NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit State Center, 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 State Center, Iowa since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 142 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 12 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 142
- EF3 or stronger
- 12
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
13 deaths in all
What the records show for State Center
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed State Center; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 45 mph winds when its centre passed 51 miles away. State Center 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 142 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 4 times; the most recent, on March 5, 2022, came within 21 miles. Of the 142, 4 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 73 have come since 2000. June has had the most tornadoes, 38. The most recent tornado was on June 25, 2024. State Center has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 67% of the 241 Iowa cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 67 times since 1967, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 241 Iowa cities, 72% have more hail reports within 10 miles than State Center.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near State Center
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 51 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in State Center: 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 State Center
By decade
- 2020s11(1 EF3+)
- 2010s27(1 EF3+)
- 2000s35
- 1990s20(3 EF3+)
- 1980s8(3 EF3+)
- 1970s16(1 EF3+)
- 1960s20(1 EF3+)
- 1950s5(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 5, 2022 | EF4 | 21 mi | 70.57 mi | 6 / 5 |
| May 30, 1989 | F4 | 19 mi | 11 mi | 0 / 3 |
| May 24, 1989 | F4 | 14 mi | 66 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 28, 1986 | F4 | 17 mi | 20 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 16, 1978 | F3 | 3 mi | 31.8 mi | 6 / 45 |
| Apr 23, 1961 | F3 | 13 mi | 87.7 mi | 1 / 12 |
| Jul 19, 2018 | EF3 | 9 mi | 8.41 mi | 0 / 22 |
| Apr 8, 1999 | F3 | 24 mi | 39 mi | 0 / 5 |
| Mar 22, 1991 | F3 | 15 mi | 43 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 13, 1990 | F3 | 10 mi | 9 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Jun 1, 1951 | F3 | 13 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 7 |
| Jun 15, 1950 | F3 | 16 mi | 5.6 mi | 0 / 5 |
The strongest 12 of 142, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in State Center
The Storm Prediction Center has 67 hail reports within 10 miles of State Center since 1967, made on 47 separate days. Of these, 41 were 1 inch across or larger, and 8 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 3 inches (tea cup size), was reported on 2 days, most recently July 18, 2003. The most recent report is from July 15, 2024. June has the most reports, 18.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in State Center
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Colo, IA, 8 miles west of State Center at 1,000 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 83°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 27°F and 10°F. June is the wettest at 5.8 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.0 inches; the year adds up to 36.4 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 11 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 151 nights a year. Snowfall averages 30.6 inches a year, most of it in February. That 36.4 inches is more than at 52 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (42%). Marshalltown, 14 miles east, has its own station (Marshalltown, IA): 38.0 inches a year, 1.6 more than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 83°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27 | 10 | 1.0 | 3 | 7.4 |
| Feb | 31 | 14 | 1.2 | 3 | 7.6 |
| Mar | 45 | 26 | 2.0 | 5 | 4.5 |
| Apr | 59 | 37 | 3.5 | 7 | 1.7 |
| May | 70 | 49 | 4.8 | 10 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 80 | 60 | 5.8 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 83 | 63 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 81 | 61 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 75 | 52 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 62 | 39 | 2.7 | 5 | 0.7 |
| Nov | 46 | 27 | 2.0 | 4 | 1.9 |
| Dec | 32 | 16 | 1.5 | 4 | 6.8 |
| Year | 58 | 38 | 36.4 | 68 | 30.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Colo, IA (1,000 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 State Center
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 97 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of State Center: 51 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 floods, 15 flash floods, 11 heavy rain events and 4 lightning strikes. They killed 0 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $256.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on June 13, 2000. May has had the most flash floods, 6 of 15. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 137 have had fewer than State Center.
July 13, 2018: lightning strike 9 miles from the centre of State Center — 2 injured.
June 1, 2008: flood 9 miles from the centre of State Center — $250.1 million damage.
June 27, 2010: flood 9 miles from the centre of State Center — $2.3 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
Marshall County, which includes State Center, has been named in 20 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 floods, 8 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Tornadoes, and Flooding, on May 24, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Marshall County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively High for strong wind; Relatively Moderate for tornadoes and hail; Relatively Low for inland flooding and lightning; Very Low for hurricanes and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $22.7 million a year, the 17th highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $9.9 million (44%), 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 State Center
- Marshalltown, IA14 mi
- Nevada, IA14 mi
- Maxwell, IA16 mi
- Newton, IA22 mi
- Colfax, IA23 mi
- Huxley, IA24 mi
- Ames, IA24 mi
- Eldora, IA24 mi
- Story City, IA25 mi
- Mitchellville, IA26 mi
- Bondurant, IA26 mi
- Altoona, IA30 mi
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