Mitchell County Natural Disasters and Weather Extremes
Hot Iowa Rankings
The chance of earthquake damage in Mitchell County is about the same as Iowa average and is much lower than the national average. The risk of tornado damage in Mitchell County is higher than Iowa average and is much higher than the national average.
Earthquake Index, #51
| Mitchell County | 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
| Mitchell County | 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, #15
| Mitchell County | 267.81 |
| 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 13,358 other weather extremes events within 50 miles of Mitchell County 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: | 92 | Cold: | 149 | Dense Fog: | 75 | Drought: | 28 |
| Dust Storm: | 0 | Flood: | 1,324 | Hail: | 4,901 | Heat: | 62 | Heavy Snow: | 185 |
| High Surf: | 0 | Hurricane: | 0 | Ice Storm: | 65 | Landslide: | 0 | Strong Wind: | 183 |
| Thunderstorm Winds: | 4,986 | Tropical Storm: | 0 | Wildfire: | 6 | Winter Storm: | 392 | Winter Weather: | 123 |
| Other: | 787 | ||||||||
Volcanos Nearby
No volcano is found in or near Mitchell County.
Historical Earthquake Events
No historical earthquake events that had recorded magnitudes of 3.5 or above found in or near Mitchell County.
No historical earthquake events found in or near Mitchell County.
Historical Tornado Events
A total of 100 historical tornado events that had recorded magnitude of 2 or above found in or near Mitchell County.
| Distance (miles) | Date | Magnitude | Start Lat/Log | End Lat/Log | Length | Width | Fatalities | Injuries | Property Damage | Crop Damage | Affected County |
| 1.4 | 1965-05-05 | 4 | 43°17'N / 92°49'W | 43°23'N / 92°43'W | 8.20 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 6 | 25K | 0 | Floyd |
| 4.6 | 1954-05-23 | 2 | 43°17'N / 92°48'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Mitchell | |||
| 6.3 | 1966-06-11 | 2 | 43°23'N / 92°54'W | 1.00 Mile | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Mitchell | |
| 6.4 | 1981-05-23 | 2 | 43°16'N / 92°55'W | 43°18'N / 92°50'W | 3.80 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Mitchell |
| 7.2 | 1971-07-12 | 3 | 43°20'N / 93°02'W | 43°28'N / 92°47'W | 15.40 Miles | 833 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Worth |
| 8.0 | 1965-05-05 | 4 | 43°23'N / 92°43'W | 43°23'N / 92°33'W | 7.90 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Floyd |
| 14.2 | 1967-04-30 | 4 | 43°18'N / 93°10'W | 43°26'N / 92°58'W | 13.30 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Worth |
| 14.3 | 2004-06-11 | 3 | 43°24'N / 92°33'W | 43°32'N / 92°33'W | 8.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 190K | 30K | Howard |
| Brief Description: A small but intense supercell thunderstorm produced three tornadoes in northeast Iowa. The first tornado touched down about 4 miles southeast of New Haven (Mitchell County), south of 320th Street and between Walnut and Windfall Avenue. It tracked north, primarily in open fields, and lifted between 350th and 360th Street east of New Haven, or just west of Windfall Avenue. The tornado was rated an F1. The second tornado touched down just east of the Mitchell-Howard County line, about 4 miles south of Riceville (Howard County), and also moved straight north. It downed a few trees, but primarily crossed open fields until it reached the southeast side of Riceville. It damaged a few sheds and buildings in Riceville, with mainly tin roofing material and siding blown off. The tornado lifted in Riceville and was rated an F0. The third and most significant tornado formed about 2 miles north of Riceville, again just east of the Mitchell-Howard County line. The tornado tracked north, just east of the county line or Addison Avenue. It grew in strength and at one point was approximately 150 yards wide, hitting several homes and farms (F2 damage). One home lost the roof and all buildings. The tornado was so close to the county line that debris was thrown across Addison Avenue into Mitchell County at times. The dirt and young crops were scoured by the tornado. The tornado crossed into Minnesota just southwest of Le Roy (Mower County), hitting a home directly on the state line. The home, which was built in1900, and several buildings on the lot, were completely demolished (F3 damage). | |||||||||||
| 16.1 | 1986-09-28 | 2 | 43°09'N / 92°37'W | 0.20 Mile | 23 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Floyd | |
| 16.6 | 2004-06-11 | 3 | 43°30'N / 92°33'W | 43°33'N / 92°34'W | 4.00 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3.0M | 20K | Mower |
| Brief Description: A tornado crossed the Minnesota-Iowa state line just southwest of Le Roy (Mower County) causing considerable damage. One home right on the state line was completely destroyed, but there were no injuries or deaths. The tornado was approximately 150 yards wide at times and apparently reached F3 damage intensity right on the state line around 6:05 p.m. The tornado then started to weaken, but did heavy damage to a grain company (Koch Industries)(F2 damage) about 2 miles west of Le Roy and continued north, crossing Highway 56 just before 6:10 p.m. The tornado lifted approximately 4 miles northwest of Le Roy in open fields. There were also brief tornado touch downs (all rated F0) near Dexter (Mower County) and Le Roy, as well as areas along the Mower-Fillmore County line west of Spring Valley (Fillmore County). | |||||||||||
| 16.7 | 1995-07-27 | 2 | 43°34'N / 92°44'W | 43°36'N / 92°41'W | 3.50 Miles | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.0M | Mower |
| Brief Description: A tornado touched down in Adams and moved northeast touching down several times. Several buildings were damaged or destroyed. Many trees uprooted. A church in Adams lost its steeple and bell tower. | |||||||||||
| 17.3 | 1968-05-15 | 5 | 43°10'N / 92°33'W | 43°13'N / 92°29'W | 4.10 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Chickasaw |
| 17.7 | 1964-08-27 | 2 | 43°06'N / 92°42'W | 1.00 Mile | 77 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Floyd | |
| 18.9 | 1967-04-30 | 3 | 43°20'N / 93°12'W | 43°34'N / 93°04'W | 17.20 Miles | 800 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Worth |
| 18.9 | 1968-05-15 | 5 | 43°13'N / 92°29'W | 43°28'N / 92°20'W | 18.60 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 12 | 3K | 0 | Howard |
| 19.6 | 1974-05-28 | 3 | 43°20'N / 93°13'W | 43°22'N / 93°08'W | 3.80 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 3 | 2.5M | 0 | Worth |
| 19.9 | 1967-04-30 | 4 | 43°27'N / 93°10'W | 43°30'N / 93°07'W | 3.00 Miles | 500 Yards | 0 | 1 | 2.5M | 0 | Worth |
| 20.4 | 1971-07-12 | 4 | 43°14'N / 92°27'W | 43°13'N / 92°23'W | 2.30 Miles | 1320 Yards | 0 | 4 | 2.5M | 0 | Howard |
| 21.0 | 1967-04-30 | 4 | 43°30'N / 93°07'W | 43°34'N / 93°07'W | 4.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Freeborn |
| 21.5 | 1967-04-30 | 2 | 43°38'N / 92°56'W | 43°40'N / 92°51'W | 3.80 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Mower |
| 21.5 | 1953-05-20 | 3 | 43°12'N / 92°24'W | 43°26'N / 92°19'W | 16.50 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Chickasaw |
| 21.5 | 1953-05-10 | 4 | 43°27'N / 92°24'W | 43°30'N / 92°23'W | 1.90 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 2 | 0K | 0 | Howard |
| 21.7 | 1984-06-07 | 2 | 43°38'N / 92°59'W | 43°39'N / 92°54'W | 5.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 7 | 2.5M | 0 | Mower |
| 21.9 | 1965-05-05 | 4 | 43°23'N / 92°33'W | 43°23'N / 92°09'W | 19.90 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 5 | 25K | 0 | Howard |
| 22.0 | 1968-05-15 | 5 | 42°54'N / 92°53'W | 43°10'N / 92°33'W | 24.70 Miles | 600 Yards | 13 | 450 | 25.0M | 0 | Floyd |
| 23.1 | 1994-07-19 | 2 | 43°15'N / 92°26'W | 43°16'N / 92°15'W | 8.50 Miles | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 50K | 5K | Howard |
| 23.5 | 1961-08-04 | 2 | 43°40'N / 92°57'W | 2.00 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 2 | 250K | 0 | Mower | |
| 23.8 | 1980-05-29 | 2 | 43°11'N / 93°12'W | 0.50 Mile | 30 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Cerro Gordo | |
| 24.2 | 2009-06-17 | 2 | 43°43'N / 93°01'W | 43°38'N / 92°54'W | 10.00 Miles | 120 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.0M | 30K | Mower |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: A tornado caused damage on the north and northeast side of the city of Austin. Specific reports included minor tree damage, as well as debris blown into fences and bent poles on the northwest side of Austin. Several power poles were snapped off or bent along Highway 218 on the north side of the city. Several metal work buildings were heavily damaged along 243rd St, along with numerous trees and some minor roof damage to nearby homes. Large debris, such as metal dumpsters, were tossed large distances. There was straight-line wind damage noted south of the tornado path, or along Highway 218 and 4th St NW. Several homes had minor damage, with numerous trees blown over or sheared off along 236th and 237th Street directly north of downtown Austin. There was considerable damage done in Todd Park, including athletic equipment, small buildings and hundreds of trees toppled and uprooted. The north side of the park, including the northern softball fields had the most damage. There was also considerable tree damage along 21st St NE or 555th Ave, which continued into the Austin Country Club. Minor damage was noted about a half mile east of the Austin airport and about 2 miles southeast of the airport. One minor injury was reported when a man sustained scrapes and bruises when he took shelter in a shed that rolled over twice. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Severe thunderstorms were triggered along a warm front during the evening of June 17. One of the storms produced two known tornadoes, one that initially touched down near the Dodge and Mower County line, northwest of the city of Austin. The tornado then moved through far north sections of Austin to areas about 3 miles east of Austin. The worst tornado damage was considered EF2 about 3 miles north of downtown near the intersection of 243rd and 4th street northwest. The bulk of the remaining damage was considered EF0 and EF1. The tornado was on the ground from approximately 8:00 p.m. until 8:23 p.m. Path length was about 10 miles long and had a maximum width of 120 yards. Another small tornado touched down southeast of this track in open country in rural Mower County. | |||||||||||
| 25.7 | 1965-05-05 | 2 | 43°30'N / 92°36'W | 43°48'N / 92°22'W | 23.60 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Mower |
| 26.3 | 2001-05-01 | 2 | 43°39'N / 93°08'W | 43°40'N / 93°03'W | 5.00 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.0M | 0 | Freeborn |
| Brief Description: Shortly after the Glenville tornado dissipated, another tornado formed 4 miles southwest of Oakland and dissipated about 1/2 mile before it would have crossed Interstate 90, which law enforcement had barricaded. Major damage to 3 farmsteads, minor damage to 8 others per damage survey. | |||||||||||
| 27.7 | 2001-05-01 | 2 | 43°34'N / 93°17'W | 43°37'N / 93°10'W | 7.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 20.0M | 0 | Freeborn |
| Brief Description: Tornado first touched down on the western fringe of Glenville, and produced major damage, especially on the northwest side of Glenville. There were 25 homes that sustained major damage, and 70 with minor damage. Damage survey indicated F2 damage on northwest side of Glenville, with F1 damage along rest of path. | |||||||||||
| 27.7 | 1993-08-09 | 2 | 43°04'N / 92°27'W | 43°04'N / 92°20'W | 5.00 Miles | 55 Yards | 0 | 2 | 500K | 50K | Chickasaw |
| 29.3 | 1982-05-17 | 3 | 43°35'N / 93°17'W | 43°42'N / 93°08'W | 10.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Freeborn |
| 29.7 | 1964-08-29 | 2 | 43°22'N / 93°27'W | 43°29'N / 93°17'W | 11.20 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Worth |
| 29.8 | 1970-09-09 | 2 | 42°54'N / 92°48'W | 42°56'N / 92°45'W | 1.90 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Butler |
| 30.8 | 1994-07-07 | 2 | 42°58'N / 92°29'W | 43°04'N / 92°16'W | 9.50 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 500K | 5K | Chickasaw |
| 30.9 | 1998-06-27 | 2 | 42°59'N / 93°20'W | 43°04'N / 93°05'W | 12.50 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 125K | 10K | Cerro Gordo |
| Brief Description: Iowa was located in the warm sector of a developing storm system to the west. The warm front had moved to the northern Iowa border during the afternoon of the 27th with dew point temperatures in the mid 70s to around 80 blanketing the state in the warm sector. Initially, the airmass was capped, preventing thunderstorms from forming during the afternoon. Slightly cooler air moved in during the evening hours. In addition to the slightly cooler air moving in aloft, a cold front was poised over eastern Nebraska ready to move east into the state. Thunderstorms erupted rapidly by early evening with hail and high winds reported over northern Iowa. There were numerous reports of hail of an inch or larger in diameter, with a few reports of golf ball size hail. High winds were also a problem with many of the storms producing 60 to 70 MPH wind gusts. Reports of tree and power line damage were widespread. There were a few tornadoes as well. One tracked across open country in Cerro Gordo County before damaging a house south of Clear Lake. Another tornado touched down near Swaledale in Cerro Gordo County and passed southeast of Mason City. Much of the track was over open country, however one house was destroyed near Swaledale by this tornado. The longest track tornado moved across Butler and Bremer Counties. It also passed through open country, causing damage to crops and out buildings. In addition to these, there were a few brief touchdowns reported. Iowa soil remained very saturated with numerous rivers at or near flood stage. Heavy rainfall of near 4 inches in a couple hours time caused flash flooding in Cerro Gordo County. A widespread area of north central into northeast Iowa received heavy rainfall. Many areas picked up two to four inches of rain in a few hour period. This resulted in urban and small stream flooding, and ultimately general river flooding in the days that followed. As the storms moved through Worth County, lightning struck an outbuilding west of Kensett. The building was set on fire and destroyed. | |||||||||||
| 30.9 | 1971-07-12 | 4 | 43°13'N / 92°23'W | 43°05'N / 92°05'W | 17.50 Miles | 1320 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Chickasaw |
| 32.1 | 1971-06-06 | 2 | 42°52'N / 92°47'W | 42°54'N / 92°44'W | 1.30 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Greene |
| 32.2 | 1967-04-30 | 3 | 43°06'N / 93°25'W | 43°11'N / 93°18'W | 7.70 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Cerro Gordo |
| 32.4 | 1968-05-15 | 2 | 43°20'N / 92°11'W | 43°17'N / 92°06'W | 4.70 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Howard |
| 32.8 | 1964-08-29 | 2 | 43°18'N / 93°26'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Worth | |
| 32.8 | 1953-05-20 | 3 | 42°33'N / 93°03'W | 43°12'N / 92°24'W | 55.60 Miles | 400 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Hardin |
| 33.1 | 1953-05-10 | 4 | 43°10'N / 93°30'W | 43°27'N / 93°23'W | 20.20 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Cerro Gordo |
| 33.7 | 1965-05-05 | 4 | 43°23'N / 92°09'W | 43°25'N / 92°05'W | 3.30 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Howard |
| 34.0 | 1953-05-10 | 4 | 43°30'N / 92°23'W | 43°51'N / 92°10'W | 26.20 Miles | 33 Yards | 1 | 6 | 2.5M | 0 | Fillmore |
| 34.2 | 1956-07-17 | 2 | 43°04'N / 92°16'W | 43°02'N / 92°13'W | 2.30 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 1 | 0K | 0 | Chickasaw |
| 34.2 | 1953-05-10 | 2 | 43°45'N / 93°12'W | 43°48'N / 93°04'W | 6.90 Miles | 67 Yards | 6 | 3 | 3K | 0 | Freeborn |
| 34.6 | 1975-06-04 | 2 | 42°51'N / 92°43'W | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Butler | |||
| 34.7 | 1982-05-17 | 3 | 43°42'N / 93°08'W | 43°51'N / 93°10'W | 10.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Freeborn |
| 35.5 | 1961-09-01 | 4 | 42°52'N / 92°33'W | 42°53'N / 92°28'W | 3.30 Miles | 27 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Bremer |
| 35.6 | 1980-09-20 | 2 | 43°26'N / 93°30'W | 43°27'N / 93°28'W | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Worth | ||
| 36.1 | 1970-09-09 | 2 | 42°51'N / 92°32'W | 42°53'N / 92°29'W | 2.30 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Bremer |
| 36.1 | 1965-09-09 | 2 | 43°23'N / 92°04'W | 1.00 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Howard | |
| 36.2 | 1961-09-01 | 4 | 42°47'N / 93°00'W | 42°52'N / 92°33'W | 23.30 Miles | 27 Yards | 0 | 7 | 2.5M | 0 | Butler |
| 36.5 | 2010-06-17 | 3 | 43°45'N / 93°14'W | 43°49'N / 93°10'W | 5.00 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Freeborn |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: As the Lerdal tornado began to dissipate, it rotated around this new one west of Hollandale. This new EF-3 tornado went on to obliterate a farmstead, with virtually every outbuilding destroyed, and the farm house leveled. It continued northeast and took the roof off a house and destroyed a greenhouse. Just before dissipating, it hit one more farmstead near County Roads 30 and 35, causing damage to outbuildings, minor damage to the house, and uprooting and breaking a couple dozen trees. Video filmed by storm chaser. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Several strong storms developed in west-central Minnesota during the mid afternoon hours of June 17th. These storms quickly become severe and produced softball size hail northwest of Alexandria and a tornado near Leaf Valley that became the EF-4 that moved through Wadena, Minnesota. By the late afternoon, numerous thunderstorms developed across southern Minnesota along the leading edge of extreme instability. Numerous funnel cloud reports and a few brief tornado touchdowns were noted prior to 5 pm, but once the low level shear (0-1 km) increased significantly from 15 knots, to over 35 knots, strong tornadoes developed along the Iowa border. These storms along the Iowa border produced a series of long-lived tornadoes near Albert Lea, Minnesota. Very large hail also accompanied some tornadoes along with flash flooding. | |||||||||||
| 36.9 | 1965-05-05 | 4 | 43°25'N / 92°05'W | 43°27'N / 92°02'W | 2.30 Miles | 200 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Winneshiek |
| 36.9 | 1999-08-09 | 2 | 43°24'N / 93°31'W | 43°24'N / 93°31'W | 3.50 Miles | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 50K | 5K | Worth |
| Brief Description: An unstable airmass was in place over Iowa during the afternoon and evening hours of the 9th. Satellite and sounding data suggested the atmosphere was capped at about 775 mb by a warm layer of air with temperatures as high as 18 C. or more. Thunderstorms had a hard time firing off. A cold front moved southeast into the state as rich low level air with dew point temperatures in the mid 70s preceded the front. While the front moved southeast, a speed max near 100 kts in strength moved into the north central U.S. This combined with an upper level short wave helped a few of the storms break the cap. The wind profile was favourable with a strong shearing environment. Thunderstorms moved into north central Iowa and became tornadic quickly. There was basically one cell that produced at least two tornadoes as it slipped southeast into Iowa. The first tornado touched down in Winnebago County near Scarville. The tornado moved southeast across the county and advanced into Worth County by a few miles. The tornado caused crop damage and some building damage along its path. The corner of a bank building was torn off in the town of Joice in Worth County for example. The same cell produced another brief tornado touchdown near Burchinal in Cerro Gordo County near the intersection of I-35 and County Highway B-43. No significant damage was reported with this tornado. As the large cell that produced the tornado moved on, the rear flank downdraft produced high winds once again in the Scarville area. Power lines were downed and a few buildings were damaged by the high winds in the town of Scarville. High winds also struck the airport in Mason City with a wind gust of 58 MPH. | |||||||||||
| 37.0 | 1967-04-30 | 4 | 43°34'N / 93°26'W | 43°51'N / 93°14'W | 21.70 Miles | 100 Yards | 5 | 35 | 25.0M | 0 | Freeborn |
| 37.2 | 1968-05-15 | 5 | 42°46'N / 93°07'W | 42°54'N / 92°53'W | 14.70 Miles | 600 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Franklin |
| 37.4 | 1967-03-30 | 2 | 43°11'N / 92°06'W | 43°14'N / 92°02'W | 4.10 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Howard |
| 38.5 | 1998-06-27 | 2 | 42°59'N / 93°26'W | 43°04'N / 93°23'W | 7.50 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 50K | 2K | Cerro Gordo |
| Brief Description: Iowa was located in the warm sector of a developing storm system to the west. The warm front had moved to the northern Iowa border during the afternoon of the 27th with dew point temperatures in the mid 70s to around 80 blanketing the state in the warm sector. Initially, the airmass was capped, preventing thunderstorms from forming during the afternoon. Slightly cooler air moved in during the evening hours. In addition to the slightly cooler air moving in aloft, a cold front was poised over eastern Nebraska ready to move east into the state. Thunderstorms erupted rapidly by early evening with hail and high winds reported over northern Iowa. There were numerous reports of hail of an inch or larger in diameter, with a few reports of golf ball size hail. High winds were also a problem with many of the storms producing 60 to 70 MPH wind gusts. Reports of tree and power line damage were widespread. There were a few tornadoes as well. One tracked across open country in Cerro Gordo County before damaging a house south of Clear Lake. Another tornado touched down near Swaledale in Cerro Gordo County and passed southeast of Mason City. Much of the track was over open country, however one house was destroyed near Swaledale by this tornado. The longest track tornado moved across Butler and Bremer Counties. It also passed through open country, causing damage to crops and out buildings. In addition to these, there were a few brief touchdowns reported. Iowa soil remained very saturated with numerous rivers at or near flood stage. Heavy rainfall of near 4 inches in a couple hours time caused flash flooding in Cerro Gordo County. A widespread area of north central into northeast Iowa received heavy rainfall. Many areas picked up two to four inches of rain in a few hour period. This resulted in urban and small stream flooding, and ultimately general river flooding in the days that followed. As the storms moved through Worth County, lightning struck an outbuilding west of Kensett. The building was set on fire and destroyed. | |||||||||||
| 39.2 | 1999-08-09 | 2 | 43°28'N / 93°37'W | 43°23'N / 93°30'W | 8.00 Miles | 40 Yards | 0 | 0 | 100K | 10K | Winnebago |
| Brief Description: An unstable airmass was in place over Iowa during the afternoon and evening hours of the 9th. Satellite and sounding data suggested the atmosphere was capped at about 775 mb by a warm layer of air with temperatures as high as 18 C. or more. Thunderstorms had a hard time firing off. A cold front moved southeast into the state as rich low level air with dew point temperatures in the mid 70s preceded the front. While the front moved southeast, a speed max near 100 kts in strength moved into the north central U.S. This combined with an upper level short wave helped a few of the storms break the cap. The wind profile was favourable with a strong shearing environment. Thunderstorms moved into north central Iowa and became tornadic quickly. There was basically one cell that produced at least two tornadoes as it slipped southeast into Iowa. The first tornado touched down in Winnebago County near Scarville. The tornado moved southeast across the county and advanced into Worth County by a few miles. The tornado caused crop damage and some building damage along its path. The corner of a bank building was torn off in the town of Joice in Worth County for example. The same cell produced another brief tornado touchdown near Burchinal in Cerro Gordo County near the intersection of I-35 and County Highway B-43. No significant damage was reported with this tornado. As the large cell that produced the tornado moved on, the rear flank downdraft produced high winds once again in the Scarville area. Power lines were downed and a few buildings were damaged by the high winds in the town of Scarville. High winds also struck the airport in Mason City with a wind gust of 58 MPH. | |||||||||||
| 39.3 | 1980-09-20 | 2 | 43°19'N / 93°38'W | 43°26'N / 93°30'W | 10.20 Miles | 60 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Winnebago |
| 39.5 | 2010-06-17 | 3 | 43°51'N / 93°07'W | 43°54'N / 93°04'W | 4.00 Miles | 440 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Steele |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This tornado developed just north of the Steele/Freeborn County line, shortly after the dissipation in Freeborn County of the Newry tornado. This new tornado moved northeast, and initially, occasional trees were broken. Damage intensified somewhat when it hit a farm on State Highway 30 just west of Blooming Prairie. The tornado continued moving northeast, decimating crops. Some bean fields were scoured in spots. It intensified significantly to EF-3 2.5 miles northwest of Blooming Prairie, where a house was leveled, trees were snapped, and large portions of bark were removed. A pickup truck was lofted about 50 feet into the basement of the house. Several other houses sustained minor damage. The tornado dissipated just west of Highway 218 and 123rd Street. Video recorded by law enforcement and chasers. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Several strong storms developed in west-central Minnesota during the mid afternoon hours of June 17th. These storms quickly become severe and produced softball size hail northwest of Alexandria and a tornado near Leaf Valley that became the EF-4 that moved through Wadena, Minnesota. By the late afternoon, numerous thunderstorms developed across southern Minnesota along the leading edge of extreme instability. Numerous funnel cloud reports and a few brief tornado touchdowns were noted prior to 5 pm, but once the low level shear (0-1 km) increased significantly from 15 knots, to over 35 knots, strong tornadoes developed along the Iowa border. These storms along the Iowa border produced a series of long-lived tornadoes near Albert Lea, Minnesota. Very large hail also accompanied some tornadoes along with flash flooding. | |||||||||||
| 39.8 | 1953-05-10 | 4 | 43°04'N / 93°31'W | 43°10'N / 93°30'W | 6.40 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 3 | 250K | 0 | Hancock |
| 39.9 | 1962-05-22 | 2 | 43°53'N / 92°29'W | 0.50 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Olmsted | |
| 40.1 | 2010-06-17 | 2 | 43°53'N / 93°05'W | 43°54'N / 93°03'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 1 | 0K | 0K | Steele |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This EF-2 tornado touched down and tracked east-northeast, and soon crossed the path of the Blooming Prairie EF-3 that had moved north-northeast about 10 minutes earlier. A manufactured home was obliterated by the EF-2. A woman inside the home was blown about 20 feet, but was found under debris, rescued by law enforcement, and survived. The tornado continued moving east-northeast, and several outbuildings were destroyed, along with many broken trees. The tornado continued into Dodge County. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Several strong storms developed in west-central Minnesota during the mid afternoon hours of June 17th. These storms quickly become severe and produced softball size hail northwest of Alexandria and a tornado near Leaf Valley that became the EF-4 that moved through Wadena, Minnesota. By the late afternoon, numerous thunderstorms developed across southern Minnesota along the leading edge of extreme instability. Numerous funnel cloud reports and a few brief tornado touchdowns were noted prior to 5 pm, but once the low level shear (0-1 km) increased significantly from 15 knots, to over 35 knots, strong tornadoes developed along the Iowa border. These storms along the Iowa border produced a series of long-lived tornadoes near Albert Lea, Minnesota. Very large hail also accompanied some tornadoes along with flash flooding. | |||||||||||
| 40.3 | 1977-07-14 | 2 | 43°42'N / 92°16'W | 43°48'N / 92°08'W | 9.20 Miles | 1500 Yards | 0 | 10 | 2.5M | 0 | Fillmore |
| 40.5 | 1984-06-07 | 3 | 43°40'N / 93°21'W | 43°53'N / 93°20'W | 14.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 12 | 25.0M | 0 | Freeborn |
| 41.0 | 1962-09-16 | 2 | 43°51'N / 92°25'W | 43°53'N / 92°21'W | 3.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Olmsted |
| 41.3 | 1977-07-16 | 2 | 42°48'N / 92°29'W | 42°48'N / 92°26'W | 1.90 Miles | 20 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Bremer |
| 41.4 | 2010-06-17 | 3 | 43°42'N / 93°25'W | 43°51'N / 93°19'W | 11.00 Miles | 1320 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Freeborn |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: Touchdown was near the intersection of Freeborn County Roads 14 and 20. Multiple farmsteads experienced significant structural and tree damage, including one house completely destroyed and several others heavily damaged. Many outbuildings were destroyed, hundreds of trees uprooted and snapped, with some partially debarked. It then moved into Steele County, southwest of Ellendale, where it began moving to the north-northwest. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Several strong storms developed in west-central Minnesota during the mid afternoon hours of June 17th. These storms quickly become severe and produced softball size hail northwest of Alexandria and a tornado near Leaf Valley that became the EF-4 that moved through Wadena, Minnesota. By the late afternoon, numerous thunderstorms developed across southern Minnesota along the leading edge of extreme instability. Numerous funnel cloud reports and a few brief tornado touchdowns were noted prior to 5 pm, but once the low level shear (0-1 km) increased significantly from 15 knots, to over 35 knots, strong tornadoes developed along the Iowa border. These storms along the Iowa border produced a series of long-lived tornadoes near Albert Lea, Minnesota. Very large hail also accompanied some tornadoes along with flash flooding. | |||||||||||
| 41.7 | 1988-03-24 | 2 | 43°04'N / 92°02'W | 43°07'N / 92°02'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Fayette |
| 42.0 | 1971-07-12 | 4 | 43°03'N / 92°03'W | 43°04'N / 92°03'W | 1.10 Miles | 1320 Yards | 0 | 4 | 2.5M | 0 | Fayette |
| 42.3 | 1952-05-23 | 2 | 42°45'N / 92°58'W | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0 | Butler | |||
| 42.6 | 1988-03-24 | 2 | 43°07'N / 92°02'W | 43°11'N / 91°56'W | 7.00 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Winneshiek |
| 43.2 | 1952-07-27 | 2 | 43°43'N / 93°29'W | 1.50 Miles | 133 Yards | 0 | 4 | 25K | 0 | Freeborn | |
| 44.0 | 1973-09-26 | 2 | 42°58'N / 93°29'W | 2.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Cerro Gordo | |
| 44.0 | 1966-10-14 | 2 | 43°39'N / 93°36'W | 43°39'N / 93°31'W | 2.70 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 1 | 3K | 0 | Freeborn |
| 44.4 | 2001-09-06 | 2 | 42°42'N / 92°34'W | 42°47'N / 92°25'W | 10.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 100K | 10K | Bremer |
| Brief Description: Tornado moved in from Butler County and touched down again, mostly in open field. A car and garage was damaged in Bremer County. A strong upper level low pressure lifted northeast out of the southern Plains during the afternoon of the 6th. During the heating of the afternoon, thunderstorms erupted in the unstable air. The freezing level was around 15,000 feet, so hail was not a great threat. Surface dew point temperatures were in the upper 60s to low 70s with precipitable water values around 1.75 inches. Thunderstorms fired southwest of the Des Moines metropolitan area. A tornado touched down in rural Madison County. The tornado was about 60 feet wide and produced a half mile long path of damage in open country. As the storms moved northeast they continued to intensity. One cell dropped a tornado at the Glen Oaks Golf Course in West Des Moines, causing some minor damage there. The tornado tracked northeast and flipped a semi tractor-trailer truck in Interstate 35 resulting in one injury. It continued northeast and hit an apartment complex causing damage to the building and destroying an 8-car garage. The path was more intermittent as it continued northeast into the city. There were numerous reports of trees and power lines being downed. The tornado lifted as the event transitioned into a high wind event. The storms produced wind damage in Johnston as it moved through the area. High winds of 80 to 85 MPH occurred in northern Polk and southern Story Counties before they weakened. A grain bin was flattened, along with tree and crop damage, as the storm moved through the Elkhart area. Just northwest of that, in Slater, high winds took the roof off of a house in southern Story County. One person in the house was injured. The storms continued to track northeast, eventually dropping another tornado in Butler and Bremer Counties. The tornado had a somewhat intermittent track touching down south of Shell Rock and lifting northeast of Waverly. For the most part the tornado tracked through corn fields there. One farmstead was hit in Butler County. A grain bin was destroyed and blown one quarter of a mile across a field, another was blown off its foundation, a shed was destroyed, and crops were damaged. In Bremer County, one car and a garage were damaged along the tornadoes path. Another farmstead was hit north of Waverly. Part of a machine garage was destroyed and blown about 30 feet off of its foundation. | |||||||||||
| 45.8 | 1979-07-03 | 2 | 43°57'N / 92°24'W | 0.50 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Olmsted | |
| 45.8 | 1962-09-16 | 4 | 43°58'N / 92°27'W | 0.50 Mile | 33 Yards | 0 | 34 | 250K | 0 | Olmsted | |
| 45.8 | 2010-06-17 | 4 | 43°34'N / 93°38'W | 43°48'N / 93°31'W | 17.00 Miles | 1760 Yards | 1 | 14 | 0K | 0K | Freeborn |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: The tornado initially moved northeast to approximately 3.5 miles west of Conger, where at about (43.6156, -93.6015), it began to move more to the east-northeast. West of Armstrong, at about (43.6597, -93.4938), it began tracking nearly due north to just west of Manchester, where at about (43.7357, -93.4801), it began to move to the north-northwest, before dissipating 1.5 miles west of Hartland. Accounting for the changes in direction of this track, the actual path length covered by the tornado was 19.95 miles. Near 180th Street and County Road 2, a home was likely in the outer circulation of the tornado, as it sustained some roof and siding damage. A barn was also destroyed to its brick foundation and a car was also flipped over lengthwise. Some evidence of tree debarking was noted. The tornado continued to the northeast and caused extensive crop damage approximately 500 yards in width. Near County Roads 17 and 63, the tornado intensified to produce EF-3 damage, impacting a farmstead and causing the complete destruction of three swine barns and the loss of 12 head of swine. Two empty grain bins were completely blown away at this location. The house at this location had some roof damage but appeared to be northwest of the main tornado path. Approximately 100 feet northeast of the house, a 150 foot tripod style wind turbine tower was twisted and toppled. This location also marked the beginning of crops being completely raked, with only stalks of corn left, and soybean fields being almost unrecognizable. After passing through this farmstead the tornado took a more easterly path across County Road 63, and maintained EF-3 strength. After passing County Road 63, another farmstead was hit, and two empty harvester silos were toppled. The tornado continued to the northeast across County Road 4, where continued raking of the fields was noted with significant deposition of debris along the tornado path. Numerous trees were toppled at County Road 89 where it turns to the north. The tornado continued to the north-northeast, grew to 1000 yards, and around 1750 LST impacted a farmstead along County Road 12 two miles north of Conger, where EF-4 damage was observed. The house at this location was completely destroyed, as was the barn and several other buildings. Extensive tree damage was noted with nearly all branches being removed from the trunks. Debarking of trees was widespread at this location. A car was also tumbled a distance of 3200 feet, coming to rest in a field east of County Road 12. The tornado continued to the northeast across County Road 69 and County Road 46, where it weakened slightly to EF-3 intensity. As it crossed County Road 46, a house was rotated off the foundation. The tornado was approximately 700 yards wide at this point. To the north-northeast, a swine barn was destroyed with sheet metal being carried off to Interstate 90. At this same time, a satellite tornado developed and caused damage in the town of Armstrong (see separate entry). The main tornado continued to the north-northeast and was 500 yards in width. The tornado crossed County Road 74 and caused EF-2 damage to three farmsteads. One farmstead with a manufactured home was hit, resulting in one fatality and one severe injury. The tornado crossed Interstate 90 just west of County Road 14 as it grew to one third of a mile in width and re-strengthened to EF-3 intensity. Several farmsteads saw significant damage between Sugar Lake and County Road 14, with a house and two barns completely destroyed. From this point the tornado continued to the north, growing to one mile in width. Around 1800 LST, a house and barn were destroyed approximately one mile west of Manchester on County Road 25, where extensive tree and structural damage was also noted at several properties in the area. Additionally, west of this tornadic damage, a separate area of tree and structural damage was caused by strong thunderstorm winds associated with a rear flank downdraft (see separate entry). About one mile north, the tornado weakened slightly to EF-2 Intensity, where it damaged three full grain bins near County Road 29. The tornado was approximately 1300 yards at this point. Further north, at County Road 95, the tornado continued to weaken, although a farmstead still received EF-1 damage to trees and structures. Finally, the tornado continued north and began to narrow and weaken. It dissipated west of Hartland. One person was killed and 14 injured from this tornado. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Several strong storms developed in west-central Minnesota during the mid afternoon hours of June 17th. These storms quickly become severe and produced softball size hail northwest of Alexandria and a tornado near Leaf Valley that became the EF-4 that moved through Wadena, Minnesota. By the late afternoon, numerous thunderstorms developed across southern Minnesota along the leading edge of extreme instability. Numerous funnel cloud reports and a few brief tornado touchdowns were noted prior to 5 pm, but once the low level shear (0-1 km) increased significantly from 15 knots, to over 35 knots, strong tornadoes developed along the Iowa border. These storms along the Iowa border produced a series of long-lived tornadoes near Albert Lea, Minnesota. Very large hail also accompanied some tornadoes along with flash flooding. | |||||||||||
| 46.1 | 1964-04-13 | 2 | 43°57'N / 92°28'W | 44°00'N / 92°28'W | 3.40 Miles | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Olmsted |
| 46.3 | 1973-09-26 | 2 | 43°01'N / 93°35'W | 1.00 Mile | 50 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Hancock | |
| 46.3 | 1965-08-25 | 2 | 43°19'N / 91°59'W | 43°10'N / 91°46'W | 14.70 Miles | 150 Yards | 0 | 1 | 250K | 0 | Winneshiek |
| 46.4 | 1959-05-10 | 2 | 42°45'N / 93°20'W | 42°49'N / 93°14'W | 6.50 Miles | 300 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Franklin |
| 46.5 | 1966-04-19 | 2 | 42°51'N / 92°07'W | 42°55'N / 92°07'W | 4.60 Miles | 250 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25K | 0 | Bremer |
| 46.7 | 2010-06-17 | 2 | 43°51'N / 93°19'W | 43°56'N / 93°22'W | 7.00 Miles | 880 Yards | 0 | 0 | 0K | 0K | Steele |
| Brief Description: EVENT NARRATIVE: This tornado moved from Freeborn County and into Steele County and began moving to the north-northwest, thereby missing the city of Ellendale. At about (43.9255, -93.3453), it began moving toward the northwest, and at about (43.9407, -93.3627), it actually turned some more and moved toward the west-northwest until it finally dissipated. Accounting for the change in direction, the tornado had an actual path length of 7.7 miles in Steele County. Along the way, several homes experienced significant structural damage, with one house completely destroyed and the roof removed from two others. Many outbuildings were destroyed, and hundreds of trees were uprooted and snapped. EPISODE NARRATIVE: Several strong storms developed in west-central Minnesota during the mid afternoon hours of June 17th. These storms quickly become severe and produced softball size hail northwest of Alexandria and a tornado near Leaf Valley that became the EF-4 that moved through Wadena, Minnesota. By the late afternoon, numerous thunderstorms developed across southern Minnesota along the leading edge of extreme instability. Numerous funnel cloud reports and a few brief tornado touchdowns were noted prior to 5 pm, but once the low level shear (0-1 km) increased significantly from 15 knots, to over 35 knots, strong tornadoes developed along the Iowa border. These storms along the Iowa border produced a series of long-lived tornadoes near Albert Lea, Minnesota. Very large hail also accompanied some tornadoes along with flash flooding. | |||||||||||
| 47.3 | 1982-05-17 | 3 | 43°51'N / 93°10'W | 44°06'N / 93°10'W | 16.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 250K | 0 | Steele |
| 47.8 | 1998-06-27 | 2 | 42°40'N / 92°34'W | 42°42'N / 92°29'W | 5.00 Miles | 75 Yards | 0 | 0 | 3K | 1K | Bremer |
| Brief Description: Iowa was located in the warm sector of a developing storm system to the west. The warm front had moved to the northern Iowa border during the afternoon of the 27th with dew point temperatures in the mid 70s to around 80 blanketing the state in the warm sector. Initially, the airmass was capped, preventing thunderstorms from forming during the afternoon. Slightly cooler air moved in during the evening hours. In addition to the slightly cooler air moving in aloft, a cold front was poised over eastern Nebraska ready to move east into the state. Thunderstorms erupted rapidly by early evening with hail and high winds reported over northern Iowa. There were numerous reports of hail of an inch or larger in diameter, with a few reports of golf ball size hail. High winds were also a problem with many of the storms producing 60 to 70 MPH wind gusts. Reports of tree and power line damage were widespread. There were a few tornadoes as well. One tracked across open country in Cerro Gordo County before damaging a house south of Clear Lake. Another tornado touched down near Swaledale in Cerro Gordo County and passed southeast of Mason City. Much of the track was over open country, however one house was destroyed near Swaledale by this tornado. The longest track tornado moved across Butler and Bremer Counties. It also passed through open country, causing damage to crops and out buildings. In addition to these, there were a few brief touchdowns reported. Iowa soil remained very saturated with numerous rivers at or near flood stage. Heavy rainfall of near 4 inches in a couple hours time caused flash flooding in Cerro Gordo County. A widespread area of north central into northeast Iowa received heavy rainfall. Many areas picked up two to four inches of rain in a few hour period. This resulted in urban and small stream flooding, and ultimately general river flooding in the days that followed. As the storms moved through Worth County, lightning struck an outbuilding west of Kensett. The building was set on fire and destroyed. | |||||||||||
| 48.5 | 1967-04-30 | 4 | 43°51'N / 93°14'W | 44°06'N / 93°13'W | 17.00 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Steele |
| 48.6 | 1965-05-05 | 3 | 43°30'N / 92°01'W | 43°41'N / 91°44'W | 18.80 Miles | 100 Yards | 0 | 6 | 2.5M | 0 | Fillmore |
| 48.9 | 1967-04-30 | 4 | 43°48'N / 93°31'W | 43°51'N / 93°30'W | 1.90 Miles | 267 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Freeborn |
| 49.3 | 1967-04-30 | 2 | 43°56'N / 92°21'W | 44°00'N / 92°14'W | 6.80 Miles | 33 Yards | 0 | 0 | 25.0M | 0 | Olmsted |
| 49.3 | 1967-04-30 | 3 | 43°40'N / 93°35'W | 43°51'N / 93°36'W | 12.30 Miles | 100 Yards | 2 | 23 | 25.0M | 0 | Freeborn |
| 49.5 | 1998-06-27 | 2 | 42°35'N / 92°56'W | 42°41'N / 92°32'W | 20.50 Miles | 75 Yards | 0 | 0 | 10K | 2K | Butler |
| Brief Description: Iowa was located in the warm sector of a developing storm system to the west. The warm front had moved to the northern Iowa border during the afternoon of the 27th with dew point temperatures in the mid 70s to around 80 blanketing the state in the warm sector. Initially, the airmass was capped, preventing thunderstorms from forming during the afternoon. Slightly cooler air moved in during the evening hours. In addition to the slightly cooler air moving in aloft, a cold front was poised over eastern Nebraska ready to move east into the state. Thunderstorms erupted rapidly by early evening with hail and high winds reported over northern Iowa. There were numerous reports of hail of an inch or larger in diameter, with a few reports of golf ball size hail. High winds were also a problem with many of the storms producing 60 to 70 MPH wind gusts. Reports of tree and power line damage were widespread. There were a few tornadoes as well. One tracked across open country in Cerro Gordo County before damaging a house south of Clear Lake. Another tornado touched down near Swaledale in Cerro Gordo County and passed southeast of Mason City. Much of the track was over open country, however one house was destroyed near Swaledale by this tornado. The longest track tornado moved across Butler and Bremer Counties. It also passed through open country, causing damage to crops and out buildings. In addition to these, there were a few brief touchdowns reported. Iowa soil remained very saturated with numerous rivers at or near flood stage. Heavy rainfall of near 4 inches in a couple hours time caused flash flooding in Cerro Gordo County. A widespread area of north central into northeast Iowa received heavy rainfall. Many areas picked up two to four inches of rain in a few hour period. This resulted in urban and small stream flooding, and ultimately general river flooding in the days that followed. As the storms moved through Worth County, lightning struck an outbuilding west of Kensett. The building was set on fire and destroyed. | |||||||||||
| 49.6 | 1981-04-10 | 2 | 42°50'N / 92°06'W | 0.80 Mile | 100 Yards | 0 | 0 | 2.5M | 0 | Bremer | |
* 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.