NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Osage, 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 Osage, Iowa since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 120 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 11 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 120
- EF3 or stronger
- 11
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
16 deaths in all
What the records show for Osage
The strongest of the 120 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on May 15, 1968; its path came within 11 miles, and it killed 13 people. Of the 120, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 63 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 30. The most recent tornado was on August 5, 2024. Of the 241 Iowa cities on this site, 56% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Osage. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 72 times since 1959, with stones up to 4.75 inches. Of the 241 Iowa cities, 66% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Osage.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Osage
By decade
- 2020s26
- 2010s12
- 2000s25(1 EF3+)
- 1990s20
- 1980s13
- 1970s7(3 EF3+)
- 1960s12(5 EF3+)
- 1950s5(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 1968 | F5 | 11 mi | 62.1 mi | 13 / 462 |
| May 10, 1953 | F4 | 24 mi | 162 mi | 2 / 24 |
| Jul 12, 1971 | F4 | 19 mi | 10.9 mi | 0 / 8 |
| Apr 30, 1967 | F4 | 21 mi | 7.6 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 30, 1967 | F4 | 12 mi | 13.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 1965 | F4 | in town | 41.6 mi | 0 / 11 |
| May 20, 1953 | F3 | 14 mi | 116.1 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Jun 11, 2004 | F3 | 16 mi | 12 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 28, 1974 | F3 | 17 mi | 3.8 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Jul 12, 1971 | F3 | 9 mi | 15.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 30, 1967 | F3 | 19 mi | 17.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 12, 2022 | EF2 | 19 mi | 3.93 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 120, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Osage
The Storm Prediction Center has 72 hail reports within 10 miles of Osage since 1959, made on 46 separate days. Of these, 42 were 1 inch across or larger, and 9 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.75 inches, fell on June 8, 1993. The most recent report is from March 31, 2023. June has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Osage
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Osage, IA, in Osage at 1,170 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 81°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 23°F and 6°F. June is the wettest at 5.6 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.2 inches; the year adds up to 37.7 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 7 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 156 nights a year. Snowfall averages 39.6 inches a year, most of it in January. That 37.7 inches is more than at 80 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (65%). Nora Springs, 14 miles southwest, has its own station (Mason City, IA): 36.4 inches a year, 1.3 less than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 81°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 23 | 6 | 1.2 | 3 | 9.9 |
| Feb | 28 | 10 | 1.3 | 3 | 9.2 |
| Mar | 41 | 23 | 1.9 | 5 | 6.2 |
| Apr | 56 | 35 | 4.0 | 8 | 2.2 |
| May | 68 | 47 | 5.2 | 9 | 0.4 |
| Jun | 78 | 58 | 5.6 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 81 | 62 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 59 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 73 | 50 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 60 | 38 | 2.7 | 5 | 0.2 |
| Nov | 43 | 25 | 1.8 | 4 | 1.9 |
| Dec | 29 | 14 | 1.5 | 4 | 9.6 |
| Year | 55 | 36 | 37.7 | 68 | 39.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Osage, IA (1,170 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 Osage
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 89 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Osage: 57 thunderstorm wind reports, 13 floods, 9 heavy rain events, 8 flash floods and 2 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $4.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 82 mph, on December 15, 2021. June has had the most flash floods, 6 of 8. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 58 have had fewer than Osage.
June 7, 2008: flood 3 miles from the centre of Osage — $2.3 million damage.
NWS: “Flooding was extensive across the county from 4 to 5 inches of rain. Flooding along the Shell Rock river breeched a levee in Nora Springs on Sunday June 8th and flooding was extensive in Rockford, IA.”
April 6, 2001: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Osage — $1.0 million damage.
June 6, 1999: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of Osage — $180,000 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
Mitchell County, which includes Osage, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 6 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes, on June 24, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Mitchell County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and inland flooding; Very Low for lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $14.4 million a year, the 42nd highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.2 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 Osage
- Saint Ansgar, IA10 mi
- Nora Springs, IA14 mi
- Riceville, IA15 mi
- Charles City, IA17 mi
- Mason City, IA21 mi
- Northwood, IA24 mi
- Nashua, IA27 mi
- Austin, MN28 mi
- Greene, IA28 mi
- New Hampton, IA29 mi
- Clear Lake, IA30 mi
- Spring Valley, MN35 mi
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