NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit West Point, 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 Point, Iowa since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 100 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 9 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 100
- EF3 or stronger
- 9
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
5 deaths in all
What the records show for West Point
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed West Point; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 47 mph winds when its centre passed 68 miles away. West Point is tied for the most tropical storms and hurricanes within 75 miles among the 241 Iowa cities on this site. The strongest of the 100 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F4 on May 13, 1995; its path came within 13 miles. The deadliest, an F3 on May 1, 1973, killed 2 people. Of the 100, 3 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 38 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 31. The most recent tornado was on August 11, 2025. Of the 241 Iowa cities, 84% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than West Point. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 72 times since 1959, with stones up to 4 inches (softball size). Of the 241 Iowa cities, 66% have more hail reports within 10 miles than West Point.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near West Point
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 68 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 West Point: 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 Point
By decade
- 2020s8
- 2010s16(1 EF3+)
- 2000s14
- 1990s10(2 EF3+)
- 1980s14
- 1970s16(2 EF3+)
- 1960s14(3 EF3+)
- 1950s8(1 EF3+)
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 13, 1995 | F4 | 13 mi | 50 mi | 0 / 7 |
| May 1, 1973 | F3 | 21 mi | 3.6 mi | 2 / 20 |
| Apr 16, 1967 | F3 | 22 mi | 19.4 mi | 2 / 16 |
| Jan 24, 1967 | F3 | 9 mi | 4.3 mi | 1 / 6 |
| May 27, 2019 | EF3 | 21 mi | 7.27 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 8, 1999 | F3 | 22 mi | 7.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Apr 13, 1974 | F3 | 25 mi | 11 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 25, 1965 | F3 | 14 mi | 3 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 9, 1959 | F3 | 19 mi | 17.8 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Apr 16, 2024 | EF2 | 8 mi | 41.66 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Dec 4, 2017 | EF2 | 21 mi | 7.97 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 10, 2003 | F2 | 7 mi | 11.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 100, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in West Point
The Storm Prediction Center has 72 hail reports within 10 miles of West Point since 1959, made on 49 separate days. Of these, 43 were 1 inch across or larger, and 7 reached 2 inches. The largest, 4 inches (softball size), fell on April 8, 2020. The most recent report is from April 16, 2024. April has the most reports, 25.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in West Point
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Donnellson, IA, 7 miles southwest of West Point at 705 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 86°F and low of 65°F; January is the coolest, at 33°F and 15°F. May and June are the wettest at 5.0 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 1.5 inches; the year adds up to 39.3 inches over 68 days with at least a tenth of an inch. Highs reach 90°F on about 30 days a year, almost all from June to September. Lows fall below freezing on about 129 nights a year. Snowfall averages 26.6 inches a year, most of it in February. That 39.3 inches is more than at 113 of the 124 Iowa stations used on this site (91%). Fort Madison, 9 miles southeast, has its own station (Fort Madison, IA): 39.4 inches a year, 0.1 more than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 86°F.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Snow in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 33 | 15 | 1.5 | 4 | 7.3 |
| Feb | 38 | 19 | 1.9 | 4 | 7.4 |
| Mar | 51 | 29 | 2.6 | 5 | 3.0 |
| Apr | 63 | 40 | 3.7 | 7 | 0.7 |
| May | 73 | 52 | 5.0 | 8 | 0.0 |
| Jun | 83 | 62 | 5.0 | 7 | 0.0 |
| Jul | 86 | 65 | 4.2 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Aug | 85 | 63 | 3.9 | 6 | 0.0 |
| Sep | 79 | 54 | 3.9 | 5 | 0.0 |
| Oct | 65 | 43 | 3.1 | 5 | 0.3 |
| Nov | 51 | 31 | 2.5 | 5 | 1.5 |
| Dec | 38 | 21 | 2.0 | 4 | 6.4 |
| Year | 62 | 41 | 39.3 | 68 | 26.6 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Donnellson, IA (705 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 Point
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 118 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of West Point: 78 thunderstorm wind reports, 23 floods, 16 flash floods and 1 lightning strike. None is recorded as killing or injuring anyone; the NWS estimated $7.3 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 90 mph, on March 10, 2026. July has had the most flash floods, 7 of 16. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 145 have had fewer than West Point.
September 11, 2000: thunderstorm wind 4 miles from the centre of West Point — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “Many acres of corn flattened.”
September 13, 2008: flood 7 miles from the centre of West Point — $1.0 million damage.
NWS: “The Skunk River near Augusta, IA experienced major flooding from the evening of September 13 to the late afternoon of September 15. 4 feet during the evening of September 14.”
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
Lee County, which includes West Point, has been named in 22 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1965, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 10 severe storms, 9 floods, 2 biological emergencies, 1 hurricane). The latest major disaster declaration was Flooding, on August 25, 2023. FEMA's National Risk Index gives Lee County a Relatively Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for tornadoes, hail, strong wind, lightning and heat waves; Relatively Low for inland flooding; Very Low for hurricanes. It models the county's expected loss from all 18 hazards it covers at $22.6 million a year, the 19th highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $13.0 million (58%), 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 Point
- Donnellson, IA6 mi
- Fort Madison, IA9 mi
- New London, IA14 mi
- West Burlington, IA17 mi
- Mt Pleasant, IA18 mi
- Burlington, IA20 mi
- Keokuk, IA22 mi
- Hamilton, IL23 mi
- Kahoka, MO25 mi
- Mediapolis, IA27 mi
- Carthage, IL28 mi
- Fairfield, IA32 mi
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