NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Wellman, 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 Wellman, Iowa since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 106 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 8 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 106
- 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 Wellman
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Wellman; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 47 mph winds when its centre passed 12 miles away. Wellman 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 106 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 2 times; the most recent, on March 31, 2023, passed within a mile of the city centre. The deadliest, an F4 on June 7, 1984, killed 3 people. Of the 106, 10 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 51 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 32. The most recent tornado was on May 24, 2024. Of the 241 Iowa cities, 78% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Wellman. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 29 times since 1973, with stones up to 1.75 inches (golf ball size). Of the 241 Iowa cities, 100% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Wellman.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Wellman
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 12 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Wellman: 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 Wellman
By decade
- 2020s10(2 EF3+)
- 2010s14
- 2000s27
- 1990s9(1 EF3+)
- 1980s19(1 EF3+)
- 1970s14
- 1960s7(2 EF3+)
- 1950s6(2 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 7, 1984 | F4 | 6 mi | 134 mi | 3 / 64 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF4 | in town | 19.9 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 12 mi | 26.09 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 15, 1998 | F3 | 14 mi | 47 mi | 0 / 47 |
| Sep 20, 1965 | F3 | 21 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 23, 1965 | F3 | 2 mi | 47.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 9, 1959 | F3 | 25 mi | 17.8 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 9, 1959 | F3 | 14 mi | 6.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 22, 1962 | F2 | 21 mi | 4.1 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 16 mi | 14.69 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 13 mi | 16.93 mi | 0 / 2 |
| May 3, 2012 | EF2 | 24 mi | 6.73 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 106, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Wellman
The Storm Prediction Center has 29 hail reports within 10 miles of Wellman since 1973, made on 22 separate days. Of these, 20 were 1 inch across or larger, and none reached 2 inches. The largest size, 1.75 inches (golf ball size), was reported on 4 days, most recently September 11, 2000. The most recent report is from October 24, 2024. April has the most reports, 8.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Wellman
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Williamsburg 1E, IA, 15 miles northwest of Wellman at 780 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 28°F and 10°F. May is the wettest at 4.9 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.2 inches; the year adds up to 37.8 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 17 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 151 nights a year. Snowfall averages 28.1 inches a year, most of it in February. That 37.8 inches is more than at 83 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (67%). Kalona, 8 miles east, has its own station (Iowa City Municipal Airport, IA): 35.7 inches a year, 2.1 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 | 28 | 10 | 1.2 | 4 | 7.6 |
| Feb | 33 | 14 | 1.5 | 4 | 7.7 |
| Mar | 47 | 26 | 2.2 | 6 | 3.6 |
| Apr | 60 | 36 | 3.9 | 7 | 0.9 |
| May | 71 | 49 | 4.9 | 8 | 0.1 |
| Jun | 81 | 59 | 4.8 | 9 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 63 | 4.3 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 60 | 4.5 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 51 | 3.8 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 39 | 2.8 | 5 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 47 | 27 | 2.2 | 4 | 1.6 |
| Dec | 34 | 16 | 1.7 | 4 | 6.3 |
| Year | 59 | 38 | 37.8 | 68 | 28.1 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Williamsburg 1E, IA (780 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 Wellman
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 80 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Wellman: 48 thunderstorm wind reports, 16 floods, 14 flash floods and 2 lightning strikes. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $4.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on August 28, 2018. June has had the most flash floods, 7 of 14. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 124 have had fewer than Wellman.
August 3, 2010: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Wellman — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Heavy rains resulted in flash flooding in and around Wellman, IA during the morning of August 3. Major flooding was observed on Smith Creek on the south edge of town.”
August 27, 2009: flood 5 miles from the centre of Wellman — $500,000 damage.
June 13, 2010: flood 5 miles from the centre of Wellman — $500,000 damage.
NWS: “Heavy rains during the second and third weeks of June resulted in the English River at Kalona going above the moderate flood stage level of 16 feet on June 12 around 11 pm. It crested above the major flood stage around 19 feet around 7 pm 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
Washington County, which includes Wellman, 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 Wellman
- Kalona, IA8 mi
- Williamsburg, IA15 mi
- Riverside, IA15 mi
- Washington, IA15 mi
- Tiffin, IA19 mi
- Coralville, IA20 mi
- Sigourney, IA21 mi
- Iowa City, IA21 mi
- Lone Tree, IA22 mi
- Amana, IA23 mi
- North Liberty, IA23 mi
- Marengo, IA24 mi
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