NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Postville, 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 Postville, Iowa since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 60 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 5 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 60
- EF3 or stronger
- 5
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
8 deaths in all
What the records show for Postville
The strongest of the 60 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F5 on May 15, 1968; its path came within 23 miles, and it killed 5 people. Of the 60, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 20 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 14. The most recent tornado was on August 5, 2024. Of the 241 Iowa cities on this site, 99% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Postville. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 52 times since 1958, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 241 Iowa cities, 89% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Postville.
Compare Postville's storm record with another city →
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Postville
By decade
- 2020s3
- 2010s9
- 2000s8
- 1990s14
- 1980s9(1 EF3+)
- 1970s7(1 EF3+)
- 1960s7(1 EF3+)
- 1950s3(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 15, 1968 | F5 | 23 mi | 13.1 mi | 5 / 156 |
| Apr 30, 1954 | F4 | 16 mi | 80.4 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 30, 1985 | F3 | 18 mi | 34 mi | 2 / 27 |
| Jun 24, 1971 | F3 | 14 mi | 0.1 mi | 1 / 0 |
| May 10, 1953 | F3 | 14 mi | 6.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 13, 1990 | F2 | 19 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 24, 1988 | F2 | 20 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 29, 1987 | F2 | 9 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 4, 1973 | F2 | 11 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 25, 1965 | F2 | 9 mi | 4.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 25, 1965 | F2 | 12 mi | 14.7 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 4, 1964 | F2 | 20 mi | 9.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 60, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Postville
The Storm Prediction Center has 52 hail reports within 10 miles of Postville since 1958, made on 32 separate days. Of these, 25 were 1 inch across or larger, and 3 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2 inches (hen egg size), was reported on 3 days, most recently August 18, 1978. The most recent report is from June 28, 2022. May has the most reports, 18.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Postville
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Postville, IA, 1 mile south of Postville at 1,165 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 61°F; January is the coolest, at 26°F and 7°F. June is the wettest at 5.9 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.1 inches; the year adds up to 39.0 inches over 71 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 9 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 161 nights a year. Snowfall averages 39.8 inches a year, most of it in January. That 39.0 inches is more than at 110 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (89%). West Union, 16 miles southwest, has its own station (Fayette, IA): 39.6 inches a year, 0.6 more than here, and a July average high of 82°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26 | 7 | 1.1 | 4 | 12.0 |
| Feb | 30 | 11 | 1.2 | 4 | 10.4 |
| Mar | 43 | 22 | 2.1 | 5 | 5.0 |
| Apr | 58 | 34 | 4.1 | 7 | 1.6 |
| May | 69 | 47 | 5.0 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 79 | 58 | 5.9 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 61 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 58 | 4.4 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 49 | 4.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 61 | 37 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.1 |
| Nov | 45 | 26 | 2.1 | 4 | 2.7 |
| Dec | 31 | 14 | 1.6 | 4 | 8.0 |
| Year | 57 | 35 | 39.0 | 71 | 39.8 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Postville, IA (1,165 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 Postville
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 79 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Postville: 57 thunderstorm wind reports, 10 floods, 7 flash floods and 5 heavy rain events. They killed 1 person and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $7.8 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 75 mph, on May 19, 2013. June has had the most flash floods, 3 of 7. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 42 have had fewer than Postville.
August 19, 2007: flood 2 miles from the centre of Postville — 1 killed, $45,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rainfall caused flooding of basements, which may have indirectly contributed to the death of man in Postville. He was electricuted from entering a flooded basement with live power.”
July 19, 2017: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Postville — 1 injured, $30,000 damage.
June 8, 2008: flood 8 miles from the centre of Postville — $4.8 million damage.
NWS: “The Turkey River through northern and northeast Fayette County experienced a record flood. m.”
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
Allamakee County, which includes Postville, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 12 floods, 7 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Flooding, on August 25, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Allamakee County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail; Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding, strong wind and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $10.4 million a year, the 73rd highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.9 million (57%), 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.