Iowa City, IA Tornado History — 129 Tornadoes Since 1950
How many tornadoes has Iowa City, IA had?
Iowa City has had 129 tornadoes on record within 25 miles since 1950, including 5 violent (EF3+) tornadoes.
When was the most recent tornado near Iowa City?
The most recent tornado within 25 miles of Iowa City was an EF0 on June 25, 2024.
When is tornado season in Iowa City?
May is historically the peak month for tornadoes near Iowa City, with 40 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 Iowa City
The last 20 years of confirmed tornadoes within 25 miles — 40 total, averaging 2.0 per year over this window.
Preliminary tornado reports near Iowa City since December 29, 2025
These are 5 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Preliminary reports are revised, merged, and sometimes withdrawn — historically about 23% are consolidated downward once surveys complete.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 Iowa City. 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 Iowa City
7 fatalities have been recorded within 25 miles of Iowa City since 1950, across 4 events. 203 injuries have been reported across all events. 1984 was the deadliest year on record.
The deadliest single event was a F4 on June 7, 1984, which caused 3 fatalities along a 134.0-mile track.
Notable Tornadoes Near Iowa City
About Tornadoes in Iowa City
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.
Johnson County sits where the Iowa River cuts a shallow valley through eastern Iowa's rolling glacial till, and the modest relief around Iowa City does little to slow severe weather arriving from the west. Warm, humid air streaming north from the Gulf of Mexico meets cooler Canadian air along fronts that stall across this part of the state, while spring jet-stream winds aloft supply the turning that lets thunderstorms rotate.
That setup has left its mark on the county. An F3 followed the river country on May 21, 1953, injuring 7 people, and another F3 on May 15, 1998, left 47 people hurt in its wake. On June 7, 1984, an F4 tracked roughly 134 miles through the region; 3 people died and 64 were injured along its path. An EF1 that crossed the area on April 27, 2014, cut a swath nearly a mile wide and killed 2 people.
Tornado activity near Iowa City clusters in spring and early summer, when April, May, and June bring repeated clashes between Gulf moisture and cold upper-level air; the 1980s and 1990s show how such spring patterns can revisit the same ground. The event list and yearly breakdown elsewhere on this page draw on live data from the NOAA Storm Prediction Center, whose severe-weather record underlies each entry shown here.