Hartwick, IA Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
The chance of earthquake damage in Hartwick is about the same as Iowa average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Hartwick is about the same as Iowa average and is much higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #492
Hartwick, IA | 0.00 |
Iowa | 0.00 |
U.S. | 1.81 |
The earthquake index value is calculated based on historical earthquake events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the earthquake level in a region. A higher earthquake index value means a higher chance of an earthquake.
Volcano Index, #1
Hartwick, IA | 0.0000 |
Iowa | 0.0000 |
U.S. | 0.0023 |
The volcano index value is calculated based on the currently known volcanoes using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the possibility of a region being affected by a possible volcano eruption. A higher volcano index value means a higher chance of being affected.
Tornado Index, #425
Hartwick, IA | 243.27 |
Iowa | 236.74 |
U.S. | 136.45 |
The tornado index value is calculated based on historical tornado events data using USA.com algorithms. It is an indicator of the tornado level in a region. A higher tornado index value means a higher chance of tornado events.
Other Weather Extremes Events
A total of 4,255 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Hartwick, IA were recorded from 1950 to 2010. The following is a break down of these events:
Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count | Type | Count |
Avalanche: | 0 | Blizzard: | 32 | Cold: | 48 | Dense Fog: | 12 | Drought: | 16 |
Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 539 | Hail: | 1,210 | Heat: | 17 | Heavy Snow: | 71 |
High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 43 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 82 |
Thunderstorm Winds: | 1,701 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 0 | Winter Storm: | 102 | Winter Weather: | 61 |
Other: | 321 |
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Hartwick, IA.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Hartwick, IA.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Hartwick, IA.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 91 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Hartwick, IA.
Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
4.9 | 1953-06-07 | 2 | 41°42'N / 92°45'W | 41°52'N / 91°45'W | 52.70 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Poweshiek |
6.3 | 1991-04-27 | 2 | 41°42'N / 92°18'W | 41°44'N / 92°14'W | 4.50 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Iowa |
8.6 | 1953-05-10 | 2 | 41°53'N / 92°27'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Tama | |||
8.7 | 1974-08-12 | 4 | 41°45'N / 92°11'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Iowa | |
13.1 | 1969-06-29 | 2 | 41°48'N / 92°36'W | 1.00 Mile | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Poweshiek | |
13.6 | 1966-04-19 | 3 | 41°52'N / 92°42'W | 42°02'N / 92°17'W | 24.10 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 4 | 250K | 0 | Tama |
14.9 | 1956-04-26 | 2 | 42°00'N / 92°20'W | 42°00'N / 92°16'W | 2.30 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Tama |
17.0 | 1978-06-26 | 2 | 41°35'N / 92°32'W | 0.70 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 2.5M | 0 | Poweshiek | |
17.5 | 1953-03-21 | 2 | 41°53'N / 92°37'W | 42°03'N / 92°33'W | 11.70 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Tama |
18.0 | 1971-05-18 | 3 | 41°54'N / 92°05'W | 41°57'N / 92°01'W | 4.30 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Benton |
18.0 | 1988-05-08 | 2 | 41°32'N / 92°24'W | 41°31'N / 92°19'W | 4.00 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Poweshiek |
18.9 | 1988-05-08 | 2 | 41°31'N / 92°19'W | 41°42'N / 91°49'W | 28.00 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Iowa |
19.3 | 1966-04-19 | 3 | 42°02'N / 92°17'W | 42°05'N / 92°14'W | 3.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Benton |
19.3 | 1966-04-19 | 3 | 41°51'N / 92°43'W | 41°52'N / 92°42'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Poweshiek | ||
20.0 | 2007-09-30 | 2 | 41°34'N / 92°45'W | 41°42'N / 92°36'W | 12.00 Miles | 1250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 1.0M | Poweshiek |
Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: Tornado moved into Poweshiek County from Jasper County. It lifted west of Malcom. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A very dynamic weather system moved into Iowa during the afternoon of the 30th. The system was more reminiscent of what one would expect in April or May. A close upper level low pressure, negatively tilted, lifted northeast through the central U.S. The structure was very classic in appearance with a well defined comma cloudy, dry slot, and warm conveyor in place. By the early evening, the surface low became stacked with the upper low and was located over eastern Nebraska. A defined dry line extended south-southeast out of the low. Surface temperatures warmed into the mid 70s to mid 80s ahead of the low, with dew points in the mid to upper 60s. Dew points behind the dry line dropped into the upper 30s to mid 40s. The airmass became unstable by the late afternoon with CAPE values around 1000 J/kg and lifted indices in the -2 to -4 C. range. Strong dynamics were in place with a 90 kt mid level jet in place, a low level jet of 60 to 70 kts, and an effective shear of 45 to 55 kts. The freezing level was quite high ahead of the approaching low and was between 13,000 and 14,000 feet. The high freezing level, combined with the limited CAPE of 100 to 200 J/kg in the -10 to -30 C. layer of the atmosphere, limited hail production. The downdraft CAPE was in the 600 to 1000 J/kg range, with an LCL of about 1250 meters. Thunderstorms formed in two locations. The first was along the east edge of the dry slot across Kansas. These storms became severe and lifted northeast quite rapidly into southern and central Iowa. Spotty wind damage was reported and one of the storms dropped one inch diameter hail in Marion County. The storms became tornadic as the moved into central Iowa. During the evening of Sunday 30 September 2007 two tornadoes struck portions of Marion, Jasper, Mahaska, and Poweshiek Counties. The first tornado produced EF0 to EF2 damage along its track and was rated EF2 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale with maximum winds of 125 mph. The track was 22 miles in length from 4 miles northeast of Pella to 1 mile north of Interstate 80, 2 miles west of Malcom. Much of the track was three to five tenths of a mile wide, but as wide as seven tenths of a mile at times. The second, shorter and weaker tornado was 5 miles in length and rated EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. The track began just south of Highway 6, 2.75 miles northwest of Malcom with a maximum width of 150 yards narrowing to 25-50 yards. The storm hit a farmstead just east of 110th street producing EF1 damage with speeds just under 100 mph. The tornadoes caused extensive damage on a farmstead near Malcom with three barns totally destroyed. The barns were 20 by 30 feet, 20 by 40 feet, and 60 by 100 feet. In addition, numerous other damage reports came in from along the track. Fortunately, there were no deaths or injuries from the tornadoes. Thunderstorms also formed close to the upper low center on the nose of the dry punch. There were several reports funnel clouds, along with spotty reports of high winds and hail. A storm chaser confirmed a tornado touchdown 2 NNW of Lytton in Sac county and was on the ground until 4 W of Jolley in Calhoun county. The tornado was in open country and was a small EF0 tornado. One inch diameter hail fell in Sac County, with numerous reports of pea to marble size hail. | |||||||||||
21.4 | 1978-09-16 | 3 | 41°42'N / 92°46'W | 41°39'N / 92°42'W | 4.10 Miles | 200 Yards | 4 | 43 | 2.5M | 0 | Poweshiek |
21.9 | 1959-05-09 | 2 | 42°06'N / 92°24'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Tama | |||
21.9 | 1965-06-27 | 2 | 42°03'N / 92°35'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Tama | |||
22.8 | 1969-06-11 | 2 | 41°50'N / 92°47'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Marshall | |
23.2 | 1962-05-28 | 2 | 41°52'N / 92°47'W | 0 | 5 | 250K | 0 | Marshall | |||
23.2 | 1969-06-06 | 2 | 41°52'N / 92°47'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Marshall | |||
23.4 | 1984-06-07 | 4 | 41°25'N / 92°26'W | 41°31'N / 91°57'W | 29.00 Miles | 250 Yards | 1 | 33 | 25.0M | 0 | Keokuk |
24.5 | 1956-08-12 | 3 | 41°32'N / 92°45'W | 41°35'N / 92°40'W | 5.10 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 8 | 25K | 0 | Poweshiek |
25.8 | 1971-05-31 | 3 | 42°06'N / 92°18'W | 42°12'N / 92°10'W | 9.40 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Tama |
26.2 | 1956-08-18 | 2 | 41°23'N / 92°36'W | 41°28'N / 92°24'W | 11.50 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Mahaska |
26.7 | 1973-04-21 | 2 | 41°35'N / 91°55'W | 41°40'N / 91°50'W | 6.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 6 | 0K | 0 | Iowa |
27.7 | 1978-09-16 | 3 | 41°52'N / 93°00'W | 41°42'N / 92°46'W | 16.40 Miles | 200 Yards | 2 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Jasper |
28.0 | 1988-05-08 | 2 | 41°26'N / 92°10'W | 41°28'N / 91°55'W | 12.00 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Keokuk |
28.2 | 1984-06-07 | 4 | 41°31'N / 91°57'W | 41°35'N / 91°51'W | 7.00 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Iowa |
28.6 | 2007-09-30 | 2 | 41°30'N / 92°49'W | 41°34'N / 92°45'W | 6.00 Miles | 1250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 1.0M | 500K | Jasper |
Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: Tornado moved into Jasper County from Mahaska County, then continued northeast into Poweshiek County. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A very dynamic weather system moved into Iowa during the afternoon of the 30th. The system was more reminiscent of what one would expect in April or May. A close upper level low pressure, negatively tilted, lifted northeast through the central U.S. The structure was very classic in appearance with a well defined comma cloudy, dry slot, and warm conveyor in place. By the early evening, the surface low became stacked with the upper low and was located over eastern Nebraska. A defined dry line extended south-southeast out of the low. Surface temperatures warmed into the mid 70s to mid 80s ahead of the low, with dew points in the mid to upper 60s. Dew points behind the dry line dropped into the upper 30s to mid 40s. The airmass became unstable by the late afternoon with CAPE values around 1000 J/kg and lifted indices in the -2 to -4 C. range. Strong dynamics were in place with a 90 kt mid level jet in place, a low level jet of 60 to 70 kts, and an effective shear of 45 to 55 kts. The freezing level was quite high ahead of the approaching low and was between 13,000 and 14,000 feet. The high freezing level, combined with the limited CAPE of 100 to 200 J/kg in the -10 to -30 C. layer of the atmosphere, limited hail production. The downdraft CAPE was in the 600 to 1000 J/kg range, with an LCL of about 1250 meters. Thunderstorms formed in two locations. The first was along the east edge of the dry slot across Kansas. These storms became severe and lifted northeast quite rapidly into southern and central Iowa. Spotty wind damage was reported and one of the storms dropped one inch diameter hail in Marion County. The storms became tornadic as the moved into central Iowa. During the evening of Sunday 30 September 2007 two tornadoes struck portions of Marion, Jasper, Mahaska, and Poweshiek Counties. The first tornado produced EF0 to EF2 damage along its track and was rated EF2 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale with maximum winds of 125 mph. The track was 22 miles in length from 4 miles northeast of Pella to 1 mile north of Interstate 80, 2 miles west of Malcom. Much of the track was three to five tenths of a mile wide, but as wide as seven tenths of a mile at times. The second, shorter and weaker tornado was 5 miles in length and rated EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. The track began just south of Highway 6, 2.75 miles northwest of Malcom with a maximum width of 150 yards narrowing to 25-50 yards. The storm hit a farmstead just east of 110th street producing EF1 damage with speeds just under 100 mph. The tornadoes caused extensive damage on a farmstead near Malcom with three barns totally destroyed. The barns were 20 by 30 feet, 20 by 40 feet, and 60 by 100 feet. In addition, numerous other damage reports came in from along the track. Fortunately, there were no deaths or injuries from the tornadoes. Thunderstorms also formed close to the upper low center on the nose of the dry punch. There were several reports funnel clouds, along with spotty reports of high winds and hail. A storm chaser confirmed a tornado touchdown 2 NNW of Lytton in Sac county and was on the ground until 4 W of Jolley in Calhoun county. The tornado was in open country and was a small EF0 tornado. One inch diameter hail fell in Sac County, with numerous reports of pea to marble size hail. | |||||||||||
29.0 | 1973-04-21 | 2 | 41°40'N / 91°50'W | 41°45'N / 91°45'W | 6.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Johnson |
29.7 | 1958-07-14 | 2 | 42°12'N / 92°30'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Tama | |||
31.1 | 1971-05-18 | 3 | 42°00'N / 91°52'W | 42°03'N / 91°48'W | 4.30 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Benton |
31.3 | 1961-04-23 | 3 | 42°02'N / 92°55'W | 42°04'N / 92°46'W | 7.40 Miles | 800 Yards | 0 | 6 | 2.5M | 0 | Marshall |
31.5 | 1961-04-23 | 3 | 42°04'N / 92°46'W | 42°15'N / 91°13'W | 80.30 Miles | 800 Yards | 1 | 6 | 2.5M | 0 | Tama |
31.5 | 1991-09-12 | 2 | 41°40'N / 91°50'W | 41°42'N / 91°40'W | 7.00 Miles | 70 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Johnson |
31.9 | 1984-06-07 | 2 | 41°28'N / 92°00'W | 41°28'N / 91°48'W | 10.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 2.5M | 0 | Keokuk |
32.2 | 1965-09-20 | 3 | 41°20'N / 92°12'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 4 | 250K | 0 | Keokuk | |
32.8 | 1965-05-26 | 2 | 41°52'N / 91°54'W | 42°03'N / 91°36'W | 19.80 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 14 | 250K | 0 | Linn |
32.9 | 1989-05-24 | 4 | 42°11'N / 92°45'W | 42°12'N / 92°37'W | 8.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Tama |
33.0 | 1988-05-08 | 2 | 41°28'N / 91°55'W | 41°31'N / 91°46'W | 11.00 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Washington |
33.1 | 2007-09-30 | 2 | 41°28'N / 92°52'W | 41°30'N / 92°49'W | 3.00 Miles | 1250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 500K | 250K | Mahaska |
Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: Tornado moved into Mahaska County from Marion County, then continued northeast into Jasper County. EPISODE NARRATIVE: A very dynamic weather system moved into Iowa during the afternoon of the 30th. The system was more reminiscent of what one would expect in April or May. A close upper level low pressure, negatively tilted, lifted northeast through the central U.S. The structure was very classic in appearance with a well defined comma cloudy, dry slot, and warm conveyor in place. By the early evening, the surface low became stacked with the upper low and was located over eastern Nebraska. A defined dry line extended south-southeast out of the low. Surface temperatures warmed into the mid 70s to mid 80s ahead of the low, with dew points in the mid to upper 60s. Dew points behind the dry line dropped into the upper 30s to mid 40s. The airmass became unstable by the late afternoon with CAPE values around 1000 J/kg and lifted indices in the -2 to -4 C. range. Strong dynamics were in place with a 90 kt mid level jet in place, a low level jet of 60 to 70 kts, and an effective shear of 45 to 55 kts. The freezing level was quite high ahead of the approaching low and was between 13,000 and 14,000 feet. The high freezing level, combined with the limited CAPE of 100 to 200 J/kg in the -10 to -30 C. layer of the atmosphere, limited hail production. The downdraft CAPE was in the 600 to 1000 J/kg range, with an LCL of about 1250 meters. Thunderstorms formed in two locations. The first was along the east edge of the dry slot across Kansas. These storms became severe and lifted northeast quite rapidly into southern and central Iowa. Spotty wind damage was reported and one of the storms dropped one inch diameter hail in Marion County. The storms became tornadic as the moved into central Iowa. During the evening of Sunday 30 September 2007 two tornadoes struck portions of Marion, Jasper, Mahaska, and Poweshiek Counties. The first tornado produced EF0 to EF2 damage along its track and was rated EF2 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale with maximum winds of 125 mph. The track was 22 miles in length from 4 miles northeast of Pella to 1 mile north of Interstate 80, 2 miles west of Malcom. Much of the track was three to five tenths of a mile wide, but as wide as seven tenths of a mile at times. The second, shorter and weaker tornado was 5 miles in length and rated EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. The track began just south of Highway 6, 2.75 miles northwest of Malcom with a maximum width of 150 yards narrowing to 25-50 yards. The storm hit a farmstead just east of 110th street producing EF1 damage with speeds just under 100 mph. The tornadoes caused extensive damage on a farmstead near Malcom with three barns totally destroyed. The barns were 20 by 30 feet, 20 by 40 feet, and 60 by 100 feet. In addition, numerous other damage reports came in from along the track. Fortunately, there were no deaths or injuries from the tornadoes. Thunderstorms also formed close to the upper low center on the nose of the dry punch. There were several reports funnel clouds, along with spotty reports of high winds and hail. A storm chaser confirmed a tornado touchdown 2 NNW of Lytton in Sac county and was on the ground until 4 W of Jolley in Calhoun county. The tornado was in open country and was a small EF0 tornado. One inch diameter hail fell in Sac County, with numerous reports of pea to marble size hail. | |||||||||||
33.2 | 2003-07-20 | 2 | 42°00'N / 91°46'W | 42°00'N / 91°46'W | 1.00 Mile | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 500K | 45K | Linn |
Brief Description: Tornado developed in a corn field about 0.5 miles north of Covington. The tornado moved South Southeast crossing North Glen and Michael Road in Covington and then lifted in another corn field just north of Ellis Road. | |||||||||||
33.4 | 1953-06-27 | 2 | 41°24'N / 92°36'W | 41°20'N / 92°44'W | 7.80 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 3K | 0 | Mahaska |
34.1 | 2004-05-21 | 3 | 42°03'N / 91°49'W | 42°04'N / 91°46'W | 3.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 50K | Linn |
Brief Description: Rated F3 with winds estimated at 175 mph. Tornado developed just east of the Benton-Linn County Line Road and moved Northeast to Palo. The tornado initially caused damage to a farm 2 miles southwest of Palo where a garage and 3 outbuildings were destroyed. As it approached Palo, another farm was severely damaged where the roof and walls were torn off a house and a car was lofted 50 feet. The tornado continued across the southern edge of Palo where it destroyed a mobile home. | |||||||||||
34.6 | 2001-05-10 | 2 | 42°13'N / 92°45'W | 42°11'N / 92°42'W | 4.00 Miles | 750 Yards | 0 | 0 | 35K | 0 | Tama |
Brief Description: Tornado moved out of Grundy County into Tama County. Track was through mostly rural areas with limited damage. A cold front frontal system located to the northwest of Iowa began to sink southeast into the state during the late afternoon of the 10th. This was in fact the same cold front that set off the thunderstorm activity the previous night. The atmosphere had become quite unstable by the late afternoon with temperatures in the 80s and dew point temperature in the low to mid 60s. CAPE values were in the 2000 to 3500 J/kg range. Thunderstorms erupted during the mid afternoon hours over the north central counties of the state. These storms produced hail of one to one and one half inches in diameter. The instability of the atmosphere, combined with a favorable sheer profile, contributed to the rather quick development of tornadic supercells. The first tornado touched down in Greene County. This tornado touched down briefly and did little damage. As the afternoon progressed, the hail became larger with several reports of hail up to golf ball size from central Iowa east into the east central counties. Some of the largest hail occurred southwest of State Center in Marshall County. Baseball size hail pelted the area, causing considerable damage. One supercell produced a family of at least four tornadoes in the Grundy County area. It is very fortunate that the tornadoes from this storm did not hit within a populated area. Two of the tornadoes were fairly large. At one point, the strongest tornado was about one half mile wide based on reports from a respectable storm chaser. This tornado tracked south through eastern Grundy County and crossed into Tama County. One barn was destroyed by the larger tornado, with a house damaged by the second strong tornado. Miraculously, though the first tornado totally destroyed the barn on a farm near Conrad, none of the animals inside were injured. In fact, it was reported that the livestock appeared to be enjoying their newfound freedom as they wandered the fields at the farm. There were reports of several small tornadoes touching down in central Iowa, however they were little more than brief touchdowns. As the event progressed into the early evening hours, the thunderstorms too on a more multi-cellular structure. The large cluster of storms lost their tornadic characteristic and returned to large hail producers. Hail from three quarter inch to one and three quarter inch was common for the next several hours as the entire area moved southeast slowly. By the mid evening hours the storms began to weaken. As they did, a few reports of winds of 60 to 70 MPH were received. In addition to the wind and hail, the storms produced locally heavy rainfall. Flash flooding was also a problem with this event. The cluster of storms that dropped the tornadoes in Grundy County during the late afternoon hours caused flash flooding in the south part of the county. Rainfall near Conrad was between 2.5 and 5 inches in under two hours time. This flooded roads with some of the state roads in the south part of the county under water. The water receded fairly quickly. A merger of cells took place over Monroe County during the mid evening hours. This resulted in very heavy rainfall in the area with reports of up to 4 inches received. Flash flooding resulted with numerous roads being closed by overflowing creeks by the mid to late evening hours. | |||||||||||
35.2 | 1951-06-01 | 3 | 42°04'N / 92°55'W | 1.50 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 7 | 0K | 0 | Marshall | |
35.3 | 1965-08-26 | 4 | 42°18'N / 92°11'W | 42°15'N / 92°06'W | 4.70 Miles | 200 Yards | 1 | 17 | 2.5M | 0 | Benton |
35.4 | 1965-05-25 | 2 | 41°20'N / 92°40'W | 2.00 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Mahaska | |
35.7 | 1964-06-22 | 2 | 41°24'N / 92°54'W | 41°28'N / 92°48'W | 6.40 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Marion |
35.7 | 1984-06-07 | 4 | 41°10'N / 92°40'W | 41°25'N / 92°26'W | 14.00 Miles | 250 Yards | 1 | 30 | 25.0M | 0 | Mahaska |
35.8 | 1973-06-04 | 2 | 41°42'N / 93°03'W | 41°44'N / 93°01'W | 1.30 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Jasper |
36.3 | 1965-07-18 | 2 | 42°18'N / 92°12'W | 0.50 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Black Hawk | |
36.3 | 1965-08-26 | 4 | 42°18'N / 92°12'W | 42°18'N / 92°11'W | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Black Hawk | ||
37.2 | 1984-06-07 | 2 | 41°28'N / 91°48'W | 41°30'N / 91°42'W | 8.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Washington |
37.9 | 1988-05-08 | 2 | 41°42'N / 91°49'W | 41°52'N / 91°24'W | 27.00 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Johnson |
38.3 | 1968-04-03 | 2 | 41°34'N / 93°05'W | 41°37'N / 93°00'W | 5.20 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Jasper |
38.7 | 2003-07-20 | 2 | 42°00'N / 91°39'W | 42°00'N / 91°39'W | 0.30 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.0M | 0 | Linn |
Brief Description: Strong F2...winds estimated at 140 mph. Tornado touched down near the intersection of Zelda Drive and E Avenue Northwest. The tornado moved southeast for 0.25 miles across Peace Avenue and then lifted on Floral Avenue. The tornado reached peak intensity on Peace Avenue where F2 winds unroofed 3 homes, and 26 other homes were heavily damaged. This was the first tornado inside the Cedar Rapids city limits since 1965. | |||||||||||
39.0 | 1989-05-24 | 4 | 42°12'N / 93°00'W | 42°11'N / 92°45'W | 13.50 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Marshall |
39.4 | 1978-09-16 | 3 | 41°58'N / 93°11'W | 41°52'N / 93°00'W | 11.30 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Marshall |
39.5 | 1988-05-08 | 2 | 41°31'N / 91°46'W | 41°33'N / 91°33'W | 13.00 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Johnson |
39.8 | 2001-05-10 | 2 | 42°17'N / 92°49'W | 42°14'N / 92°46'W | 4.00 Miles | 875 Yards | 0 | 0 | 35K | 0 | Grundy |
Brief Description: Tornado dropped down north of Beaman and progressed southeast. Crossed into Tama County from Grundy County. Most of the track was through open country. A cold front frontal system located to the northwest of Iowa began to sink southeast into the state during the late afternoon of the 10th. This was in fact the same cold front that set off the thunderstorm activity the previous night. The atmosphere had become quite unstable by the late afternoon with temperatures in the 80s and dew point temperature in the low to mid 60s. CAPE values were in the 2000 to 3500 J/kg range. Thunderstorms erupted during the mid afternoon hours over the north central counties of the state. These storms produced hail of one to one and one half inches in diameter. The instability of the atmosphere, combined with a favorable sheer profile, contributed to the rather quick development of tornadic supercells. The first tornado touched down in Greene County. This tornado touched down briefly and did little damage. As the afternoon progressed, the hail became larger with several reports of hail up to golf ball size from central Iowa east into the east central counties. Some of the largest hail occurred southwest of State Center in Marshall County. Baseball size hail pelted the area, causing considerable damage. One supercell produced a family of at least four tornadoes in the Grundy County area. It is very fortunate that the tornadoes from this storm did not hit within a populated area. Two of the tornadoes were fairly large. At one point, the strongest tornado was about one half mile wide based on reports from a respectable storm chaser. This tornado tracked south through eastern Grundy County and crossed into Tama County. One barn was destroyed by the larger tornado, with a house damaged by the second strong tornado. Miraculously, though the first tornado totally destroyed the barn on a farm near Conrad, none of the animals inside were injured. In fact, it was reported that the livestock appeared to be enjoying their newfound freedom as they wandered the fields at the farm. There were reports of several small tornadoes touching down in central Iowa, however they were little more than brief touchdowns. As the event progressed into the early evening hours, the thunderstorms too on a more multi-cellular structure. The large cluster of storms lost their tornadic characteristic and returned to large hail producers. Hail from three quarter inch to one and three quarter inch was common for the next several hours as the entire area moved southeast slowly. By the mid evening hours the storms began to weaken. As they did, a few reports of winds of 60 to 70 MPH were received. In addition to the wind and hail, the storms produced locally heavy rainfall. Flash flooding was also a problem with this event. The cluster of storms that dropped the tornadoes in Grundy County during the late afternoon hours caused flash flooding in the south part of the county. Rainfall near Conrad was between 2.5 and 5 inches in under two hours time. This flooded roads with some of the state roads in the south part of the county under water. The water receded fairly quickly. A merger of cells took place over Monroe County during the mid evening hours. This resulted in very heavy rainfall in the area with reports of up to 4 inches received. Flash flooding resulted with numerous roads being closed by overflowing creeks by the mid to late evening hours. | |||||||||||
40.4 | 1984-06-07 | 2 | 41°30'N / 91°42'W | 41°32'N / 91°36'W | 6.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Johnson |
40.4 | 1960-04-16 | 3 | 42°20'N / 92°35'W | 42°22'N / 92°32'W | 2.30 Miles | 800 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Grundy |
40.6 | 1954-04-30 | 2 | 41°40'N / 92°00'W | 42°28'N / 91°18'W | 65.80 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Iowa |
41.1 | 1981-04-10 | 2 | 41°53'N / 93°10'W | 41°57'N / 93°05'W | 5.60 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 9 | 2.5M | 0 | Marshall |
41.8 | 2006-04-13 | 2 | 41°40'N / 91°33'W | 41°40'N / 91°33'W | 4.50 Miles | 587 Yards | 0 | 30 | 12.0M | 0 | Johnson |
Brief Description: Rated very high F2 with winds estimated at 155 mph. Tornado developed at the intersection of highways 1 & 218 on the southwest side of Iowa City at 1929 CST and tracked northeast through the city before lifting just northeast of the intersection of 1st Avenue & Hickory Trail at 1937 CST. This path took it through the southeast corner of the University of Iowa campus. This was the first tornado to hit near the campus in 35 years and the University was closed on Friday April 14th for safety reasons. The KIOW ASOS at the airport on the southwest side of the city recorded a peak wind gust of 49 knots (57 mph) at 1931 CST. This gust was likely the result of the rear flank downdraft as the tornado neared the intersection of U.S. 6 and highway 1 northeast of the airport. Hard times for the location of the tornado are 1930 CST at the Wal-Mart. At 1932-1933 CST power was lost at the Johnson County Sheriff Office with telephone lines, LAN, and automated systems going down as the tornado passed over the building. While the tornado was passing over the sheriff's office, someone flipped the outdoor warning sirens from automatic to manual override and activated the sirens one final time. Damage totals are still being evaluated and the $12 million amount will likely be closer to $15 million or possibly higher. Known damage amounts include; Iowa City and Johnson County $4 million with an additional $755,000 of uninsured loses (traffic lights, signs, street lights), University of Iowa $6 million with the motor pool headquarters a total loss and 31 vehicles damaged, and $1.3 million in damage to residences/businesses. Three automobile dealerships were damaged; one dealership had 200 vehicles damaged, a second had 60-70 vehicles damaged, and a third had nearly every vehicle sustaining some type of damage. A total of 1,016 residential and 35 commercial buildings were damaged with some destroyed. Some well known landmark buildings known to citizens, college students, and alumni were lost or heavily damaged. These included the Dairy Queen (lost) and St. Patrick's Church (heavily damaged). Several historic buildings were damaged downtown and it is unknown whether or not they can or will be saved. The tornado damaged the Alpha Chi Omega sorority house and damaged many student apartments located just off the campus on Iowa, Dodge, and Governor streets. Given the strength and width of the tornado it is amazing that only 30 injuries (many minor) occurred. Many U of I students were unaware of what was happening or dashed to a nearby parking garage for safety with the tornado approaching a few blocks behind them. Several foreign exchange students, many of whom had never seen, experienced, or heard of a tornado, were in awe and disbelief over the magnitude of the event. At St. Patrick's Church, the Maundy Thursday evening service had just ended. Upon being told of an approaching tornado by Decon Jerome Miller, the Reverend Rudolph Juarez ushered 50 to 75 parishioners (many elderly) to the safety of the rectory basement next door. This action saved the lives of everyone as the tornado tore off the roof off the church and collapsed the top portion of the brick facade and the steeple into the main congregation area. | |||||||||||
42.3 | 1986-09-28 | 4 | 41°46'N / 93°20'W | 41°46'N / 93°00'W | 14.00 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Jasper |
42.4 | 1989-04-27 | 2 | 40°44'N / 92°10'W | 41°56'N / 91°25'W | 12.00 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Van Buren |
42.4 | 1966-10-14 | 2 | 42°03'N / 91°36'W | 5.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Linn | |
42.7 | 2001-05-10 | 2 | 42°15'N / 92°55'W | 42°14'N / 92°54'W | 1.70 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 150K | 0 | Grundy |
Brief Description: Most in open country. One barn hit and destroyed. A cold front frontal system located to the northwest of Iowa began to sink southeast into the state during the late afternoon of the 10th. This was in fact the same cold front that set off the thunderstorm activity the previous night. The atmosphere had become quite unstable by the late afternoon with temperatures in the 80s and dew point temperature in the low to mid 60s. CAPE values were in the 2000 to 3500 J/kg range. Thunderstorms erupted during the mid afternoon hours over the north central counties of the state. These storms produced hail of one to one and one half inches in diameter. The instability of the atmosphere, combined with a favorable sheer profile, contributed to the rather quick development of tornadic supercells. The first tornado touched down in Greene County. This tornado touched down briefly and did little damage. As the afternoon progressed, the hail became larger with several reports of hail up to golf ball size from central Iowa east into the east central counties. Some of the largest hail occurred southwest of State Center in Marshall County. Baseball size hail pelted the area, causing considerable damage. One supercell produced a family of at least four tornadoes in the Grundy County area. It is very fortunate that the tornadoes from this storm did not hit within a populated area. Two of the tornadoes were fairly large. At one point, the strongest tornado was about one half mile wide based on reports from a respectable storm chaser. This tornado tracked south through eastern Grundy County and crossed into Tama County. One barn was destroyed by the larger tornado, with a house damaged by the second strong tornado. Miraculously, though the first tornado totally destroyed the barn on a farm near Conrad, none of the animals inside were injured. In fact, it was reported that the livestock appeared to be enjoying their newfound freedom as they wandered the fields at the farm. There were reports of several small tornadoes touching down in central Iowa, however they were little more than brief touchdowns. As the event progressed into the early evening hours, the thunderstorms too on a more multi-cellular structure. The large cluster of storms lost their tornadic characteristic and returned to large hail producers. Hail from three quarter inch to one and three quarter inch was common for the next several hours as the entire area moved southeast slowly. By the mid evening hours the storms began to weaken. As they did, a few reports of winds of 60 to 70 MPH were received. In addition to the wind and hail, the storms produced locally heavy rainfall. Flash flooding was also a problem with this event. The cluster of storms that dropped the tornadoes in Grundy County during the late afternoon hours caused flash flooding in the south part of the county. Rainfall near Conrad was between 2.5 and 5 inches in under two hours time. This flooded roads with some of the state roads in the south part of the county under water. The water receded fairly quickly. A merger of cells took place over Monroe County during the mid evening hours. This resulted in very heavy rainfall in the area with reports of up to 4 inches received. Flash flooding resulted with numerous roads being closed by overflowing creeks by the mid to late evening hours. | |||||||||||
42.7 | 1971-05-31 | 2 | 42°24'N / 92°27'W | 1.00 Mile | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Black Hawk | |
43.0 | 1959-05-09 | 3 | 41°12'N / 91°59'W | 41°17'N / 91°54'W | 6.60 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Keokuk |
43.6 | 1960-04-16 | 3 | 42°22'N / 92°32'W | 42°28'N / 92°05'W | 23.70 Miles | 800 Yards | 1 | 5 | 250K | 0 | Black Hawk |
43.6 | 1954-05-23 | 2 | 42°10'N / 91°40'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Linn | |||
44.2 | 1962-05-22 | 2 | 41°39'N / 91°32'W | 41°42'N / 91°28'W | 4.10 Miles | 800 Yards | 1 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Johnson |
45.4 | 1965-08-26 | 2 | 41°52'N / 93°15'W | 41°49'N / 93°12'W | 3.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Jasper |
45.5 | 1975-11-09 | 3 | 42°12'N / 92°28'W | 42°41'N / 92°03'W | 39.40 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Tama |
45.5 | 1989-05-30 | 4 | 42°14'N / 92°59'W | 42°16'N / 92°58'W | 2.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Grundy |
46.6 | 1998-05-15 | 3 | 41°31'N / 91°30'W | 41°37'N / 91°29'W | 14.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 17 | 6.0M | 0 | Johnson |
Brief Description: A tornado developed two miles Southwest of Washington Iowa and produced a 30 mile long continuous path of damage and debris as it moved to the Northeast at nearly 30 mph. The tornado weakened and lifted before reaching I-80 near West Branch Iowa shortly before 6pm. The tornado continued Northeast across Cedar County Iowa producing another 15 miles of isolated damage...not continuous. The storm producing this tornado continued Northeast producing a brief touchdown one mile west of Oxford Mills Iowa near the intersection of county roads E53 and X64. Another brief touchdown occurred south of Dubuque near Zwingle Iowa before the storm moved into Wisconsin. In Washington Iowa extensive damage was reported to businesses, a church, numerous homes, an apartment complex housing elderly residents and a livestock sale barn. Fourteen single family homes were destroyed, another fourteen received major damage and forty five reported minor damage. Three multi-family housing units were destroyed and two received major damage. Twenty six detached units (sheds and garages) were destroyed or sustained major damage. Across Washington county fourteen farmsteads were hit by the tornado with damage ranging from moderate to heavy. Utility damage was listed at $218,000. In the city of Washington twenty seven individuals sustained minor injuries requiring medical treatment. One person was hospitalized for treatment of injuries he received when his automobile was picked up and rolled over by the tornado. In Johnson County twenty miles of power lines and poles were damaged, fifteen roads were closed due to debris and one bridge was destroyed. Six residences were destroyed, eight more sustained minor the major damage, and three farms were affected. Seventeen people were treated and released for injuries in Johnson County. In Cedar County moderate to heavy damage was reported to five different properties as the tornado destroyed a home, barns, grain bins, machine and hog sheds, a hog nursery and a chicken coop. Two persons near Downey suffered injuries requiring stitches when bricks and debris fell upon them while they were taking shelter in their basement. | |||||||||||
46.9 | 1991-03-22 | 2 | 42°16'N / 93°00'W | 42°16'N / 92°59'W | 1.00 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Hardin |
47.1 | 1953-05-20 | 3 | 41°59'N / 91°34'W | 42°01'N / 91°23'W | 9.40 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 4 | 0K | 0 | Linn |
47.3 | 2006-04-02 | 2 | 41°18'N / 91°42'W | 41°18'N / 91°42'W | 1.00 Mile | 75 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Washington |
Brief Description: Rated F2 A supercell spawned a tornado on the west side of Washington at West Main Street and moved northeast for 1 mile. A garage was competely unroofed and a shed was destroyed. Numerous trees were snapped along the path and metal sheeting was torn off a business near the end of the path. Near environmental, model, and radar data suggests that if the subcloud layer could have been slighly more unstable, a much stronger tornado would probably have occurred causing significant damage. | |||||||||||
47.5 | 1988-11-15 | 2 | 41°04'N / 92°20'W | 41°08'N / 92°15'W | 6.00 Miles | 63 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Wapello |
47.5 | 1998-05-15 | 3 | 41°17'N / 91°44'W | 41°28'N / 91°29'W | 18.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 28 | 9.0M | 0 | Washington |
Brief Description: A tornado developed two miles Southwest of Washington Iowa and produced a 30 mile long continuous path of damage and debris as it moved to the Northeast at nearly 30 mph. The tornado weakened and lifted before reaching I-80 near West Branch Iowa shortly before 6pm. The tornado continued Northeast across Cedar County Iowa producing another 15 miles of isolated damage...not continuous. The storm producing this tornado continued Northeast producing a brief touchdown one mile west of Oxford Mills Iowa near the intersection of county roads E53 and X64. Another brief touchdown occurred south of Dubuque near Zwingle Iowa before the storm moved into Wisconsin. In Washington Iowa extensive damage was reported to businesses, a church, numerous homes, an apartment complex housing elderly residents and a livestock sale barn. Fourteen single family homes were destroyed, another fourteen received major damage and forty five reported minor damage. Three multi-family housing units were destroyed and two received major damage. Twenty six detached units (sheds and garages) were destroyed or sustained major damage. Across Washington county fourteen farmsteads were hit by the tornado with damage ranging from moderate to heavy. Utility damage was listed at $218,000. In the city of Washington twenty seven individuals sustained minor injuries requiring medical treatment. One person was hospitalized for treatment of injuries he received when his automobile was picked up and rolled over by the tornado. In Johnson County twenty miles of power lines and poles were damaged, fifteen roads were closed due to debris and one bridge was destroyed. Six residences were destroyed, eight more sustained minor the major damage, and three farms were affected. Seventeen people were treated and released for injuries in Johnson County. In Cedar County moderate to heavy damage was reported to five different properties as the tornado destroyed a home, barns, grain bins, machine and hog sheds, a hog nursery and a chicken coop. Two persons near Downey suffered injuries requiring stitches when bricks and debris fell upon them while they were taking shelter in their basement. | |||||||||||
48.4 | 1966-04-19 | 2 | 42°27'N / 92°36'W | 42°29'N / 92°33'W | 2.30 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Grundy |
48.8 | 1989-05-24 | 4 | 42°13'N / 93°13'W | 42°12'N / 93°00'W | 12.50 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Hardin |
48.9 | 1964-05-07 | 2 | 42°31'N / 92°20'W | 42°28'N / 92°12'W | 7.10 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 27 | 25.0M | 0 | Black Hawk |
49.1 | 1991-03-22 | 2 | 42°16'N / 92°59'W | 42°29'N / 92°47'W | 19.00 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Grundy |
49.6 | 1989-05-30 | 4 | 42°17'N / 93°10'W | 42°14'N / 92°59'W | 9.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 3 | 2.5M | 0 | Hardin |
50.0 | 1964-05-04 | 2 | 42°07'N / 91°28'W | 42°09'N / 91°31'W | 2.30 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Linn |
* The information on this page is based on the global volcano database, the U.S. earthquake database of 1638-1985, and the U.S. Tornado and Weather Extremes database of 1950-2010.