NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Remsen, 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 Remsen, Iowa since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 125 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 125
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
2 deaths in all
What the records show for Remsen
The highest rating among the 125 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on October 4, 2013, came within 17 miles. The deadliest, an F2 on June 18, 1973, killed 2 people. Of the 125, 12 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 57 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 38. The most recent tornado was on May 31, 2024. Of the 241 Iowa cities on this site, 49% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Remsen. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 87 times since 1969, with stones up to 2.5 inches (tennis ball size). Of the 241 Iowa cities, 53% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Remsen.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Remsen
By decade
- 2020s13
- 2010s25(1 EF3+)
- 2000s19
- 1990s14
- 1980s14
- 1970s15
- 1960s18(4 EF3+)
- 1950s7(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 4, 2013 | EF4 | 17 mi | 24.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 23, 1952 | F4 | 6 mi | 24.1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Sep 22, 1968 | F3 | 17 mi | 4.7 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 7, 1965 | F3 | 7 mi | 11.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 1964 | F3 | 3 mi | 9.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 1964 | F3 | 3 mi | 67 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Jun 18, 1973 | F2 | 22 mi | 2 mi | 2 / 10 |
| Dec 15, 2021 | EF2 | 19 mi | 8.44 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 11, 2008 | EF2 | 25 mi | 5.73 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 12, 1994 | F2 | 2 mi | 17.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 7, 1991 | F2 | 3 mi | 8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 7, 1991 | F2 | 11 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 125, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Remsen
The Storm Prediction Center has 87 hail reports within 10 miles of Remsen since 1969, made on 63 separate days. Of these, 50 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.5 inches (tennis ball size), was reported on 2 days, most recently August 25, 2003. The most recent report is from June 14, 2025. August has the most reports, 21.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Remsen
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Le Mars, IA, 10 miles west of Remsen at 1,195 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 27°F and 7°F. June is the wettest at 4.6 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.7 inches; the year adds up to 30.0 inches over 55 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 17 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 160 nights a year. Snowfall averages 30.9 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%). Orange City, 17 miles north, has its own station (Sioux Ctr 2 SE, IA): 30.0 inches a year, the same as here, and the same July average high, 85°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27 | 7 | 0.7 | 2 | 7.8 |
| Feb | 32 | 11 | 0.9 | 2 | 7.5 |
| Mar | 46 | 23 | 1.9 | 4 | 4.6 |
| Apr | 60 | 34 | 3.1 | 6 | 1.9 |
| May | 72 | 47 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 81 | 58 | 4.6 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 85 | 62 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 59 | 4.0 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 50 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 37 | 2.4 | 4 | 0.4 |
| Nov | 46 | 24 | 1.3 | 3 | 2.6 |
| Dec | 32 | 13 | 1.0 | 2 | 6.0 |
| Year | 58 | 35 | 30.0 | 55 | 30.9 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Le Mars, IA (1,195 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 Remsen
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 51 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Remsen: 39 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 floods, 2 flash floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $4.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 82 mph, on May 23, 2016.
June 21, 2024: flood 10 miles from the centre of Remsen — $2.3 million damage.
NWS: “Rainfall amounts across O'Brien County from June 20-22 ranged from 5 to 9 inches, with the highest amounts across the northern half of the county. Widespread overland flooding ensued with additional minor to major flooding along the Floyd and Little Floyd Rivers, and Waterman Creek.”
June 1, 2019: flood 10 miles from the centre of Remsen — $1.3 million damage.
NWS: “During crop planting season, prolonged flooding led to the loss of or inability to plant crops across the area. Crop loss estimates provided by the United States Department of Agriculture.”
March 13, 2019: flood 10 miles from the centre of Remsen — $590,000 damage.
NWS: “Flooding resulted in extensive damage to public infrastructure including numerous county and township roads, culverts, and some bridges.”
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
Plymouth County, which includes Remsen, has been named in 16 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 12 of them major disasters (by incident: 6 floods, 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 drought). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes, on June 24, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Plymouth County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and hail; Relatively Low for inland flooding, strong wind, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $17.6 million a year, the 24th highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.4 million (37%), 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 Remsen
- Le Mars, IA11 mi
- Kingsley, IA13 mi
- Orange City, IA17 mi
- Hinton, IA19 mi
- Cherokee, IA20 mi
- Moville, IA22 mi
- Sioux Center, IA23 mi
- Akron, IA28 mi
- Sheldon, IA28 mi
- Sioux City, IA30 mi
- Hull, IA30 mi
- Hawarden, IA31 mi
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