wapello, IA19 mi
- Walcott, IA19 mi
- Aledo, IL20 mi
- Columbus Junction, IA21 mi
- Milan, IL22 mi
- Lone Tree, IA23 mi
- Rock Island, IL23 mi
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