NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Newton, 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 Newton, Iowa since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 125 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 125
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
13 deaths in all
What the records show for Newton
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Newton; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 45 mph winds when its centre passed 30 miles away. Newton 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 125 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on March 5, 2022, came within 1 mile. Of the 125, 14 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 71 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 32. The most recent tornado was on June 25, 2024. Of the 241 Iowa cities, 49% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Newton. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 96 times since 1972, with stones up to 4.5 inches (grapefruit size). Newton has more hail reports within 10 miles than 54% of the 241 Iowa cities.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Newton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Newton: 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 Newton
By decade
- 2020s16(1 EF3+)
- 2010s21(1 EF3+)
- 2000s34
- 1990s13(1 EF3+)
- 1980s12(1 EF3+)
- 1970s9(1 EF3+)
- 1960s17(3 EF3+)
- 1950s3(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 5, 2022 | EF4 | 1 mi | 70.57 mi | 6 / 5 |
| Sep 28, 1986 | F4 | 5 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 16, 1978 | F3 | 9 mi | 31.8 mi | 6 / 45 |
| Apr 23, 1961 | F3 | 24 mi | 87.7 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Jul 19, 2018 | EF3 | 18 mi | 9.17 mi | 0 / 13 |
| Apr 8, 1999 | F3 | 11 mi | 39 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Oct 14, 1966 | F3 | 12 mi | 29.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 19, 1966 | F3 | 20 mi | 27.1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Aug 12, 1956 | F3 | 19 mi | 5.1 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Apr 26, 2024 | EF2 | 22 mi | 7.61 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 5, 2022 | EF2 | 5 mi | 17.31 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 19, 2018 | EF2 | 21 mi | 2.95 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 125, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Newton
The Storm Prediction Center has 96 hail reports within 10 miles of Newton since 1972, made on 48 separate days. Of these, 65 were 1 inch across or larger, and 13 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.5 inches (grapefruit size), fell on July 7, 2003. The most recent report is from July 28, 2024. May and June have the most reports, 24 each.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Newton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Newton, IA, 1 mile northeast of Newton at 960 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 28°F and 10°F. June is the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.9 inches; the year adds up to 35.1 inches over 62 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 21 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 142 nights a year. Snowfall averages 28.7 inches a year, most of it in January. That 35.1 inches is more than at 33 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (27%). Colfax, 10 miles west, has its own station (Des Moines 17 E, IA): 36.6 inches a year, 1.5 more than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28 | 10 | 0.9 | 3 | 9.2 |
| Feb | 33 | 14 | 1.1 | 3 | 6.0 |
| Mar | 46 | 26 | 2.1 | 5 | 4.5 |
| Apr | 60 | 37 | 3.4 | 7 | 0.8 |
| May | 71 | 50 | 4.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 60 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 64 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 83 | 61 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 52 | 3.6 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 40 | 2.7 | 5 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 47 | 27 | 2.0 | 4 | 1.6 |
| Dec | 34 | 17 | 1.3 | 3 | 6.3 |
| Year | 59 | 38 | 35.1 | 62 | 28.7 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Newton, IA (960 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 Newton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 117 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Newton: 54 heavy rain events, 51 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 flash floods and 5 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $2.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 100 mph, on March 9, 2002. May has had the most flash floods, 6 of 7. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 42 have had fewer than Newton.
March 9, 2002: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Newton — $1.5 million damage.
May 26, 2013: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Newton — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Spotter reports sandbagging of the Kellogg water treatment plant and fire department.”
May 26, 2013: flood 8 miles from the centre of Newton — $250,000 damage.
NWS: “Twenty sections of county roads were closed due to flooding, many along the North Skunk River.”
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
Jasper County, which includes Newton, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 severe storms, 6 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms and Flooding, on September 1, 2026. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Jasper County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $16.1 million a year, the 30th highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.7 million (35%), 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 Newton
- Colfax, IA10 mi
- Monroe, IA12 mi
- Prairie City, IA13 mi
- Mitchellville, IA16 mi
- Grinnell, IA17 mi
- Runnells, IA21 mi
- Pella, IA21 mi
- Bondurant, IA22 mi
- Maxwell, IA22 mi
- Altoona, IA22 mi
- State Center, IA22 mi
- Marshalltown, IA25 mi
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