NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Onawa, 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 Onawa, Iowa since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 82 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 82
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Onawa
The highest rating among the 82 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on October 4, 2013, came within 21 miles. The deadliest, an EF3 on June 11, 2008, killed 4 people. Of the 82, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 38 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 28. The most recent tornado was on June 12, 2024. Of the 241 Iowa cities on this site, 95% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Onawa. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 84 times since 1974, with stones up to 3.5 inches. Of the 241 Iowa cities, 56% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Onawa.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Onawa
By decade
- 2020s12
- 2010s10(2 EF3+)
- 2000s16(1 EF3+)
- 1990s17(2 EF3+)
- 1980s8(1 EF3+)
- 1970s6(1 EF3+)
- 1960s12
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 4, 2013 | EF4 | 21 mi | 24.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 28, 1986 | F4 | 11 mi | 52.5 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 7, 1977 | F4 | 7 mi | 22.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 11, 2008 | EF3 | 14 mi | 12.96 mi | 4 / 48 |
| Apr 9, 2011 | EF3 | 17 mi | 3.38 mi | 0 / 14 |
| Jul 5, 1994 | F3 | 23 mi | 1.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 1991 | F3 | 13 mi | 6 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 12, 2023 | EF2 | 22 mi | 11.3 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Oct 4, 2013 | EF2 | 14 mi | 26.56 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 16, 1999 | F2 | 19 mi | 22.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 23, 1998 | F2 | 14 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 16, 1992 | F2 | 14 mi | 4 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 82, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Onawa
The Storm Prediction Center has 84 hail reports within 10 miles of Onawa since 1974, made on 57 separate days. Of these, 53 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3.5 inches, fell on June 12, 2024, the most recent report. June has the most reports, 23.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Onawa
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Onawa 3NW, IA, 3 miles north of Onawa at 1,060 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 9°F. May is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.5 inches; the year adds up to 30.0 inches over 53 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 26 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 151 nights a year. Snowfall averages 31.0 inches a year, most of it in January. That 30.0 inches is more than at 7 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (6%). Tekamah, NE, 18 miles south, has its own station (Tekamah, NE): 31.7 inches a year, 1.7 more than here, and a July average high of 88°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 30 | 9 | 0.5 | 2 | 7.9 |
| Feb | 36 | 13 | 0.8 | 2 | 6.6 |
| Mar | 50 | 24 | 1.6 | 4 | 4.5 |
| Apr | 63 | 35 | 3.3 | 6 | 1.8 |
| May | 74 | 48 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 59 | 4.2 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 63 | 3.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 84 | 59 | 4.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 78 | 50 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 65 | 37 | 2.3 | 4 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 49 | 24 | 1.5 | 3 | 2.8 |
| Dec | 34 | 14 | 0.7 | 2 | 7.1 |
| Year | 61 | 36 | 30.0 | 53 | 31.0 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Onawa 3NW, IA (1,060 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 Onawa
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 60 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Onawa: 45 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 floods and 7 flash floods. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $1.7 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 83 mph, on May 24, 2024. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 42 have had fewer than Onawa.
July 6, 2008: thunderstorm wind 3 miles from the centre of Onawa — 2 injured.
NWS: “Thunderstorm wind gusts estimated at over 60 mph blew some trees down on top of campers at the Lewis and Clark State Park, causing 2 minor injuries. Some campers in the area were also rolled due to the winds.”
May 5, 2007: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Onawa — $1.4 million damage.
NWS: “Rainfall of 3 to 4 inches produce flash flooding of streets in Onawa. Other creeks across the county flooded county roads causing road, bridge and levee damage.”
June 1, 2011: flood 7 miles from the centre of Onawa — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “Flooding along the Missouri River gradually worsened over the area during June as record releases from Gavins Point Dam brought widespread flooding along the river. In Burt county the flooding generally began during the first week of the month as the gauge at Decatur didn't surpass flood stage until around June 6th.”
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
Monona County, which includes Onawa, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 severe storms, 7 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Winter Storm, on May 21, 2025. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Monona County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail; Relatively Low for tornadoes and strong wind; Very Low for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $8.7 million a year, the 86th highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.0 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 Onawa
- Tekamah, NE18 mi
- Oakland, NE24 mi
- Sergeant Bluff, IA27 mi
- Dunlap, IA28 mi
- Woodbine, IA29 mi
- Moville, IA31 mi
- Logan, IA32 mi
- Dakota City, NE32 mi
- West Point, NE34 mi
- Blair, NE34 mi
- South Sioux City, NE34 mi
- Missouri Valley, IA34 mi
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