Dubuque, IA Tornado History — 113 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Dubuque, IA had?
Dubuque has had 113 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 5 violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near Dubuque?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Dubuque was an EF1 on July 11, 2025.
When is tornado season in Dubuque?
June is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Dubuque, with 35 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 Dubuque
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 46 total, averaging 2.3 per year over this window.
Preliminary tornado reports near Dubuque 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Preliminary reports are revised, merged, and sometimes withdrawn — historically about 23% are consolidated downward once surveys complete.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 Dubuque. 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 Dubuque
1 fatality has been recorded within 25 miles of Dubuque since 1950, across 1 event. 28 injuries have been reported across all events. 1965 was the deadliest year on record.
The deadliest single event was a F4 on April 11, 1965, which caused 1 fatality along a 91.5-mile track.
Notable Tornadoes Near Dubuque
About Tornadoes in Dubuque
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.
Dubuque's tornado story runs in long lulls broken by abrupt, volatile afternoons: the bluff country where Iowa, Illinois, and Wisconsin meet can drift through season after calm season before a warm sector surges up the Mississippi valley and everything changes in hours. The ingredients arrive from far away — humid air from the Gulf of Mexico riding north, drier continental air sliding east, and a spring jet stream capable of setting the whole column spinning. When those pieces align over the rolling terrain of the Driftless Area, supercells can hold together across the river valleys, and days that begin sunny can end under tornado warnings.
That rhythm shows across generations of storm survey files kept by the NOAA Storm Prediction Center. On April 11, 1965, an F4 tornado tore along a 91.5-mile track through the area, killing one person and injuring three others. Grandchildren of those who remember that day saw an F3 and an F1 touch down on the same afternoon, May 8, 1988, and then an F4 on March 13, 1990, that caused roughly 27.5 million dollars in damage. The current generation has its own entries: an EF2 injured five people on June 17, 2014, and another EF2 carved a 2.9-mile path on July 11, 2025.