NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Williamsburg, 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 Williamsburg, Iowa since 1851, 0 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was an unnamed storm in 1900. Since 1950, 114 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 7 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 0
- Tropical storms
- 1
- Tornadoes
- 114
- EF3 or stronger
- 7
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
6 deaths in all
What the records show for Williamsburg
None of the 1 tropical systems was at hurricane strength as it passed Williamsburg; the strongest was an unnamed storm in 1900, a tropical storm with 47 mph winds when its centre passed 3 miles away. Williamsburg 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 114 tornadoes within 25 miles is F4 or EF4, reached 3 times; the most recent, on March 31, 2023, came within 13 miles. The deadliest, an F4 on June 7, 1984, killed 3 people. Of the 114, 7 had paths within 5 miles of the city centre, and 57 have come since 2000. May has had the most tornadoes, 29. The most recent tornado was on May 24, 2024. Of the 241 Iowa cities, 66% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Williamsburg. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 66 times since 1971, with stones up to 2.75 inches (baseball size). Of the 241 Iowa cities, 74% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Williamsburg.
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Tropical storms and hurricanes near Williamsburg
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 11 | 3 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 Williamsburg: 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 Williamsburg
By decade
- 2020s11(2 EF3+)
- 2010s18
- 2000s28
- 1990s9
- 1980s18(1 EF3+)
- 1970s15(2 EF3+)
- 1960s10(2 EF3+)
- 1950s5
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 7, 1984 | F4 | 9 mi | 134 mi | 3 / 64 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF4 | 13 mi | 19.9 mi | 0 / 3 |
| Aug 12, 1974 | F4 | 11 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF3 | 22 mi | 26.09 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 18, 1971 | F3 | 18 mi | 4.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 20, 1965 | F3 | 24 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Apr 23, 1965 | F3 | 9 mi | 47.4 mi | 0 / 1 |
| May 22, 1962 | F2 | 25 mi | 4.1 mi | 1 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 25 mi | 14.69 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 31, 2023 | EF2 | 17 mi | 16.93 mi | 0 / 2 |
| Jul 17, 2016 | EF2 | 18 mi | 3.99 mi | 0 / 4 |
| Nov 11, 2015 | EF2 | 25 mi | 6.6 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 114, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Williamsburg
The Storm Prediction Center has 66 hail reports within 10 miles of Williamsburg since 1971, made on 42 separate days. Of these, 40 were 1 inch across or larger, and 4 reached 2 inches. The largest, 2.75 inches (baseball size), fell on May 10, 2003. The most recent report is from May 21, 2024. May has the most reports, 23.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Williamsburg
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Williamsburg 1E, IA, 1 mile northeast of Williamsburg 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%). Amana, 13 miles northeast, has its own station (Cedar Rapids Municipal Airport, IA): 36.1 inches a year, 1.7 less than here, and a July average high of 83°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 Williamsburg
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 70 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Williamsburg: 60 thunderstorm wind reports, 9 flash floods and 1 heavy rain event. They killed 0 people and injured 10, and the NWS estimated $949,000 in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 85 mph, on August 28, 2018. August has had the most flash floods, 3 of 9. Of the 240 Iowa cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 66 have had fewer than Williamsburg.
June 29, 1998: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Williamsburg — 9 injured, $800,000 damage.
September 7, 2001: thunderstorm wind 2 miles from the centre of Williamsburg — 1 injured.
NWS: “Thunderstorm wind gusting to 60 mph downed a tree, which fell on a person, who required treatment at a local hospital. Reported by law enforcement.”
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
Iowa County, which includes Williamsburg, has been named in 23 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1969, 21 of them major disasters (by incident: 9 floods, 9 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 Iowa County a Very Low rating for natural hazard risk overall; by hazard: Relatively Moderate for hail and strong wind; Relatively Low for tornadoes 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 $11.1 million a year, the 65th highest of 99 Iowa counties; of the hazards above, the largest share, $4.5 million (40%), 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 Williamsburg
- Marengo, IA10 mi
- Amana, IA13 mi
- Wellman, IA15 mi
- Tiffin, IA18 mi
- Kalona, IA19 mi
- Belle Plaine, IA21 mi
- Swisher, IA21 mi
- Fairfax, IA21 mi
- North Liberty, IA22 mi
- Coralville, IA22 mi
- Brooklyn, IA24 mi
- Sigourney, IA24 mi
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