NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Storm Lake, 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 Storm Lake, Iowa since records began in 1851. Since 1950, 102 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 0
- Tornadoes
- 102
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Storm Lake
The highest rating among the 102 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on April 9, 2011, came within 17 miles. Of the 102, 5 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 59 have come since 2000. April has had the most tornadoes, 22. The most recent tornado was on May 31, 2024. Of the 241 Iowa cities on this site, 82% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Storm Lake. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 72 times since 1969, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Of the 241 Iowa cities, 66% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Storm Lake.
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Tornadoes within 25 miles of Storm Lake
By decade
- 2020s23
- 2010s30(3 EF3+)
- 2000s6(1 EF3+)
- 1990s13(1 EF3+)
- 1980s13
- 1970s4
- 1960s7
- 1950s6(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 9, 2011 | EF4 | 17 mi | 3.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 27, 1995 | F4 | 18 mi | 36 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 23, 1952 | F4 | 21 mi | 24.1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 9, 2011 | EF3 | 8 mi | 29.37 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 9, 2011 | EF3 | 11 mi | 10.14 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 11, 2004 | F3 | 19 mi | 6.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 15, 2021 | EF2 | 13 mi | 4.77 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 15, 2021 | EF2 | 23 mi | 17.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 9, 2011 | EF2 | 19 mi | 0.9 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 9, 2011 | EF2 | 12 mi | 1.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 9, 2011 | EF2 | 12 mi | 8.34 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 9, 2011 | EF2 | 21 mi | 4.13 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 102, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Storm Lake
The Storm Prediction Center has 72 hail reports within 10 miles of Storm Lake since 1969, made on 46 separate days. Of these, 50 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 April 9, 2011. The most recent report is from May 24, 2024. June has the most reports, 29.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Storm Lake
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Sioux Rapids 4 E, IA, 18 miles north of Storm Lake at 1,420 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 82°F and low of 62°F; January is the coolest, at 25°F and 8°F. June is the wettest at 5.1 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.6 inches; the year adds up to 32.0 inches over 59 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 157 nights a year. Snowfall averages 35.2 inches a year, most of it in January. That 32.0 inches is more than at 14 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (11%). Alta, 8 miles west, has its own station (Cherokee, IA): 31.4 inches a year, 0.6 less than here, and a July average high of 84°F against 82°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 25 | 8 | 0.6 | 2 | 8.0 |
| Feb | 30 | 13 | 0.8 | 2 | 6.9 |
| Mar | 43 | 25 | 1.8 | 4 | 6.5 |
| Apr | 58 | 36 | 3.6 | 7 | 2.3 |
| May | 70 | 48 | 4.2 | 8 | 0.3 |
| Jun | 80 | 59 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 82 | 62 | 3.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 79 | 59 | 4.4 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 74 | 51 | 3.4 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 61 | 39 | 2.5 | 5 | 0.7 |
| Nov | 44 | 25 | 1.4 | 3 | 3.8 |
| Dec | 30 | 14 | 0.9 | 3 | 6.7 |
| Year | 56 | 37 | 32.0 | 59 | 35.2 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Sioux Rapids 4 E, IA (1,420 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 Storm Lake
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 77 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Storm Lake: 64 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 flash floods and 1 flood. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.0 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on May 21, 2024. June has had the most flash floods, 6 of 12. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 107 have had fewer than Storm Lake.
August 8, 2010: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Storm Lake — 1 injured, $25,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds blew over a large semi truck, blocking the road and causing minor injuries to the driver.”
August 8, 2010: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Storm Lake — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Thunderstorm winds blew the roof off a manufacturing plant, damaged docks and boats along the lake, caused widespread tree damage including numerous large trees blown down, blew down power lines and poles, resulting in power outages, damaged or destroyed several small sheds, blew down several awnings on businesses…”
June 24, 2005: flash flood 1 mile from the centre of Storm Lake — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rainfall of around 5 inches caused widespread flooding of streets, with up to 4 feet of water covering some intersections. Numerous vehicles stalled, including a police car responding to an emergency.”
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
Buena Vista County, which includes Storm Lake, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 19 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 7 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Flooding, Straight-Line Winds, and Tornadoes, on June 24, 2024. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Buena Vista County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail and strong wind; Very Low for inland flooding, lightning and heat waves. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $12.0 million a year, the 58th highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $3.7 million (31%), 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 Storm Lake
- Alta, IA8 mi
- Sac City, IA18 mi
- Cherokee, IA20 mi
- Pocahontas, IA26 mi
- Ida Grove, IA26 mi
- Rockwell City, IA33 mi
- Manson, IA34 mi
- Spencer, IA35 mi
- Hartley, IA40 mi
- Remsen, IA40 mi
- Emmetsburg, IA41 mi
- Kingsley, IA41 mi
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