Council Bluffs, IA Tornado History — 124 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Council Bluffs, IA had?
Council Bluffs has had 124 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 12 violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near Council Bluffs?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Council Bluffs was an EF3 on April 17, 2025.
When is tornado season in Council Bluffs?
June is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Council Bluffs, with 36 on record. Spring through early summer (April–June) generally sees the highest activity across most of the central and southern United States.
At a Glance
Recent Tornado Activity Near Council Bluffs
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 55 total, averaging 2.8 per year over this window.
Preliminary tornado reports near Council Bluffs since December 29, 2025
These are 3 preliminary reports, not confirmed tornadoes. They have not yet been through an NWS damage survey, and are not counted in the confirmed totals above.
Preliminary reports are revised, merged, and sometimes withdrawn — historically about 23% are consolidated downward once surveys complete. Ratings are omitted until a survey assigns one.
Confirmed records above are complete through December 29, 2025. NOAA publishes the confirmed archive annually, so tornadoes after that date appear here first and move into the totals above once finalized.
Within 25 miles of Council Bluffs. Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center preliminary storm reports, updated daily.
Tornadoes by Decade
Tornadoes by Enhanced Fujita Rating
F0–F5 ratings (pre-2007) are grouped with their EF equivalents. The Enhanced Fujita scale replaced the original Fujita scale in February 2007.
Tornadoes by Month
Casualties on Record Near Council Bluffs
11 fatalities have been recorded within 25 miles of Council Bluffs since 1950, across 6 events. 309 injuries have been reported across all events. 1975 was the deadliest year on record.
The deadliest single event was a F4 on May 6, 1975, which caused 3 fatalities along a 8.0-mile track.
Notable Tornadoes Near Council Bluffs
About Tornadoes in Council Bluffs
This overview was written August 10, 2026. The tornado counts and notable-event figures elsewhere on this page reflect the latest data and may differ from this summary.
Severe weather returns to Council Bluffs on a spring schedule: April through June is when the ingredients for rotating storms come together over the Missouri River valley. Warm, humid air rides north from the Gulf of Mexico into western Iowa, while drier air spilling off the High Plains and cold fronts dropping from the northern Rockies supply the lift and wind shear that supercells require. The loess hills that give the city its name do little to blunt a mature storm, and circulations that organize over eastern Nebraska frequently cross the river intact, keeping the season stretched deep into summer.
The NOAA Storm Prediction Center's archive for the area is anchored by its violent tornadoes. On April 26, 1957, an F4 carved an 89.8-mile track through the region, killing 1 person and injuring 8. Another F4 struck on May 6, 1975, killing 3 people and injuring 133 along a compact 8-mile path. Decades later, on April 26, 2024, an EF4 with a footprint 1,900 yards wide traveled 31.89 miles and injured 4 people, while a companion EF3 the same day killed 1 person on a 40.27-mile track. The event list elsewhere on this page fills in the quieter chapters between those benchmarks.