NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit West Branch, 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 West Branch, Iowa since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 143 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 6 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 143
- EF3 or stronger
- 6
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for West Branch
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed West Branch; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 49 mph winds when its centre passed 8 miles away. West Branch is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 241 Iowa cities on this site. The strongest of the 143 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on April 11, 1965; its path came within 24 miles, and it killed 1 person. The deadliest, an EF1 on April 27, 2014, killed 2 people. Of the 143, 9 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 60 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 45. The most recent tornado was on March 14, 2025. West Branch has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 68% of the 241 Iowa cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 60 times since 1962, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 241 Iowa cities, 80% have more hail reports within 10 miles than West Branch.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near West Branch
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 8 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 West Branch: 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 West Branch
By decade
- 2020s24
- 2010s16
- 2000s20(1 EF3+)
- 1990s32(2 EF3+)
- 1980s24
- 1970s13
- 1960s9(2 EF3+)
- 1950s5(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 11, 1965 | F4 | 24 mi | 91.5 mi | 1 / 3 |
| Jun 1, 2007 | EF3 | 22 mi | 15.75 mi | 0 / 7 |
| May 15, 1998 | F3 | 2 mi | 47 mi | 0 / 47 |
| May 9, 1995 | F3 | 24 mi | 10 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 23, 1965 | F3 | 16 mi | 47.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 20, 1953 | F3 | 23 mi | 38.6 mi | 0 / 7 |
| May 22, 1962 | F2 | 7 mi | 4.1 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 11 mi | 19.56 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 10 mi | 16.42 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 13 mi | 8.97 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 3 mi | 14.69 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 12 mi | 16.93 mi | 0 / 2 |
The strongest 12 of 143, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in West Branch
The Storm Prediction Center has 60 hail reports within 10 miles of West Branch since 1962, made on 41 separate days. Of these, 35 were 1 inch across or larger, and 5 reached 2 inches. The largest size, 2.75 inches (baseball size), was reported on 3 days, most recently April 13, 2006. The most recent report is from July 10, 2025. May has the most reports, 21.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in West Branch
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Iowa City, IA, 10 miles southwest of West Branch at 640 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 84°F and low of 63°F; January is the coolest, at 29°F and 12°F. June is the wettest at 5.5 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.1 inches; the year adds up to 38.6 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 24 days a year, almost all from May to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 130 nights a year. Snowfall averages 27.5 inches a year, most of it in January. That 38.6 inches is more than at 100 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (81%). Iowa City, 10 miles west, has its own station (Iowa City Municipal Airport, IA): 35.7 inches a year, 2.9 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 | 29 | 12 | 1.1 | 3 | 7.6 |
| Feb | 34 | 16 | 1.4 | 4 | 7.5 |
| Mar | 48 | 27 | 2.3 | 5 | 3.2 |
| Apr | 62 | 37 | 3.9 | 8 | 0.5 |
| May | 72 | 49 | 5.1 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 81 | 59 | 5.5 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 84 | 63 | 4.6 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 82 | 60 | 4.3 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 76 | 52 | 3.5 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 63 | 40 | 3.0 | 5 | 0.4 |
| Nov | 48 | 28 | 2.3 | 4 | 1.1 |
| Dec | 34 | 18 | 1.6 | 4 | 7.2 |
| Year | 60 | 38 | 38.6 | 68 | 27.5 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Iowa City, IA (640 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 West Branch
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 92 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of West Branch: 77 thunderstorm wind reports, 7 flash floods, 7 floods and 1 lightning strike. They killed 0 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $4.9 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 120 mph, on August 10, 2020. June has had the most flash floods, 5 of 7. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 42 have had fewer than West Branch.
June 21, 1997: thunderstorm wind 8 miles from the centre of West Branch — 1 injured, $15,000 damage.
June 1, 2008: flood 8 miles from the centre of West Branch — $3.5 million damage.
August 29, 2009: flood 6 miles from the centre of West Branch — $500,000 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
Flood insurance policyholders in West Branch's ZIP code 52358 have filed 30 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1982, and were paid $473,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 20% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 91 Iowa cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 41 have fewer than West Branch.
Cedar County, which includes West Branch, 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 West Branch
- West Liberty, IA8 mi
- Iowa City, IA10 mi
- Tipton, IA11 mi
- Solon, IA13 mi
- Coralville, IA13 mi
- Lone Tree, IA15 mi
- North Liberty, IA15 mi
- Lisbon, IA16 mi
- Tiffin, IA17 mi
- Wilton, IA18 mi
- Mount Vernon, IA18 mi
- Riverside, IA18 mi
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