NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit New London, 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 New London, Iowa since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 98 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 98
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
3 deaths in all
What the records show for New London
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed New London; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 48 mph winds when its centre passed 56 miles away. New London is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 241 Iowa cities on this site. The strongest of the 98 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on May 13, 1995; its path came within 24 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on April 16, 1967, killed 2 people. Of the 98, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 38 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 29. The most recent tornado was on August 11, 2025. Of the 241 Iowa cities, 87% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than New London. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 87 times since 1965, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 241 Iowa cities, 53% have more hail reports within 10 miles than New London.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near New London
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in New London: 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 New London
By decade
- 2020s5
- 2010s22
- 2000s11
- 1990s10(1 EF3+)
- 1980s15
- 1970s16
- 1960s15(3 EF3+)
- 1950s4(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 13, 1995 | F4 | 24 mi | 50 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Apr 16, 1967 | F3 | 23 mi | 19.4 mi | 2 / 16 |
| Jan 24, 1967 | F3 | 18 mi | 4.3 mi | 1 / 6 |
| Aug 25, 1965 | F3 | 6 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 9, 1959 | F3 | 18 mi | 17.8 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 16, 2024 | EF2 | in town | 41.66 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 13 mi | 0.95 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 15, 2019 | EF2 | 20 mi | 1.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 15, 2019 | EF2 | 20 mi | 1.82 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 3, 2012 | EF2 | 20 mi | 6.73 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 10, 2003 | F2 | 20 mi | 11.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 4, 1977 | F2 | 8 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 1 |
The strongest 12 of 98, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in New London
The Storm Prediction Center has 87 hail reports within 10 miles of New London since 1965, made on 50 separate days. Of these, 46 were 1 inch across or larger, and 8 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 4 inches (softball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently April 21, 1973. The most recent report is from August 15, 2024. April has the most reports, 23.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in New London
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Mt Pleasant 1 SSW, IA, 9 miles west of New London at 730 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 13°F. May and June are the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.4 inches; the year adds up to 38.6 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 20 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 130 nights a year. Snowfall averages 24.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 38.6 inches is more than at 100 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (81%). West Burlington, 13 miles southeast, has its own station (Burlington Municipal Airport, IA): 37.9 inches a year, 0.7 less than here, and the same July average high, 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31 | 13 | 1.4 | 4 | 7.2 |
| Feb | 37 | 17 | 1.7 | 4 | 7.1 |
| Mar | 49 | 27 | 2.3 | 5 | 2.8 |
| Apr | 63 | 38 | 3.9 | 7 | 1.1 |
| May | 72 | 49 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 58 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 62 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 60 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 77 | 52 | 4.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 64 | 41 | 2.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Nov | 50 | 29 | 2.1 | 5 | 0.5 |
| Dec | 37 | 18 | 1.7 | 5 | 6.1 |
| Year | 61 | 39 | 38.6 | 68 | 24.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Mt Pleasant 1 SSW, IA (730 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 New London
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 127 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of New London: 99 thunderstorm wind reports, 18 floods, 9 flash floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $8.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on August 28, 2018. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 66 have had fewer than New London.
June 29, 1998: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of New London — 2 injured.
May 12, 2010: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of New London — $4.0 million damage.
September 13, 2008: flood 8 miles from the centre of New London — $1.0 million 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
Henry County, which includes New London, has been named in 16 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 14 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 6 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 23, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Henry County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for tornadoes; Very Low for hurricanes and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $9.7 million a year, the 81st highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.0 million (31%), 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 New London
- Mt Pleasant, IA10 mi
- West Burlington, IA13 mi
- West Point, IA14 mi
- Mediapolis, IA15 mi
- Burlington, IA16 mi
- Donnellson, IA19 mi
- Fort Madison, IA20 mi
- Wapello, IA21 mi
- Columbus Junction, IA24 mi
- Fairfield, IA29 mi
- Washington, IA30 mi
- Keokuk, IA35 mi
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