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Storms That Hit

NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sigourney, 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 Sigourney, Iowa since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 88 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
88

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
7

7 deaths in all

What the records show for Sigourney

None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Sigourney; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 46 mph winds when its centre passed 15 miles away. Sigourney 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 88 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on March 31, 2023, came within 9 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on June 7, 1984, killed 3 people. Of the 88, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 38 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 26. The most recent tornado was on May 24, 2024. Of the 241 Iowa cities, 93% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Sigourney. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 35 times since 1960, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 241 Iowa cities, 98% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Sigourney.

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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sigourney

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Sigourney, Iowa, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
1900Unnamed 1900 stormSep 1115 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 4

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Sigourney: 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 Sigourney

By decade

  • 2020s4(2 EF3+)
  • 2010s16
  • 2000s18
  • 1990s13(1 EF3+)
  • 1980s18(1 EF3+)
  • 1970s10
  • 1960s5(2 EF3+)
  • 1950s4(1 EF3+)
Strongest tornadoes near Sigourney, Iowa
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Jun 7, 1984F44 mi134 mi3 / 64
Mar 31, 2023EF49 mi19.9 mi0 / 3
Mar 31, 2023EF37 mi26.09 mi0 / 0
May 15, 1998F324 mi47 mi0 / 47
Sep 20, 1965F3in town1 mi0 / 4
Apr 23, 1965F313 mi47.4 mi0 / 1
May 9, 1959F314 mi6.6 mi0 / 0
Apr 11, 2001F218 mi8.4 mi2 / 3
Nov 11, 2015EF217 mi6.6 mi0 / 0
Apr 27, 1989F215 mi18 mi0 / 0
Nov 15, 1988F214 mi6 mi0 / 0
May 8, 1988F27 mi36 mi0 / 0

The strongest 12 of 88, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.

Hail in Sigourney

The Storm Prediction Center has 35 hail reports within 10 miles of Sigourney since 1960, made on 30 separate days. Of these, 24 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on August 8, 1969. The most recent report is from October 4, 2024. May has the most reports, 10.

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

Weather by month in Sigourney

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Sigourney, IA, 2 miles west of Sigourney at 732 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 85°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 30°F and 12°F. June is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.2 inches; the year adds up to 37.5 inches over 69 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 16 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 142 nights a year. That 37.5 inches is more than at 75 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (60%). Wellman, 21 miles northeast, has its own station (Williamsburg 1E, IA): 37.8 inches a year, 0.3 more than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 85°F.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at Sigourney, IA
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"
Jan30121.23
Feb35151.54
Mar48262.35
Apr61373.77
May71495.09
Jun81595.18
Jul85633.96
Aug83604.87
Sep76523.56
Oct63402.85
Nov48282.24
Dec35181.54
Year603837.569

Averages for 1991–2020 at Sigourney, IA (732 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 Sigourney

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 61 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sigourney: 48 thunderstorm wind reports, 8 floods, 3 flash floods, 1 heavy rain event and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $956,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on April 27, 2014.

  • June 1, 2008: flood 8 miles from the centre of Sigourney — $570,000 damage.

  • June 29, 1998: thunderstorm wind 1 mile from the centre of Sigourney — $100,000 damage.

  • June 15, 2010: flash flood 2 miles from the centre of Sigourney — $100,000 damage.

    NWS: “Heavy rains resulted in flash flooding of several roads in Sigourney, IA during the morning of June 15.”

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

Keokuk County, which includes Sigourney, has been named in 19 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 8 floods, 7 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Covid-19 Pandemic, on March 23, 2020. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Keokuk County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail, lightning and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes and inland flooding. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $8.9 million a year, the 85th highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.0 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 Sigourney

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

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