Amana, IA Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
The chance of earthquake damage in Amana is about the same as Iowa average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Amana is about the same as Iowa average and is much higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #492
Amana, 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
Amana, 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, #484
Amana, IA | 236.47 |
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 3,816 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Amana, 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: | 23 | Cold: | 27 | Dense Fog: | 13 | Drought: | 16 |
Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 411 | Hail: | 1,084 | Heat: | 5 | Heavy Snow: | 57 |
High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 33 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 63 |
Thunderstorm Winds: | 1,647 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 0 | Winter Storm: | 63 | Winter Weather: | 57 |
Other: | 317 |
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Amana, IA.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Amana, IA.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Amana, IA.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 91 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Amana, IA.
Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
7.8 | 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 |
10.4 | 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 |
12.3 | 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 |
12.4 | 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 |
12.5 | 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 |
13.7 | 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 |
14.7 | 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. | |||||||||||
15.5 | 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 |
16.3 | 1974-08-12 | 4 | 41°45'N / 92°11'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Iowa | |
16.7 | 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 |
17.5 | 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 |
17.8 | 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. | |||||||||||
18.2 | 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. | |||||||||||
19.1 | 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. | |||||||||||
19.4 | 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 |
21.1 | 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 |
21.2 | 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 |
21.5 | 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 |
21.6 | 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 |
21.7 | 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 |
22.1 | 1966-10-14 | 2 | 42°03'N / 91°36'W | 5.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Linn | |
22.9 | 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 |
22.9 | 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 |
23.2 | 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 |
24.6 | 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 |
25.3 | 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 |
25.6 | 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. | |||||||||||
25.8 | 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 |
25.8 | 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 |
26.5 | 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 |
27.3 | 1954-05-23 | 2 | 42°10'N / 91°40'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Linn | |||
28.4 | 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 |
30.1 | 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 |
30.1 | 1953-05-10 | 2 | 41°53'N / 92°27'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Tama | |||
30.2 | 1995-05-09 | 2 | 41°49'N / 91°19'W | 41°54'N / 91°16'W | 7.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 500K | 0 | Cedar |
30.3 | 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 |
30.7 | 1991-03-22 | 2 | 41°32'N / 91°22'W | 41°39'N / 91°20'W | 4.00 Miles | 80 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Johnson |
30.8 | 1974-04-28 | 2 | 41°38'N / 91°21'W | 41°39'N / 91°17'W | 2.30 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 16 | 250K | 0 | Cedar |
31.5 | 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 |
32.5 | 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. | |||||||||||
32.7 | 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 |
33.2 | 1991-03-22 | 2 | 41°39'N / 91°20'W | 41°40'N / 91°11'W | 10.00 Miles | 80 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Cedar |
33.3 | 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 |
33.9 | 1959-05-09 | 2 | 42°06'N / 92°24'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Tama | |||
34.0 | 1972-09-28 | 2 | 42°12'N / 91°47'W | 42°17'N / 91°22'W | 21.90 Miles | 2200 Yards | 0 | 3 | 2.5M | 0 | Linn |
34.5 | 1998-05-15 | 3 | 41°37'N / 91°21'W | 41°53'N / 91°04'W | 15.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 2 | 2K | 0 | Cedar |
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. | |||||||||||
35.4 | 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 |
35.6 | 1966-05-23 | 2 | 41°36'N / 91°16'W | 41°39'N / 91°11'W | 4.90 Miles | 350 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Muscatine |
35.8 | 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. | |||||||||||
36.5 | 1965-09-20 | 3 | 41°20'N / 92°12'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 4 | 250K | 0 | Keokuk | |
36.8 | 1995-07-27 | 2 | 41°39'N / 91°17'W | 41°36'N / 91°07'W | 7.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 500K | 60K | Cedar |
Brief Description: A vary dynamic weather pattern was in place across Iowa. The air mass was very unstable with total total indices of 61, K indices over 30, and helicity values over 600 m2-s-2. Soundings at 1200 UTC already indicated lifted indices of -7ø C. Moisture pooling was taking place ahead of a windshift line which extended north to south across central Nebraska at sunrise. Dew point values rose to around 80ø F. over most of Iowa in the morning. A strong cap was in place with 700 mb temps nearing +15ø C. This held convection to a minimum. Thunderstorms had formed the previous night across South Dakota and advanced into southern Minnesota. They slid southeast and moved into north central Iowa during the late morning hours. Golf ball-size hail pelted Worth County northeast of Northwood. A short time later a second cell dropped dime-size hail on the area. The storms advanced southeast producing hail and gusty winds. Most of the activity was just below severe limits. When the storms reached Clayton County, dime size hail was reported in Luana. Meanwhile, in Garnavillo high winds were a problem. Several trees and numerous power lines were downed in the city as the gust front passed. In addition to the first cluster of storms that slid southeast, a line of thunderstorms formed quickly on its heels ahead of the trough/windshift line. These storms quickly became severe in the unstable air mass and joined with the aforementioned cluster of storms. Once the storms became severe, they produced considerable damage. Hail up to baseball-size, very high winds, and tornadoes resulted. There were several small tornadoes and one gustnado produced by the line. Of the more significant tornadoes, one tracked across Buchanan and Delaware Counties and caused damage to many out buildings. The tornado struck a few farmsteads directly and damaged many others. Considerable damage was reported along its path. One house was destroyed, two others sustained about $25 thousand damage each, five others sustained about $20 thousand damage, and a mobile home was destroyed worth $10 thousand. A grain elevator was struck near Lamont with damage placed to it at $500 thousand. A total of 19 farmsteads sustained damage in the county. Crop damage by the tornado was also severe with damage described as if "someone went through the fields with a Weedeater". Two head of cattle were killed near Lamont when the barn they were in collapsed. Another tornado that was on the ground for a significant length of time tracked across Clinton County. Other significant tornadoes struck Scott and Muscatine Counties. Straight line winds caused considerable damage in Delaware County. There were numerous reports of livestock killed or injured by fallen barns. Three hogs were crushed on a farm near Hopkinton for example. Damage from straight line winds alone in the county were placed near two and one half million dollars. Damage was very extensive around the Hopkinton area with many farmsteads affected and some nearly wiped out. Estimates from the entire Quad Cities metro area range to around $5 million. There was also considerable damage in Jones County from high winds. Wind gusts of at least 85 MPH destroyed 24 mobile homes and three permanent homes in Monticello. There was also damage reported to several other houses and businesses in the area. Other wind damage in the Monticello area included three silos destroyed, two large barns downed, two machine sheds, a corn crib, and six open sheds. Three head of cattle were killed as one of the barns collapsed on them. In another incident, a horse stable was blown down by the winds. One horse was killed as the stable toppled down on it. Also, in Monticello, a man was injured as high winds downed a tree on top of his car. Reports indicated the total property damage in the Monticello area were at least $1.8 million and were expected to top the $2 million mark. Estimates of crop damage due to the wind totaled close to $1 million across Jones County. Cedar County, winds of 90 to 95 MPH in close proximity to a tornado in the area destroyed one house and several buildings north of Atalissa. The tornado itself hit one farmstead north of the Atalissa area. Reports indicated food was sucked out of the refrigerator and boards were taken out of loaded grain wagons. When the house was hit, a letter from the attic was picked up shortly before 1900CST. The letter was retrieved at 1940CST; 40 miles from its original location in the Quad Cities. There were numerous reports of small rope tornadoes around the Lowden area. Two are included in this report. The tornado northwest of town touched down briefly in an open field. There were actually three separate touchdowns from one parent cloud within a period of several minutes. A local network of spotters in the county observed 24 funnel clouds. In addition to the tornadoes and winds, hail was a major problem. There were numerous reports of one to two-inch diameter hail. There were also several reports of baseball-size hail. In Clinton County, Grand Mound and DeWitt were pelted with baseball-size hail causing considerable damage. The airport at Clinton sustained damage by baseball-size hail as well. In Calamus, baseball-size hail fell on the city. The hail in combination with the wind damaged cars, knocking out windows. Windows were also knocked out of several buildings in the city. Hail also caused considerable crop damage in east central Iowa. Five thousand acres of corn and soybeans were totally destroyed, 10,000 acres slightly damaged, 50 hogs killed, and 10 head of cattle killed in a three county area. The Governor declared Buchanan, Delaware, and Jones Counties disaster areas. Damage and losses totaled into the millions. Earlier in the afternoon, lightning struck a barn in Winneshiek County near Castalia. The barn was a total loss as it burned to the ground. | |||||||||||
37.2 | 1978-06-26 | 2 | 41°35'N / 92°32'W | 0.70 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 2.5M | 0 | Poweshiek | |
37.4 | 1969-06-29 | 2 | 41°48'N / 92°36'W | 1.00 Mile | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Poweshiek | |
38.0 | 1965-08-26 | 4 | 42°18'N / 92°12'W | 42°18'N / 92°11'W | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Black Hawk | ||
38.2 | 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 |
38.2 | 1965-07-18 | 2 | 42°18'N / 92°12'W | 0.50 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Black Hawk | |
38.3 | 1966-06-05 | 2 | 42°17'N / 91°30'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Linn | |||
38.6 | 1953-05-20 | 3 | 42°01'N / 91°23'W | 42°05'N / 91°01'W | 19.20 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 3 | 0K | 0 | Jones |
38.7 | 1988-05-08 | 2 | 41°20'N / 91°26'W | 41°23'N / 91°24'W | 7.00 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Louisa |
38.9 | 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 |
38.9 | 1970-05-09 | 2 | 41°18'N / 91°32'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Washington | |
39.3 | 1988-05-08 | 2 | 41°42'N / 91°10'W | 41°46'N / 91°04'W | 7.00 Miles | 90 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Cedar |
39.6 | 1971-07-12 | 3 | 42°18'N / 91°31'W | 42°18'N / 91°28'W | 0 | 2 | 2.5M | 0 | Delaware | ||
39.9 | 2008-04-25 | 2 | 41°31'N / 91°15'W | 41°34'N / 91°07'W | 7.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 200K | 0K | Muscatine |
Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This tornado touched down 5.2 miles northeast of Nichols and tracked to the northeast before lifting 2 miles west of Moscow. The EF2 tornado was on the ground for 6.5 miles, had maximum winds to 115 mph and was 150 yards wide. There were 5 farmsteads that were hit by the tornado, but no injuries were reported. Siding and shingles of two homes were peeled off. Outbuildings were damaged, a machine shed and grain bin destroyed, and a wooden swingset toppled. Utility poles were snapped or blown down, while several trees were snapped or uprooted. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Strong low pressure tracked from western Kansas to western Wisconsin on April 24-25, 2008. A warm front moving across the region brought heavy rain and flash flooding to areas north of I-80. Then an impressive cold front swept across eastern Iowa and northwest Illinois. This front triggered severe thunderstorms which produced two tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds. | |||||||||||
40.1 | 1990-03-13 | 4 | 42°14'N / 91°25'W | 42°16'N / 91°20'W | 4.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Linn |
40.2 | 1965-06-27 | 2 | 42°03'N / 92°35'W | 0 | 0 | 3K | 0 | Tama | |||
40.3 | 1988-05-08 | 2 | 41°10'N / 91°49'W | 41°20'N / 91°26'W | 19.00 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Washington |
40.4 | 1975-11-09 | 2 | 41°15'N / 91°37'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Washington | |||
41.5 | 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 |
42.2 | 1958-07-14 | 2 | 42°12'N / 92°30'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Tama | |||
42.7 | 1967-01-24 | 2 | 41°18'N / 91°22'W | 41°21'N / 91°20'W | 3.00 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Louisa |
42.8 | 1974-08-12 | 4 | 42°21'N / 91°29'W | 5.00 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 12 | 2.5M | 0 | Delaware | |
42.9 | 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. | |||||||||||
43.1 | 1966-04-19 | 3 | 41°51'N / 92°43'W | 41°52'N / 92°42'W | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Poweshiek | ||
43.6 | 1990-06-02 | 2 | 42°24'N / 91°41'W | 42°25'N / 91°35'W | 5.50 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Buchanan |
44.8 | 1950-07-01 | 2 | 42°27'N / 91°55'W | 14.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Buchanan | |
45.1 | 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 |
45.2 | 1990-03-13 | 4 | 42°16'N / 91°20'W | 42°20'N / 91°16'W | 5.00 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Jones |
46.2 | 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 |
46.8 | 1990-06-02 | 2 | 42°25'N / 91°35'W | 42°27'N / 91°30'W | 5.00 Miles | 67 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Delaware |
46.8 | 1969-06-11 | 2 | 41°50'N / 92°47'W | 1.00 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Marshall | |
46.9 | 1992-07-13 | 2 | 41°58'N / 91°04'W | 41°59'N / 90°55'W | 5.70 Miles | 73 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Jones |
47.0 | 1962-05-28 | 2 | 41°52'N / 92°47'W | 0 | 5 | 250K | 0 | Marshall | |||
47.0 | 1969-06-06 | 2 | 41°52'N / 92°47'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Marshall | |||
47.8 | 1960-04-16 | 3 | 42°28'N / 92°05'W | 42°30'N / 92°00'W | 3.80 Miles | 800 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Buchanan |
47.9 | 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 |
48.3 | 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 |
48.4 | 1992-07-13 | 3 | 42°11'N / 91°08'W | 42°11'N / 91°02'W | 5.00 Miles | 73 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Jones |
49.0 | 1954-04-30 | 2 | 40°48'N / 91°25'W | 41°50'N / 90°57'W | 75.30 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Des Moines |
49.5 | 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 |
49.6 | 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 |
* 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.