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Storms That Hit

NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Oskaloosa, 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 Oskaloosa, Iowa since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 101 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
101

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
7

7 deaths in all

What the records show for Oskaloosa

None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Oskaloosa; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 45 mph winds when its centre passed 6 miles away. Oskaloosa is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 241 Iowa cities on this site. The strongest of the 101 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on June 7, 1984; its path came within 7 miles, and it killed 3 people. Of the 101, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 50 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 28. The most recent tornado was on May 24, 2024. Of the 241 Iowa cities, 83% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Oskaloosa. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 65 times since 1960, with stones up to 4.75 inches. Of the 241 Iowa cities, 75% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Oskaloosa.

Compare Oskaloosa's storm record with another city →

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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Oskaloosa

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Oskaloosa, Iowa, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
1900Unnamed 1900 stormSep 116 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 Oskaloosa: 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 Oskaloosa

By decade

  • 2020s7(1 EF3+)
  • 2010s25(2 EF3+)
  • 2000s18
  • 1990s11
  • 1980s12(1 EF3+)
  • 1970s17
  • 1960s8(2 EF3+)
  • 1950s3(1 EF3+)
Strongest tornadoes near Oskaloosa, Iowa
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Jun 7, 1984F47 mi134 mi3 / 64
Mar 31, 2023EF323 mi26.09 mi0 / 0
Jul 19, 2018EF310 mi9.17 mi0 / 13
Jun 22, 2015EF322 mi11.12 mi0 / 0
Sep 20, 1965F324 mi1 mi0 / 4
Apr 23, 1965F321 mi47.4 mi0 / 1
Aug 12, 1956F318 mi5.1 mi0 / 8
Apr 11, 2001F222 mi8.4 mi2 / 3
Nov 11, 2015EF213 mi6.6 mi0 / 0
Nov 11, 2015EF225 mi13.03 mi0 / 0
Jun 22, 2015EF220 mi1.71 mi0 / 0
May 30, 2008EF25 mi19.18 mi0 / 10

The strongest 12 of 101, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Oskaloosa

The Storm Prediction Center has 65 hail reports within 10 miles of Oskaloosa since 1960, made on 38 separate days. Of these, 45 were 1 inch across or larger, and 11 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4.75 inches, fell on May 8, 2003. The most recent report is from July 28, 2023. May has the most reports, 24.

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

Radar-estimated hail days in Oskaloosa since 2019 →

Weather by month in Oskaloosa

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Oskaloosa, IA, 3 miles north of Oskaloosa 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%). Pella, 16 miles northwest, has its own station (Knoxville, IA): 37.7 inches a year, 1.2 less than here, and a July average high of 85°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 Oskaloosa

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 189 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Oskaloosa: 109 thunderstorm wind reports, 38 heavy rain events, 21 flash floods and 21 floods. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $27.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 97 mph, on April 14, 2012. August has had the most flash floods, 8 of 21. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 173 have had fewer than Oskaloosa.

  • June 12, 2010: flood 7 miles from the centre of Oskaloosa — $20.0 million damage.

  • June 8, 2008: flood 6 miles from the centre of Oskaloosa — $1.5 million damage.

  • August 10, 2010: flash flood in Oskaloosa — $500,000 damage.

    NWS: “Water receding but still flooding in Oskaloosa. Numerous houses inundated in town with 18 people rescued.”

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 Oskaloosa, 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 Oskaloosa

All Iowa cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Oskaloosa with another place →

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