NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Pocahontas, 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 Pocahontas, Iowa since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 118 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 118
- 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 Pocahontas
The highest rating among the 118 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on April 9, 2011, came within 6 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on June 28, 1979, killed 3 people. Of the 118, 8 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 67 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 31. The most recent tornado was on June 4, 2024. Of the 241 Iowa cities on this site, 60% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Pocahontas. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 71 times since 1970, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 241 Iowa cities, 68% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Pocahontas.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Pocahontas
By decade
- 2020s31
- 2010s22(2 EF3+)
- 2000s14(1 EF3+)
- 1990s16(1 EF3+)
- 1980s16
- 1970s4(1 EF3+)
- 1960s7
- 1950s8(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 28, 1979 | F4 | 8 mi | 14.9 mi | 3 / 26 |
| Jun 9, 1954 | F4 | 25 mi | 9.9 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Apr 9, 2011 | EF4 | 6 mi | 3.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 1995 | F4 | 13 mi | 36 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 9, 2011 | EF3 | 7 mi | 29.37 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 11, 2004 | F3 | 21 mi | 6.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 1953 | F3 | 8 mi | 30.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 12, 2022 | EF2 | 18 mi | 4.85 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 12, 2022 | EF2 | 8 mi | 7.17 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Dec 15, 2021 | EF2 | 22 mi | 17.97 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 15, 2021 | EF2 | 25 mi | 17.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 9, 2011 | EF2 | 6 mi | 0.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 118, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Pocahontas
The Storm Prediction Center has 71 hail reports within 10 miles of Pocahontas since 1970, made on 46 separate days. Of these, 41 were 1 inch across or larger, and 2 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 2 days, most recently August 28, 2018. The most recent report is from September 16, 2025. July has the most reports, 19.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Pocahontas
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Pocahontas, IA, 1 mile east of Pocahontas at 1,212 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 26°F and 8°F. June is the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and January and February the driest at 1.0 inches; the year adds up to 32.7 inches over 62 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 18 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 157 nights a year. Snowfall averages 38.8 inches a year, most of it in December. That 32.7 inches is more than at 17 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (14%). Manson, 16 miles southeast, has its own station (Rockwell City, IA): 33.8 inches a year, 1.1 more than here, and a July average high of 83°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | 8 | 1.0 | 3 | 9.3 |
| Feb | 30 | 12 | 1.0 | 3 | 7.4 |
| Mar | 44 | 24 | 2.0 | 5 | 5.8 |
| Apr | 59 | 36 | 3.4 | 7 | 1.9 |
| May | 71 | 49 | 4.6 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 59 | 4.7 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 62 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 60 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 50 | 2.6 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 38 | 2.3 | 5 | 0.4 |
| Nov | 45 | 25 | 1.6 | 3 | 3.7 |
| Dec | 31 | 14 | 1.2 | 3 | 10.3 |
| Year | 58 | 36 | 32.7 | 62 | 38.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Pocahontas, IA (1,212 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 Pocahontas
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 70 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Pocahontas: 38 thunderstorm wind reports, 26 heavy rain events, 5 flash floods and 1 flood. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $1.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on June 14, 2013. May has had the most flash floods, 3 of 5. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 27 have had fewer than Pocahontas.
June 14, 2013: thunderstorm wind 5 miles from the centre of Pocahontas — $270,000 damage.
NWS: “Damage to several houses, including the loss of roofing and debris embedded in exterior walls. Farm equipment blown over.”
May 21, 2004: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Pocahontas — $150,000 damage.
August 16, 2002: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Pocahontas — $110,000 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
Pocahontas County, which includes Pocahontas, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 19 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 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 Pocahontas County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, strong wind and lightning; Very Low for inland flooding and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $11.3 million a year, the 61st highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $2.3 million (21%), 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 Pocahontas
- Manson, IA16 mi
- Rockwell City, IA23 mi
- Humboldt, IA23 mi
- Sac City, IA26 mi
- Storm Lake, IA26 mi
- Emmetsburg, IA27 mi
- Fort Dodge, IA30 mi
- Alta, IA32 mi
- Algona, IA33 mi
- Spencer, IA38 mi
- Eagle Grove, IA40 mi
- Cherokee, IA44 mi
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