NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Riverside, 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 Riverside, Iowa since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 115 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 115
- EF3 or stronger
- 8
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
7 deaths in all
What the records show for Riverside
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Riverside; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 48 mph winds when its centre passed 17 miles away. Riverside is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 241 Iowa cities on this site. The highest rating among the 115 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on March 31, 2023, came within 13 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on June 7, 1984, killed 3 people. Of the 115, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 56 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 34. The most recent tornado was on May 24, 2024. Of the 241 Iowa cities, 64% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Riverside. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 59 times since 1971, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 241 Iowa cities, 81% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Riverside.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Riverside
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Riverside: 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 Riverside
By decade
- 2020s16(2 EF3+)
- 2010s15
- 2000s25(1 EF3+)
- 1990s9(1 EF3+)
- 1980s23(1 EF3+)
- 1970s16
- 1960s8(1 EF3+)
- 1950s3(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 7, 1984 | F4 | 16 mi | 134 mi | 3 / 64 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF4 | 13 mi | 19.9 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 24 mi | 26.09 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 1, 2007 | EF3 | 24 mi | 15.75 mi | 0 / 7 |
| May 15, 1998 | F3 | 3 mi | 47 mi | 0 / 47 |
| Apr 23, 1965 | F3 | 1 mi | 47.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 9, 1959 | F3 | 24 mi | 17.8 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 9, 1959 | F3 | 22 mi | 6.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 22, 1962 | F2 | 12 mi | 4.1 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 24 mi | 19.56 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 23 mi | 8.97 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 4 mi | 14.69 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 115, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Riverside
The Storm Prediction Center has 59 hail reports within 10 miles of Riverside since 1971, made on 45 separate days. Of these, 33 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 June 6, 2006. The most recent report is from May 7, 2024. April has the most reports, 16.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Riverside
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Iowa City, IA, 9 miles north of Riverside at 640 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 29°F and 12°F. June is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.1 inches; the year adds up to 38.6 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 24 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 130 nights a year. Snowfall averages 27.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 38.6 inches is more than at 100 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (81%). Kalona, 7 miles west, has its own station (Iowa City Municipal Airport, IA): 35.7 inches a year, 2.9 less than here, and a July average high of 86°F against 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29 | 12 | 1.1 | 3 | 7.6 |
| Feb | 34 | 16 | 1.4 | 4 | 7.5 |
| Mar | 48 | 27 | 2.3 | 5 | 3.2 |
| Apr | 62 | 37 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.5 |
| May | 72 | 49 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 59 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 63 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 60 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 52 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 40 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.4 |
| Nov | 48 | 28 | 2.3 | 4 | 1.1 |
| Dec | 34 | 18 | 1.6 | 4 | 7.2 |
| Year | 60 | 38 | 38.6 | 68 | 27.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Iowa City, IA (640 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 Riverside
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 93 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Riverside: 60 thunderstorm wind reports, 23 floods, 9 flash floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 12, and the NWS estimated $68.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 92 mph, on April 18, 1996. June has had the most flash floods, 6 of 9. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 66 have had fewer than Riverside.
June 29, 1998: thunderstorm wind 10 miles from the centre of Riverside — 12 injured, $44.7 million damage.
June 1, 2008: flood 6 miles from the centre of Riverside — $19.0 million damage.
July 29, 2016: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Riverside — $2.5 million 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
Washington County, which includes Riverside, has been named in 15 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 13 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 severe storms, 4 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, on August 17, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Washington County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for hail; Relatively Low for tornadoes, inland flooding, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $13.9 million a year, the 48th highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $6.2 million (45%), 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 Riverside
- Lone Tree, IA7 mi
- Kalona, IA7 mi
- Iowa City, IA12 mi
- Coralville, IA14 mi
- Washington, IA14 mi
- Wellman, IA15 mi
- Tiffin, IA17 mi
- West Liberty, IA17 mi
- West Branch, IA18 mi
- Columbus Junction, IA18 mi
- North Liberty, IA19 mi
- Solon, IA23 mi
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