NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Tipton, 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 Tipton, Iowa since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 159 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 159
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
4 deaths in all
What the records show for Tipton
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Tipton; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 49 mph winds when its centre passed 7 miles away. Tipton is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 241 Iowa cities on this site. The strongest of the 159 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 11, 1965; its path came within 13 miles, and it killed 1 person. The deadliest, an EF1 on June 24, 2013, killed 1 person. Of the 159, 6 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 69 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 55. The most recent tornado was on March 14, 2025. Tipton has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 80% of the 241 Iowa cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 62 times since 1957, with stones up to 3 inches (tea cup size). Of the 241 Iowa cities, 78% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Tipton.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Tipton
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 7 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Tipton: 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 Tipton
By decade
- 2020s27
- 2010s22
- 2000s20(1 EF3+)
- 1990s38(2 EF3+)
- 1980s28(1 EF3+)
- 1970s9
- 1960s10(2 EF3+)
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 13 mi | 91.5 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Jun 1, 2007 | EF3 | 21 mi | 15.75 mi | 0 / 7 |
| May 15, 1998 | F3 | 3 mi | 47 mi | 0 / 47 |
| May 9, 1995 | F3 | 13 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 8, 1988 | F3 | 18 mi | 32 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 7, 1962 | F3 | 22 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 20, 1953 | F3 | 21 mi | 38.6 mi | 0 / 7 |
| May 22, 1962 | F2 | 18 mi | 4.1 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 7 mi | 19.56 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 2 mi | 16.42 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 18 mi | 8.97 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 14 mi | 14.69 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 159, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Tipton
The Storm Prediction Center has 62 hail reports within 10 miles of Tipton since 1957, made on 40 separate days. Of these, 40 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 3 inches (tea cup size), fell on May 10, 1962. The most recent report is from May 21, 2024. May has the most reports, 20.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Tipton
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Tipton, IA, 2 miles north of Tipton at 820 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 64°F; January is the coolest, at 29°F and 12°F. May and June are the wettest at 4.7 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.4 inches; the year adds up to 36.5 inches over 67 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 9 days a year, almost all from June to August. Lows fall below freezing on about 150 nights a year. That 36.5 inches is more than at 56 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (45%). West Branch, 11 miles southwest, has its own station (Iowa City, IA): 38.6 inches a year, 2.1 more than here, and the same July average high, 84°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 29 | 12 | 1.4 | 4 |
| Feb | 33 | 16 | 1.5 | 4 |
| Mar | 47 | 28 | 2.1 | 5 |
| Apr | 61 | 38 | 3.8 | 7 |
| May | 72 | 51 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Jun | 82 | 61 | 4.7 | 8 |
| Jul | 84 | 64 | 4.1 | 7 |
| Aug | 82 | 61 | 3.8 | 7 |
| Sep | 77 | 53 | 3.5 | 6 |
| Oct | 64 | 41 | 3.1 | 6 |
| Nov | 48 | 29 | 2.2 | 4 |
| Dec | 34 | 19 | 1.6 | 4 |
| Year | 59 | 39 | 36.5 | 67 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Tipton, IA (820 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 Tipton
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 101 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Tipton: 91 thunderstorm wind reports, 4 flash floods, 3 floods, 2 lightning strikes and 1 heavy rain event. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $705,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 96 mph, on April 15, 2006.
April 15, 2006: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of Tipton — $200,000 damage.
NWS: “A series of downbursts in a 3 mile wide path occurred from 4 miles west of Tipton to 4 miles northeast of Tipton. Winds were estimated at 70-78 knots (80-90 mph).”
September 28, 2016: flood 9 miles from the centre of Tipton — $150,000 damage.
April 15, 2006: thunderstorm wind 9 miles from the centre of Tipton — $100,000 damage.
NWS: “The same line of storms produced a severe downburst in Clarence and immediately south. In Clarence, Hunwardsen Fabrication lost the roof and one entire wall of their building with the debris scattered across the parking lot to the west.”
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
Cedar County, which includes Tipton, has been named in 18 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 16 of them major disasters (by incident: 7 floods, 7 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 Cedar County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes, hail and heat waves; Very Low for hurricanes, inland flooding and lightning. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $12.5 million a year, the 55th highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $5.3 million (42%), 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 Tipton
- West Branch, IA11 mi
- Wilton, IA12 mi
- West Liberty, IA14 mi
- Durant, IA15 mi
- Lisbon, IA16 mi
- Solon, IA20 mi
- Mount Vernon, IA20 mi
- Iowa City, IA21 mi
- Walcott, IA21 mi
- Coralville, IA24 mi
- Muscatine, IA24 mi
- Ely, IA24 mi
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