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Storms That Hit

NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit New Sharon, 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 Sharon, Iowa since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 103 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.

Hurricanes
0

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
1

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
103

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
7

9 deaths in all

What the records show for New Sharon

None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed New Sharon; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 45 mph winds when its centre passed 4 miles away. New Sharon is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 241 Iowa cities on this site. The strongest of the 103 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 7, 1984; its path came within 16 miles, and it killed 3 people. The deadliest, an F3 on September 16, 1978, killed 6 people. Of the 103, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 52 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 26. The most recent tornado was on May 24, 2024. Of the 241 Iowa cities, 80% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than New Sharon. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 39 times since 1961, with stones up to 4.75 inches. Of the 241 Iowa cities, 95% have more hail reports within 10 miles than New Sharon.

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Tropical storms and hurricanes near New Sharon

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of New Sharon, Iowa, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
1900Unnamed 1900 stormSep 114 miTropical storm (45 mph)Category 4

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in New Sharon: 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 Sharon

By decade

  • 2020s11
  • 2010s24(1 EF3+)
  • 2000s17
  • 1990s6
  • 1980s12(1 EF3+)
  • 1970s15(1 EF3+)
  • 1960s13(3 EF3+)
  • 1950s5(1 EF3+)
Strongest tornadoes near New Sharon, Iowa
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Jun 7, 1984F416 mi134 mi3 / 64
Sep 16, 1978F314 mi31.8 mi6 / 45
Jul 19, 2018EF310 mi9.17 mi0 / 13
Oct 14, 1966F324 mi29.5 mi0 / 0
Sep 20, 1965F325 mi1 mi0 / 4
Apr 23, 1965F313 mi47.4 mi0 / 1
Aug 12, 1956F38 mi5.1 mi0 / 8
Nov 11, 2015EF28 mi6.6 mi0 / 0
May 30, 2008EF213 mi19.18 mi0 / 10
Sep 30, 2007EF210 mi21.86 mi0 / 0
May 8, 1988F225 mi36 mi0 / 0
May 8, 1988F214 mi59 mi0 / 0

The strongest 12 of 103, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in New Sharon

The Storm Prediction Center has 39 hail reports within 10 miles of New Sharon since 1961, made on 30 separate days. Of these, 30 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.75 inches, fell on May 8, 2003. The most recent report is from May 21, 2024. May has the most reports, 16.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in New Sharon

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Oskaloosa, IA, 9 miles south of New Sharon at 830 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 31°F and 12°F. June is the wettest at 5.2 inches of precipitation on average and December the driest at 1.4 inches; the year adds up to 38.9 inches over 68 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 143 nights a year. That 38.9 inches is more than at 109 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (88%). Montezuma, 11 miles northeast, has its own station (Grinnell 3 SW, IA): 38.3 inches a year, 0.6 less than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 86°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Oskaloosa, IA
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"
Jan31121.84
Feb36161.74
Mar49272.25
Apr62383.97
May72514.79
Jun82615.28
Jul86654.46
Aug84625.16
Sep77533.65
Oct65412.75
Nov49292.25
Dec36181.44
Year613938.968

Averages for 1991–2020 at Oskaloosa, IA (830 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.

Iowa weather by month, station by station →

Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near New Sharon

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 67 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of New Sharon: 30 thunderstorm wind reports, 19 heavy rain events, 10 flash floods, 7 floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $2.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on June 18, 1998. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 81 have had fewer than New Sharon.

  • August 23, 2007: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of New Sharon — $325,000 damage.

    NWS: “Numerous reports of flooding were received from throughout the county with stalled cars. No travel advised.”

  • April 26, 2007: flood 7 miles from the centre of New Sharon — $250,000 damage.

  • May 26, 2013: flood 8 miles from the centre of New Sharon — $250,000 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

Mahaska County, which includes New Sharon, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 7 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 Mahaska County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $11.1 million a year, the 67th highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.9 million (44%), 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 Sharon

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